Step 2: Plan Your Wedding Ceremony
To get married in Ontario you will need a marriage licence, an authorized marriage officiant and two witnesses.
- You can obtain a marriage licence from any of our four offices.
- Your marriage must be preformed by an officiant who is authorized by the province of Ontario to properly and legally perform marriages. For a list of authorized officiants please visit Service Ontario.
There are two types of marriage ceremonies, religious and civil.
Religious marriage ceremony
- An authorized religious officiant marries you.
- The officiant may offer different types of ceremonies, including non-denominational.
Civil marriage ceremony
- A judge, justice of the peace or authorized municipal clerk marries you.
- This type of ceremony is not currently offered by the City of Toronto.
- May be offered by other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area
- You cannot be married at a court house in Toronto or at any of our offices
Once you have your marriage licence you can get married anywhere you like. You can have a marriage ceremony at home, a restaurant, a banquet hall, a place of worship, a park or a number of City of Toronto facilities.
Civic centre wedding chambers
The City has 3 wedding chambers located at the North York, Scarborough and York Civic Centres. Wedding chamber rentals are for a minimum of 30 minutes at a cost of $117.10 for each 30 minute booking. The rental is for the room only and does not include an authorized officiant
Museum and cultural venues
City museums and cultural centres represent a range of historical periods and architectural styles, many set within beautiful natural surroundings. Venues can be rented for a variety of functions including weddings and wedding photography.
Conservatories, parks and gardens
The City has many beautiful sites for wedding ceremonies and photography, including indoor conservatories, parks and outdoor gardens. The City does not provide a photographer and locations may have a fee.
If you get married outside of Ontario, your marriage will not be registered in the province. You will not be able to request a marriage certificate from the province of Ontario.
Getting married in another province
- Check with the Vital Statistics office in the province or territory in Canada where you want to get married.
- Inquire with the municipality, city or town in which you are getting married for specific information on applying for a marriage licence as policies and procedures may differ.
Getting married outside of Canada
- Eligibility and marriage requirements differ from country to country. Check with the Canadian representative in the country in which you are getting married for more information.
- Some countries require proof that you are not currently married, often called a Letter of Non-Impediment.
- A Letter of Non-Impediment (marriage search) will only confirm whether or not a marriage is registered for you in Ontario.
- You can apply to do a marriage search online through Service Ontario (see applying for a marriage certificate) or download the request form.