Getting Married by a Marriage Commissioner

I have been a marriage Commissioner now for 12 (twelve) years and I love doing it. It gives me great satisfaction to marry couples.

I will be performing a wedding this coming Sunday and have just finished designing the couples wedding ceremony. 

As with all weddings I perform I always get the couples thoughts for their ceremony even if it is one that I have designed myself. I welcome their ideas and words that they want in the ceremony. After all it is their wedding. I know there are lots of wedding websites online concerning weddings here in Manitoba. You can find more information and forms on the Vital Statistic site, www.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital

Here are some of the things I require before I can marry someone.

1. The first thing is the marriage licence and to find out where you can get one go to vital statistics of the Manitoba Department of Vital Statistics. There you will find a list of all of the places you can get your licence in the Province of Manitoba and including Winnipeg. There you will also find a list of marriage commissioners in Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba. Who can apply? Any person who wishes to be married and there is a fee for this.
2. So you want to get Married in Manitoba?  Here are a few things to know.  Couples must be 18 years or age or older and never married. To be eligible to be married, couples must have a legally divorced document or a spouses death certificate if you have been married before.
3.  Before your Wedding date you must, buy the marriage licence from a registered user within a minumun of 24 hours before the ceremony begins. Also in this respect, the marriage licence must also be used within three months of the date of issue. Both the bride and groom together, must be present with identification to get the licence along with proof of age and eligibility to be married.
4. Eligibility to be married; single and 18 years of age and over; divorced people are required to show either a divorce certificate or a decree absolute. Persons whose spouces are deceased must show a death certificate, funeral home certificate or an obituary. Check with me for other documentation for identification or check the information on the website.
5. Concents are required from the marriage licence issuer when either or both of the bride and groom are 16 years of age but not yet 18. If either of the couple are under 16 then a Judge of the Family Court must give the consent to the marriage.
6. Make you arrangements for the ceremony with me and give me the licence and the envelope to me before the ceremony so I can check it out before I marry you along with any necessary documents that may be needed. I require in most cases copies of birth certificates, divorce papers, death certificates or any other document that might be pertinent such as a consent forms for underage marriages.
7. You can have a special relative or friend marry you but to let that happen, a registered Marriage Commissioner must be in attendance to complete the ceremony and to have the necessary documents signed and witnessed.
8. Somewhere within the wedding ceremony I am required to make a statement that includes the information that is required by the Province of Manitoba.
9. Children can be included in your service but they should be of an age where they can understand what is happening. Including their names as part of the ceremony gives the children a sense of being included whether they participate or not. If they do not want to physically participate then give them a duty they would feel comfortable in doing.
10. After the ceremony along with the witnesses you will sign the Marriage Registration. Then I will sign the Registration acknowledging that I have married you. I will then send in the Marriage Registration for you to officially register your marriage. Vital Statistic does not automatically islsue a Marriage Certificate so you will have to apply for your own Marriage Certificate.
11. At present Marriage Licences have increased to $100.00. Marriage Commissioners set their own fees for services. I charge $100.00 a day within a 50 mile radius of Elgin Manitoba. That includes my travel, a copy of the ceremony the couple have chosen, music and the ceremony. I also include the use of my ceremony library for the couple that I am marrying. Anyone can use the library of ceremonies that I have as I rent it out and will accept a reasonable donation for this. If anyone is over the distance I have set out then we can negotiate on the amount. The basic fee will be $100.00 plus other items, such as a place to sleep, perhaps meals and an amount for my services. I don't charge a mileage fee.
12. Couples often renew their vows on an anniversary. Some couples reaffirm their vows after going through hard times and others just to reaffirm what they had originally said to each other.  A ceremony can be chosen to reaffirm the vows after an elopment has taken place. This way family and friends get to hear what you have promised each other and a chance for everyone to celebrate your wedding or reaffirmation. Plan your ceremony any way you wish, there are no specific rules to host a renewal. The event can be large or small.
13. You must have at least two credible witnesses as they will have to affix their names as witnesses to the Marriage registration form. Witnesses can be from age 16 years of age and over.

There is more and I will write about it in my next blog, so keep in touch.  Any questions so far?