So you are ready to tir the knot in Vancouver, but you need to find someone to conduct your ceremony. In Canada you can have either a civil marriage conducted by a licensed Marriage Commissioner or you can have a religious wedding. We had a civil wedding, so I will provide some insight on that first.
The best way to find someone is by word of mouth. Our commissioner was Ann Moore, and I couldn’t think of a more caring individual. Steven was very nervous due to language issues, and she helped us through the ceremony. You can browse the entire list of marriage commissioners if Ann is unavailable.
Once you have contacted the commissioner you should ask about the following information:
- Dates and availability
- Fees
- Location
- Number of guests
- Clothing
- The ceremony (sample ceremony)
We had a very simple ceremony with only two friends attending (the minimum required) in a small house wearing casual attire.
18 responses so far ↓
Carmelita Dietruch // 2006/12/24 at 05:43
Hi,
My fiancé and I would like to get married in Vancouver on Dec. 27th and we are checking on your availability then. I know it’s short notice but we are hoping someone would be able to help, or recommend someone who will be able to help?
Thanks much.
Carmelita Dietrich
James // 2006/12/26 at 10:05
If you are getting married by the marriage commissioner I mentioned, she has a list of B&Bs that are available. There are so many hotels in Vancouver though. Bring your laptop and stay one place for a day and move on to something nicer once you are in the city.
I don\’t know your price range, but I tend to lean towards 4-5 star accommodations.
yvette // 2007/09/29 at 14:26
ok, my fiance and me want to get married, we live in vancouver, we dont need a big ceremony just the papers were to sign. we want to doit next week, some body know were i need to go and how much is this cost? thanks so much/
carolina // 2007/10/10 at 07:02
hi Im mexican and my fiance is canadian , we want to get married in vegas in new year , I want to know if las vegas marriage is legal in canada ?
James // 2007/10/10 at 11:33
The cost of the wedding is around 300 CDN. $100 for the license, $100 for the ceremony, and a $50+ tip for the marriage commissioner. Your ceremony can occur almost anywhere, even on a beach (weather permitting).
James // 2007/10/10 at 11:37
Hi Carolina,
(Please note that I am not a lawyer.)
If you will have a same-sex wedding, I suggest you have it in Canada. Under all other cases the US has a treaty with Canada and Canada will recognize your relationship status regardless of the US state where you were married.
Eugenia // 2008/03/31 at 07:28
We will be sailing with Royal Caribbean on June 7tha from Vancouver and wish to get married on the ship. Could you please supply me with information we will need to obtain a marriage license?
Allison Gallant // 2008/04/29 at 01:59
Wondering if you could direct me on where to get a list of marriage commissioners in the Vancouver/Surrey area. We want something really small around six people!
Thanx
Carla Ferguson // 2008/05/03 at 01:29
Hi, I am looking for a list of marriage commissioners in the vancouver westend. We want to get married on 3rd beach at sunset. Just us and witnesses. Thanks Carla
James // 2008/05/08 at 16:28
For the two people posting concerning Marriage Commissioners, I can only speak for Ann, our marriage commissioner. She was wonderful and caring, however you can visit this web site: http://www.vs.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/vs_search_internet.cgi?VSS_TABLE=TDatMrgCom.txt to find someone else.
Good luck and congratulations on your wedding!
Tom // 2008/05/27 at 19:14
How easy is it for a British couple to get married in Vancouver when they are only over on holiday?
James // 2008/06/10 at 12:16
Hey Tom, here is my advice:
1) Find a commissioner before you arrive.
2) Plan on reserving at least two work days (M-F) for filling out the forms, etc.
Everything else is really simple. Good luck!
Johnny // 2008/08/14 at 11:47
Hi, James! Thank you for your wonderful tips about how to get married in Vancouver.
I am a Canadian citizen living in Taiwan and planning to get married in Vancouver with my Taiwanese girlfriend at the end of this year.
Here are my questions:
1) Is your commossioner “Ann” still working today?
2) Is the whole process of getting married in Vancouver easy? Can it be done less than a week?
3) Do we need to register our marriage in Taiwan after we come back?
4) Any advice you would like to give me?
It’s hard to get this info. from Taiwan; thank you for your support.
Johnny
Liz // 2008/09/07 at 05:15
Hello I am want to get married in Vancouver, Canada this year. I am a US citizen and I currently reside in California. My boyfriend was born in Mexico and lives there too. We are planning to take a trip to Vancouver this winter to get married. Can I get married? What would I need? Also, since he can’t come leagally to the US would the marriage licence be valid in the US so that I can proccess his immigration papers? in other words, would the US validate our marriage?
Thank you.
Carlos // 2008/12/29 at 17:24
Hi! Im planning to go to Vancouver and get married to my fiance, but we have no friends in town. How do we go about getting witnesses?
maria // 2009/05/01 at 03:02
hi im maria and under ministry of employment and income assistance and met this guy who proposed marriage. I decided to say yes because my mother who share with me for rent is moving to by herself. ive known this man for 2 year been writing and communicate and phoning each other. please give me an advise. thank you
(Note edited to remove personal details)
Michelle // 2009/05/15 at 09:20
Hi there James,
Thanks for answering all these questions, it has provided a service to those of us –even in Vancouver! Yes, Ann is still here and a commissioner- she’s listed on the site.
Carlos- Short of bringing friends/family, grab some friendly folks from the local pub and offer them a beer! I’m sure they’ll be happy to oblige!
James // 2009/05/22 at 08:22
Hi Maria,
I am no lawyer, but I believe you may run into some problems if your husband is unable to support you financially. I do need to comment that jumping into marriage seems a bit premature as well. I always have lived with my partner first for a few years – this gives you a chance to see if things really work out first, however I understand in your situation this may be difficult.