Booking a Civil Marriage Ceremony

Personal information contained in your correspondence, to the Municipality of Clarington Council or its Committees, is collected under the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended and will be used for the purpose of scheduling a Civil Marriage Ceremony. Questions about the collection of the information may be directed to the Municipal Clerk.

Applicant

Joint Applicant

Ceremony Details

For ceremonies with 11 or more people, guests will sit behind the railing with the wedding party in front as pictured below.

For ceremonies with 10 or less people, guests will can stand in a circle around the couple in the centre of the room.

Marriage ceremonies can be scheduled up to three months in advance.

Your booking will include the use of the Council Chambers for 30 minutes before the ceremony and one hour after the ceremony time. Your service will take about eight to 10 minutes plus the time for signatures on paperwork. If the Council Chambers becomes unavailable, the ceremony will take place in a meeting room, also located at the Municipal Administrative Centre or we will reschedule.

First choice:

Second choice:

Third choice:

A marriage ceremony is a contract, therefore certain words must be said by each applicant. The words spoken by the applicants will be repeated after the officiant (i.e. no need to memorize.) We offer three choices of wedding ceremonies, please review the following choices and enter which ceremony you wish to use. If you have not selected the ceremony at least a week prior to your wedding, “Ceremony A” will be used.

• Civil Marriage Ceremony A (PDF)
• Civil Marriage Ceremony B (PDF)
• Civil Marriage Ceremony C (PDF)

Witnesses and Interpreters

The ceremony must be witnessed by two people who are at least 14 years of age. If you require witnesses, Clarington can provide them for a fee of $25 per witness payable when you complete this form.

You may bring an interpreter to your ceremony to assist you if required. Your interpreter cannot be one of the applicants or one of the witnesses.

Note: The interpreter and witnesses must complete the interpreter affidavit, provided by the officiant, following the ceremony.

Rings

Photographer

Other than your designated photographer, photos during the ceremony will not be permitted and will be announced at the beginning of the ceremony. Everyone can take photos of the signing and after the ceremony.

Videos are not provided by the Municipality. If you wish to video the ceremony, you may but you must provide your own device and an operator who is not the applicants or their witnesses.

Announcement

Note: At the end of the ceremony, you will receive a hard copy of the Request for Marriage Certificate Form which you can use to apply immediately after you are married. The Marriage Certificate contains the details of your marriage and can be used to “assume your new name”, process a divorce, or as a record of family history. However, the Province encourages you to apply online.

Marriage Licence

Original Marriage Licence must be provided to the Officiant at least one week prior to your ceremony. Learn more about obtaining your marriage licence. The marriage licence is only valid for three months from the date of issue.

Terms and conditions

Use of Facility:

1. The Council Chambers will be available for a maximum of 90 minutes only.
2. Decorating is not permitted, but bouquets are allowed.
3. Changes to the date and/or time of the ceremony may be allowed, provided that the Council Chambers and the Officiant are available.
4. Music is not provided by the Municipality. However, applicants may bring their own device which must be operated by someone other than the applicants and their witnesses.
5. Requests to change the date and/or time must be received a minimum of 48 hours prior to the originally scheduled date and time.

The Celebrants agree to the following and that they are responsible for ensuring that their invitees also abide by the following:

1. That the officiant has the right to stop the wedding if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the applicants lack capacity to marry by reason of being under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
2. That the ceremony will be cancelled if the marriage ceremony fee and the marriage licence are not received at least one week prior to the ceremony.
3. To abide by the Municipal facilities’ prohibition on the following: smoking, candles, latex balloons, confetti, and rice.
4. To defend and indemnify the Municipality of Clarington for any loss or damage incurred by their invitees.
5. To the maximum occupancy limits in the facility.
6. That a booking is not confirmed until this agreement is signed and payment is received.
7. That the Municipality of Clarington will not be held responsible for personal injury or damage, theft, or loss of any personal property of anyone attending on the invitation of the Celebrants.

A Staff member from Clarington’s Clerk’s Division will be in contact, via email, to arrange the dates and times of your ceremony (submission of this application does not guarantee a ceremony). You will be required to attend the Clerk’s Division office, in Bowmanville, at least one week prior to your ceremony to obtain/submit your original marriage license and to pay for your ceremony (and witnesses where applicable).