Wedding FAQ

Q - Hey, Dan! Are you legally licensed to perform marriages?
A - Yes. I am licensed to perform marriages in Ontario as authorized by the Registrar General of the Government of The Province of Ontario under the Marriage Act, and certified by Humanist Canada.

Q - Where do you perform marriages?
A - Ontario from Niagara Falls to “the near North”, and from Windsor to Oshawa. Let’s talk!

Q - What is Humanism?
A - Secular Humanism is a worldview that emphasizes compassion, ethical behaviour, empathy and critical thinking, and that promotes human potential, dignity, and reason, all without belief in a higher power or in the supernatural. Really, this is the way MANY of us choose to live in the world, and the label of Humanism simply helps me to maintain a focus on values that are important to me.

Q - What is actually REQUIRED in a wedding ceremony?
A - Well, in Ontario, you need to include the following in the ceremony:
- Affirm your intention, desire and capacity to marry,
- Exchange vows
- Then I need to make a Proclamation of Marriage.
- I’ll make sure the Marriage License, Marriage Register and Record of Solemnization are properly signed, and I’ll arrange for your marriage to be legally registered.

That’s about it! A big part of the beauty and fun of a secular wedding is that the rest is up to you. Formal or quirky, short or long. You can exchange rings or not: That’s a tradition but not a requirement. Want to write your own vows? Want to have a family member do a reading. Want to have a singer or a DJ? That’s all great and entirely up to you!

Oh, you must be 16+ to marry in Ontario. If you are under 18, you will need written consent from all of your parents or legal guardians. All parents or legal guardians must complete the “Consent of Parents or Guardians to Marriage Form” when they go to get the marriage license.

More details are here.

Q - Where do we get a marriage license?
A - It’s up to you to get the Marriage License. One or both of you can get it from your local or surrounding municipality, and it’s valid anywhere in Ontario.

One or both of you must apply in person to the Marriage License Issuer. You both will need to take identification, such as a birth certificate (along with any change of name certificates), current passport, Record of Immigrant Landing or Canadian citizenship card, along with photo identification. For more details, you can check the government’s website here.

Q - What if this isn’t my first marriage?
A - Not to worry. Whether you were divorced in Canada or elsewhere, you can find out about all the required paperwork here.

Q - What if one/both of us wants to change our last name after marriage?
A - If you choose to legally change your last name (surname), you can do so through Service Ontario. More details are here.
My Instagram Reel on changing your name.

Q - What if the two of us have backgrounds in different cultures or religions?
A - Together, we can make sure to include elements of both your backgrounds to reflect your diversity. Symbolic moments can be tremendously meaningful and can go a long way toward helping family feel included and validated.
My Instagram Reel on having a wedding ceremony with no religious wording.

Q - Do we need a Wedding Planner?
A - Instagram Reel That’s entirely up to you. My area of expertise is in preparing and presenting the ceremony. Pretty well everything else on the day is up to you, including whether or not to use a Wedding Planner. As a rule of thumb, Wedding Planners kinda fall into three categories:

* A “day-of” coordinator helps make sure things run smoothly on the wedding day and takes care of things so you and your guests can enjoy the day.
* Some Wedding Planners will help with individual aspects in advance of your wedding day.
* A full-service Wedding Planner will take care of everything from beginning to end.

Should you decide you want the help of a planner, know that each will offer their own unique packages and it's important to understand what YOUR planner will and will not do during the planning process.

Q - Why would a non-religious person even WANT to get married?
A - I’ll let Marc Schaus answer that with an excerpt from his “Beyond Secular” (2019):

“People — even the most ardently secular — still want, need, and enjoy structured moments of reflection, recognition and consecration. At such times — births, weddings, funerals and so forth — they want to stop and take in the moment, feel the significance, relish the beauty and poignancy. They want to hear words of inspiration, guidance or comfort."
My Instagram Reel on having a wedding ceremony with no religious wording.

Q - Can a friend or family member perform our wedding ceremony?
A - Sure! My Instagram Reel on having someone close marry you.
We can make this work in one of two ways. Either way, I still need to be involved for the legal bits.
Your friend or family member can do all the fun stuff, and I can step in for the legal part. For this, you can choose any package and I’ll work with them on setting up a format and a flow. There are things that must be said and done by me, and things that cannot be said and done by your friend or family member. Other than that, everything’s open. Friends of mine had an Elvis impersonator do the “for show” part of their ceremony, and he sang “Hunk’a Hunk’a Burning Love” to karaoke as they exited.
- We can treat it like a “destination wedding” where we do the legal marriage in Ontario on a date of your choosing, and your friend or family member can conduct your bigger, public ceremony.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to drop me a line any time.