Obtaining Your Marriage License in Ontario
During the ceremony, we sign your marriage license and forward it to the Registrar to ensure that your marriage is legally registered. The Rabbi is a licensed officiant. Before the marriage can take place, you must obtain the original license from your local municipal offices, which you provide to us up to 90 days before your wedding date. You’re welcome to give the license to us in advance so that you don’t have to worry about it at your ceremony. (The license is valid for only three months–if your plans or dates change, you will need to apply for an extension from the municipality.)
We do not provide the official Marriage Certificate. In Ontario, you apply for this from the Registrar after the ceremony. It’s necessary to wait at least 90 days after the ceremony before applying to meet provincial requirements.
If you have arranged with the Rabbi for a destination wedding in a state or province other than Ontario (he is also licensed or able to conduct ceremonies in certain other locales in Canada and the US), we will discuss this and any arrangements that need to be made with you.
If you are arranging a destination wedding with local officiants—it is good to be aware that Canadian/Ontario couples often arrange for a ceremony to be conducted in Ontario also, so they can be assured they are legally married.
How to change your name after your wedding ceremony:
How you change your name after you’re married is the question most asked by couples! In Ontario (and generally in other provinces besides Quebec), you may assume your spouse’s last name on marriage. You may need to show your marriage certificate (which you apply for after the wedding from Vital Statistics) to the relevant government departments or companies to change your name on certain documents (bank accounts, Revenue Canada, credit cards, driver’s license, social insurance number, etc.). You may also apply for a legal name change, but this is a different process.
On applying for a marriage license in Ontario
