How to arrange a simple legal non-religious 'civil' wedding in Toronto

We offer simple 'civil' legal wedding ceremonies:  non-religious & non-denominational, (similar to a 'City Hall' or 'Justice of the Peace' wedding) including elopements, private ceremonies, legal ceremonies for destination weddings, (aka 'signings' or 'registration of a marriage') and friendly family & community-style weddings.  I make house calls! You may have a wedding at your home, apartment, in a park, hotel, restaurant, or other location of choice. Or hot air balloon.

Questions big or small? Use this [ENQUIRY FORM] and I'll write back! I will also send a sample contract and a fee scale. Fees are simple, and based on the size of the wedding, and include transportation and office fees. See FAQ and main website for more information for both small and larger events.

Mary is licensed as a Marriage Officiant ("wedding Celebrant") by the Registrar General of Ontario, and the Ontario Humanist Society and has performed over 1500 civil weddings. I am currently the Secular Humanist Chaplain at the University of Toronto  

HUMANISM is an ethical philosophy of secular living, stating we all share a duty of care to each other, to lead ethical lives of compassion and respect, for other people, and the world we all share. Humanist Wedding Ceremonies are simple, meaningful, non-religious legal marriage ceremonies, which reflect your wishes, your values, and your story. We also provide ceremonies for baby-namings, memorials, and other life events. 

Hart House wedding - back again!

Hart House (rehearsal)

 Here's a rehearsal picture for a lovely Hart House spring wedding. I'll wear higher shoes, but I'm still dwarfed by these handsome guys!  It's nice to be back in the building again, and looking forward to some additional on-campus weddings as the weather improves.

Gerrard Laneway outdoor wedding

 

Gerrard laneway elopement

During Covid, we sometimes met outside (in this case, outside the restaurant) and held the weddings in small spaces - like the laneway!!  Quick and simple - and quite fun.

King Street condo balcony wedding, a bit cold, but Happy

The sun went behind a cloud, but the couple are pretty happy.  Guess who is only 5 feet tall - me!  And this great couple are towering!  But we had a nice simple civil wedding, despite the chill. All you need is a quiet location, and about 30 minutes, and then perhaps a little champagne!

 

Balcony wedding King Street

High Park wedding - small and sunny!

Beautiful day - in a little alcove by the Japanese Garden

Happy Couple and mom/mother-in-law! 

 

Windy spring wedding in Riverdale Park

Riverdale Park in Spring

 

Spring backyard wedding for a long-term couple!

This couple had been companions for a number of years, and they celebrated their legal wedding in their backyard, with stories, humour, and a woodpecker!

Backyard pride wedding

Restaurant Il Ponte, Family wedding on a sunny evening

 

Il Ponte restaurant, Riverdale

Outdoor spring wedding at University of Toronto

Spring wedding at University of Toronto

 The weather looked a little blustery (well, a LOT!) and rain was threatening, so we changed our plans and found this nice portico and had a nice simple elopement - and the sun came out!  Spring flowers, April showers, and a very happy spring couple.  

Balcony Wedding on a windy spring day

Here's a little downtown wedding by OCAD.  We could open the balcony doors and get a LOT of air inside this apartment, and we took off our masks for the pix.

House wedding - with the windows open!

Here's the first 'indoor' wedding of the spring, with the windows and doors wide open, and a beautiful spring day  This was the predicted '90Km' windstorm day, and we just opened the door and let the air circulate.  The next day was snow, but we were thrilled to have the sun come out for this couple and their family.

Spring wedding with the doors open

Wintry wedding in a Toronto Condo

 The wind was blowing, so we didn't step outside, but had a lovely wedding in the couple's 'breakfast room', far away from the King Street construction madness..

Signing the Register

Sun setting in the dining room behind

A few little Covid weddings....

Revisiting a few small 'Covid weddings' ... couples and witnesses and small legal ceremonies in and around Toronto.
Current information on Covid-19 and regulations for weddings 

Winter Wedding at UofT

Rosedale Parkette

High Park

Back Porch, Roncesvalles

Oriole Park

Late September elopement wedding in High Park

Fun Fall wedding in the woods in High Park

We're ALL having fun in this pix!  The couple and their 6 guests found a grove of trees in High Park and we held a wonderful short wedding in the woods at the end of September.  The weather COOPERATED (yay), and a good time was had by all.  It's important to find a little space away from people getting outdoor exercise, and dog walkers - but it's a big park! 

Signing the registry book on a bench in High Park

Phil the photographer - available for weddings big and small.

Backyard country legal wedding and a caravan!

This was a nice summer (Covid) wedding, when I was at the cottage. Just 5 people (the couple and I and 2 witnesses).  We're all vaccinated, and we're outside. A nice neighbour in Stratford loaned us her backyard, complete with a traveler's caravan  (and she made tea for the couple and gave them a bouquet!)

Covid winter weddings - small, outdoors, special

 We had a few very small, very cold, and very lovely weddings in December.

Here's a couple on their back porch, (pretty cold! the ink in our pens wasn't running very easily!)

Covid Back porch wedding, December

And this brave couple is having a 'first dance' in the park, to a cell phone tune, while their family holds sparklers.  AND it snowed JUST for the wedding.  Very cold, very pretty, very special.

Covid park wedding, December

And a bit of snow at UofT

A few quiet COVID weddings in the fall

Guidelines (which may change):  Everyone download COVID tracing app. Wedding is Outdoors, social distancing, all wear masks when signing, guests limited to witnesses & very close family. Still lovely!  (weather permitting).

Condo garden 

Here we are, midmorning, in a laneway near a downtown bar.  Lots of air circulation!  Just 2 witnesses and the super nice couple.  They're off to celebrate.

Downtown Toronto

High Park 

Legal ceremonies for destination weddings

It's that time of year!  Couples are planning 'getaway' weddings in warm places, and we provide the legal ceremonies in Canada before their 'ceremonial' weddings at the holiday destination. 
For a small legal wedding, you need a Marriage License from City Hall (good for 90 days), and 2 legal witnesses over age 18 (friends, family, neighbours, etc.), and about 15 minutes for a legal ceremony.  Then time to sign lots of papers and take a simple documentary photo (cell phone is OK).
You can save your ring exchange, vows, readings, music, family toasts and ceremonies for the destination wedding, and we will perform a very simplified legal wedding, which fulfils the government requirements.  Here's a sample text.

More information HERE

We can hold your legal wedding in your apartment, balcony, garden, or in a hotel, office, or even in *my* little apartment downtown.  Then the officiant completes all the paperwork for you and we send the documents off to the Registrar General in Thunder Bay for them to process the marriage - while you pack for your 'getaway' wedding.

informal legal wedding in a townhouse

Here are some world travelers who got married this winter, and are off to their family wedding in a few weeks.  We had a nice glass of champagne to celebrate.