Civil Ceremony City Hall (Ontario Brides)

[veryvalentine]

Hello lovely ladies

 

I"m now less than 2 months away from our wedding day!  We went to cityhall today to apply for the marriage license.

 

The cost of the marriage license is $140 + tax; there is a fee for a consultation with the officiant; and the facility rental which was $299 approximately.

The clerk told us that if we chose to have the civil ceremony at home, it would only cost $28.50 approx instead of the $299.00

 

What are you Toronto brides doing?  I didn't want to do it at home because it seems too personal but it saves $200!!  (which is the facility rental) 

We really just wanted to sign papers and do the minimum in order to focus our attention and emotions on the symbolic one in mexico. 

ahhh decisions, decisions...

Edited April 24, 2015 by veryvalentine

[snswedding2016]

@@veryvalentine we're going to get our marriage license and then hopefully use Mary Beaty as our officiant (http://weddingsoftoronto.com/) we still have to contact her to see if she's available but she's our first choice. I'm not sure of the fees, we'll be requesting the info soon. We just secured our location. Since our legal wedding will be in the winter is posed a couple of challenges for us. We are using the yurt at Ceili Cottage as our location. We're really excited about it!! 

 

http://www.ceilicottage.com/yurt-winter-patio/ 

it doesn't look like the link works. here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

[veryvalentine]

@

 

Exactly.  I don't know who I would want to be at the house but I definitely do not want it to be a big deal. 

They also suggested doing it at a restaurant if there is a private room.  Can't do it at a public park because you have to apply for a special license.  aghhh.  I really just want to sign the papers and leave for Mexico.  

 

I don't want his parents to be there for that part because I think they might make it a bigger deal than I want them to.  

 

Did the costs that I mentioned above seem similar to what you've looked into?  This was what I was told from Townhall Oakville.  

Edited April 24, 2015 by veryvalentine

[snswedding2016]

Yup you do need witnesses!  I found out too that so many of us DW brides request to just sign papers - apparently that isn't legal ( I had no idea!). You actually need a verbal ceremony.

 

------------------------------------------------

This is from www.elopetoronto.com 

 

It's Spring, and people are planning destination weddings, or they've already had a spiritual or religious ceremony, and they have been contacting us to 'register' their other wedding, or to 'complete the paperwork' for Ontario.

As we have stated repeatedly, a legal wedding requires an actual verbal CEREMONY, not just a 'signing'. Once you have your  legal marriage license, you must still hold a short ceremony conducted by a legal officiant properly licensed in Ontario, in front of two witnesses.  The 'signing' part is simplyrecording this legal ceremony.  A legally licensed officiant will either blend the legal sections into a traditional ceremony, or conduct this legal part before the other celebration.  So if your spiritual or religious officiant is not licensed in Ontario, or you held your other ceremony in another jurisdiction, you will need to hold a legal ceremony in Ontario to become legally married.

After this short ceremony, your licensed officiant will forward your license to the Registrar General to complete the Registration of your change of legal status as a married couple. 

[veryvalentine]

@

 

Nice!  Do you have to pay an extra $399 for the meeting with the officiant etc etc?  

[veryvalentine]

@perianjay 

 

I thought so too!  I don't know how we can get around it though.  It was the same price in mississauga and I think Toronto too.  hmmm

[calgarybride2015]

I got married in AB. I didn't want a big to do as to us it was just a formality. So we actually got married at the commissioner's house lol!!!

 

The marriage license was $90 and the marriage commissioner $100!

 

Could you do it at someone's home to save on the cost to rent a place? Or a park or local attraction?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hayjules]

We live in London,ON and just booked our civil ceremony at City Hall. It was $135 for the license and $250 for the ceremony. We are going  to bring two friends as witnesses  that are not attending the wedding but  they also provide witnesses for an extra $25 each. We get  to choose between 5 vows  and are going  with the shortest no rings ceremony because we want to do that in Mexico. Were going to City  Hall on the Monday and  fly out on Wednesday,can't wait!!!

[DinaQtobe]

We did the same as hayjules - we were actually married at City Hall in London ON also!  

 

Though I was surprised about the $250 charge, I had budgeted this fee into our wedding costs.  If you know someone that is ordained in Ontario it will save you some money (there is a huge list on the governments website).  For City Hall, we picked the vows out of a list and decided to not exchange rings and save it for our DW.  We had two friends come and they took pictures and signed our license.  It was a very sweet ceremony and took only about 15-20 minutes.  If I was to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing.  Afterwards we took our friends out for dinner.

[snswedding2016]

@@veryvalentine I thought of you today - I was talking to a friend who just got engaged this week and we were talking DW. She told me her friend (who is also from Ontario) had a DW and did the symbolic ceremony first, she and her husband are now fighting to make it legal as Ontario is refusing to recognize it.

 

Better play it safe ladies and do the legal wedding here first!! Wouldn't want to chance it and have to try and fight it after the fact!