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Candice
Beginner October 2021 Ontario

Legal marriage now, the wedding later

Candice, on May 20, 2021 at 12:09 Posted in Wedding ceremony 0 4
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We have planned on getting married April 2020, but that got canceled, then December 2020 and that got canceled ( We booked our venue in southern Ontario, so no one had to drive up to us, as we live hours from everyone). So we have small fishing resort up Northern Ontario, that we decided to have a small wedding up here in the fall of Oct 2022 (this cottage season is already booked like crazy, and we didn't have the time to do it this year because we will block out a weekend for all the guests to have a place to stay for the weekend). But I got an email from my officiant saying that my license will expire July 2022. So my question is, when you plan a larger wedding later, but do the legal marriage ahead of time. What does the larger wedding look like? I do not want to pay for my officiant to drive up here or pay for her again, so did you have a friend "marry" you again? Did you wear your dress for both. I'm so lost at this now.. but I'm not going to lie, I don't pay for another license.

4 Comments

Latest activity by Vinod, on May 25, 2021 at 12:35
  • Vinod
    Top August 2017 Ontario
    Vinod ·
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    You can get married now legally before the marriage license expires and have someone just repeat the ceremony at a latter time replacing the Officiant. No one will be able to tell the difference as some couples would be thinking the same as your process. The smaller wedding can be a vacation trip at the same time if you wish with just the ones present with family members.
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  • H
    Master September 2021 Ontario
    Hank ·
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    Are you telling people you'll be married? Some people have a second ceremony with guests knowing full well it's a symbolic re-do and not a legal one. Some people feel weird about having to put on such a show. It's really up to you.

    Are you broadcasting the legal ceremony virtually for everyone to see. My fiancee and I will be doing that so the people we care about will see the ceremony and know we're married if we have a make up reception, and in that case having another ceremony just for show doesn't make sense to us. But I know some people who really want a ceremony with everyone they know in the room witnessing their vows so it's up to you. But if you do choose to have a second ceremony, you can ask anyone you know to conduct it since it's not legal anyway.

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  • Megan
    Curious April 2022 Ontario
    Megan ·
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    It’s really up to you. My partner and I had planned to have a destination wedding in Mexico last year in may and we decided to legally get married beforehand in February. We didn’t tell anyone about the legal part because to us it was just paperwork and our wedding day would be our real wedding. It was a quick and easy process, an officiant came to our house and basically did the cliff notes version of vows (also a lot cheaper) and then we would’ve had our normal wedding minus the signing in Mexico. Obviously our wedding got cancelled due to covid so now it will be next year and in Canada but we plan to have one of our friends who is used to public speaking “marry” us on our wedding day. We will be celebrating our actual wedding day as normal but now we also have another special date that’s unique to us to celebrate too which is kind of cool Smiley smile
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  • Christiana
    Super November 2020 British Columbia
    Christiana ·
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    It's really just up to you. People are doing all sorts of different things. There isn't a right or wrong answer. Just whatever feels right to you and your partner.

    My husband and I got married in November in a very small ceremony and we will have a reception at some point in the future. But we're not going to do a vow renewal or reenact our ceremony because it isn't important for us to do so and it will just feel weird for us personally.

    But other people are very attached to the ceremony and really want to share it with their friends/family. In that case it would make sense to do a renewal or a symbolic ceremony that everyone can attend. Some people are having their officiant attend again. Others are getting a family member/friend to perform the second ceremony. Totally up to you and what you're comfortable with.

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