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So, you want to get married.
The first step is to find that special someone that you want to spend the rest of your days with and they with you. We will assume for the purposes of this article that you have that taken care of. After all the excitement of getting engaged and telling your family & friends then comes the work of getting married. You set a date and then go about finding a church/ceremony venue, a reception venue & caterer if not included with the venue and select the menu, photographer, videographer, music (DJ, musician/s), other entertainers, flowers, transportation, stag & doe, hotel rooms, selecting wedding party, and the honeymoon. And then there’s the wedding attire – did you “say yes to the dress”. Of most importance but quite often left down the list is the priest, minister or officiant. And there is a lot of administrative stuff to do around getting married in Ontario. I refer you to the government website where you will find information on the following: - Age minimum - Who can perform a marriage in Ontario? - What forms do you need before you can be married? - How to get a marriage licence? - Get a marriage certificate - Getting married during corona virus (COVID-19) restrictions - How to change my name after marriage - Remarrying after a divorce Let me highlight just a few points from the above information. 
Who can perform a marriage in Ontario?
Anyone officiating a wedding in Ontario must be registered to do so and the government maintains a listing of all those individuals at This Website.
Forms
1) Marriage Licence
You will need to obtain the marriage licence and present it in advance to your officiant.
The licence is valid for 90 days from date of issue and is obtained through a local city hall, town hall or municipal office. The Licence will be completed by the officiant and signed by him/her, the couple and 2 witnesses at the ceremony. 2) Record of Solemnization of Marriage
After your ceremony, your officiant will provide you with the "Record of Solemnization of Marriage" or interim proof of marriage. This interim document is not a legal record. The Officiant will then mail in your licence to the Government to register your wedding.
3) Wedding Certificate
The government will register the wedding, but you will need to apply for a marriage certificate. We suggest that you wait about 8-10 weeks before applying as it can take up to 12 weeks for the government to process the marriage licence and register your marriage. You can easily apply online or by mail. Check This Website for more details.
Before Your Big Day
The officiant will meet with you in-person, via phone or video call in advance to chat about your plans for the ceremony and get contact details of key individuals/vendors that will also be involved. They will discuss with you the flow of the ceremony and answer any questions that you may have. He/she will also get the licence from you and add their information to it and extract information from it for their records.
On The Wedding Day
Your officiant will arrive 15-20 minutes prior to the ceremony to find their place & get settled and then seek out the other vendors/individuals involved in the ceremony. He/she will also seek out the couple to let them know that he/she is there – providing some assurance that the day is flowing smoothly.
The Ceremony
Your officiant will celebrate your marriage with you and if it is me, I will do so in a style that is both laid back & relaxed but be serious as well. My goal is to take the stress off the couple by adding some humour and going with the flow whatever the distractions may be (if any).
While the above is certainly not all encompassing I hope that I have given you a sense of what to expect.
Are you looking for a Wedding Officiant?
Contact Bill Judge by any of the ways below.
Want to know more about Bill Judge? CLICK HERE to read a previous blog that Bill wrote about himself and the services that he provides.
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