Officiants  in  Barrie  Help  With  Legal Documents  For  Marriage  Ceremonies

Figuring out the process, and timing, for all the required paperwork to be ready prior to your marriage ceremony, can feel daunting, because your legal documents need to be prepared and ready before you can proceed with your marriage ceremony. Let Officiants in Barrie guide you through that process. The marriage commissioner in Ontario requires all couples to submit specific documents before a wedding officiant can perform their marriage ceremony. This is true whether you want a civil ceremony, a religious ceremony, a traditional ceremony, or non-traditional ceremony. Officiants in Barrie bring over 20 years of experience to help you through the anxiety of legal paperwork.

Marriage License

If this is the first marriage for both of you, the only document which you will need, is your marriage license. You can get this at any city hall, town hall, or municipal office in Ontario. You don't have to get it in Barrie. You will need to schedule an appointment before going there to pick up your marriage license. Most municipal offices aren't set up for "walk-ins".

Each municipal office offers appointment times, each with a variety of waiting times to book an appointment. If you need your appointment in a hurry, call around. Find out which municipal office has the shortest wait time. At Officiants in Barrie, we can provide you with lots of information which will help you through this.

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You will have to show two pieces of government-issued I.D. at the time you fill out the marriage license application form, so be sure to bring those with you when you go to apply. And timing is key. The marriage commissioner in Ontario requires that a marriage ceremony must take place within 90 days of the issuance of your marriage license. 

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Download your marriage license application from Service Ontario.

Certificate of Divorce

If either one of you, or both of you, have previously been married and are now divorced, you will need to bring your "Certificate of Divorce" along with you when you apply for your marriage license. This is different from the document you received when your divorce was ordered by the court. If you do not already have a "Certificate of Divorce" you will need to go back to the original court that granted it! There will be a fee which you will need to pay to the court. Having the wrong document, will delay the issuance of your marriage license.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Officiants in Barrie can make sure that you have the correct document  If you already have one, you're fine. Unlike a marriage license, a certificate of divorce has no expiration date.

Ontario Marriage Certificates

A marriage certificate is NOT the same as a marriage license. A marriage certificate is not required for your marriage to be legal. Your Ontario Marriage Certificate is NOT automatically sent to you. There is a fee for it, and, if you don't apply for it, you'll never receive one! At Officiants in Barrie, we help you understand the difference between the 2 documents, along with why your Ontario Marriage Certificate is important, and how to get one. 

There is a very different process in getting an Ontario Marriage Certificate. Officiants in Barrie will help you get your marriage certificate. There are 2 ways to request a marriage certificate - either, online (at www.ontario.ca ), or, by way of a paper application form. Gabrielle Stein, of Officiants in Barrie, can provide you with a form and help you fill out your application form, if that's the way you choose to go. Officiants in Barrie will explain the 2 different processes.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Applying for a marriage certificate is a distinctly separate process which requires you to wait three months after the wedding, before applying for it. A marriage certificate is different from the "record of solemnization" which you will receive immediately after your marriage ceremony. A marriage certificate is proof that the Office of The Marriage Registrar, in Ontario, have successfully registered your marriage. Your record of solemnization is only a temporary document which has virtually no legal value. These 2 documents are NOT the same. Your Ontario Marriage Certificate is the only accepted proof of marriage, recognized within  the province of Ontario. And once you finally receive it, store it in a safe place. Remember where that is, since you will need it to:

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• change your name

• apply for social benefits

• settle an estate

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