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

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  'micro-wedding', '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. 

NOTE: If you are viewing the MOBILE version of this blog, there's lots more info in the desktop version. There's a 'web version' link at the foot of the first page of posts, or view on your laptop.

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.

Condo Party room legal wedding - simple and lovely

This delightful couple also had a destination wedding in the South.  So this was their legal wedding, held with just their family witnesses, in the Party Room of their condo.  It was a weekday event, so we had the lovely big room to ourselves - with the fire on in the background, and lots of space to take photos.  Here, we've held the brief legal ceremony, and we're just finished signing all the papers!

Party Room Condo wedding

"If I get married in another country can I just 'sign the papers' here?" (or "Registering a Marriage")

Here is yet another variation of a query for 'signing the papers', or 'registering a marriage'.  A couple just asked me: they had picked up a proper Ontario marriage license, and then went abroad and had a wedding, and thought we could now just 'sign the papers' certifying their foreign wedding.

Nope.  To get legally married in ONTARIO, and apply for an ONTARIO MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE, you must hold a short verbal legal wedding ceremony in ONTARIO, with a properly licensed Ontario Marriage Officiant, in front of two legal witnesses who hear and see the spoken ceremony.  Then you sign documents, immediately following.

Because what marries you is this legal ceremony, not 'signing the papers'.  It must be a short verbal ceremony, in front of your witnesses, and it MUST include the legal Mandatory Declarations from the Marriage Act.  It's not long, and the legal parts are of course not religious, but they must be followed.

THEN you can 'sign the papers' (Registry, Marriage License, Record of Solemnization), and your officiant will certify and file the papers with the Registrar in Thunder Bay within 48 hours.  After the data has been entered in the records of the Province, you can file for your Certificate of Registration (eg., "Marriage Certificate").

I seem to be discussing this weekly, so here is yet another reminder.
Please see:  Legal Weddings FAQ

Small legal wedding behind Trinity College - happy and informal

A very lovely couple who are going abroad were looking for a small legal wedding somewhere around the University.   You can't do this many places, as you need a permit (esp near Hart House).  But if you don't  SEEM like a 'wedding', and you don't bother people, and there's just 4 of you, it's possible to find a little nook and be discreet.  Here's the 5 of us, looking very happy indeed, on the hill behind Trinity College - the new couple are in the middle, witnesses surrounding them. 

At the same time as we finished filling out the papers, a large wedding party marched up the path, bridesmaids in more ruffles and platform shoes than I've seen in ages.  It was quite a fun contrast - both couples very happy, and a beautiful fall day, and cheer all around.  I don't think the fancy wedding realized what we were doing, but the couple who were eloping were tickled by the other entourage!

Alternative destination wedding -- At the airport!

Here is the story of a couple who planned a 'destination' wedding abroad, but in the end, it got too complicated, including trying to get their family overseas.

So, they used the opportunity and the funds they'd saved to go to ... PARIS!

And here is the actual legal wedding, in the departure lounge at Air France!  We had the witnesses, the photographer, and the sunset - and we moved a few chairs, and stood in the corner where we weren't bothering anyone, and -- Voila!  I think the fancier pix from the photographer show the jet behind us.

NOTE, this actually takes a bit of planning, and certainly some flexibility, so please contact me if you're considering this kind of option.. but it was spontaneous fun.