Marriages & Ceremonies

An authorized official needs to marry you to ensure that a marriage is performed properly and legally. There are two types of marriage ceremonies performed in Ontario:

• Religious marriage: a recognized religious official marries you. Please refer to the Provincial website for a list of Registered religious officials.
• Civil marriage: As of April 6, 2020, The City of Hamilton will be performing civil marriage ceremonies to couples looking to have a simple, non-religious marriage ceremony or renewing of their vows at Hamilton City Hall. Learn more by visiting Civil Marriage Ceremonies.

Arranging the marriage ceremony is your responsibility.

Marriage licence vs. Publication of banns

Before you get married, you need either:

• a marriage licence, or
• a banns form that you get from a church when you publicly announce your commitment during a divine service (a church publishes this declaration, called “the publication of banns”)

Banns cannot be published if you or your spouse has been married before. You will need to get a marriage licence.

Getting married outside of Ontario

When you get married outside of Ontario, your marriage won’t be registered in the province. You need to follow the marriage licence requirements from the place where you intend to get married.

You may need to prove that you are not currently married and you may be required to apply for a marriage search letter.