How to get legally married in British Columbia
After getting engaged, many couples’ first question is “how do we get legally married?” In BC, there are 3 steps.
1. Find someone to solemnize your marriage
There are three categories of people in BC authorized to solemnize marriages. For simplicity, the term officiant is often used to include all three.
BC Marriage Commissioners
Each jurisdiction has a set number of marriage commissioners appointed by the provincial government to perform civil marriages. These ceremonies are typically brief in nature and must not contain religious elements. Marriage commissioners have a base rate of $75 and charge $25 for each additional hour of their time, plus milage. In Revelstoke we have 2 marriage commissioners: Judy and Brenda. They are both lovely to work with and provide a simple, meaningful ceremony. You can search for marriage commissioners in your area here.
Religious Representatives
Religious organizations can apply for their leaders (pastors, rabbis, imams, etc) to be registered with BC’s Vitals Statistics Agency to solemnize marriages. These ceremonies must be religious in nature. They can look quite different between religions depending on their tradition and typically require at least one of the individuals getting married to be a member of that religion. The cost also varies, with some religious representatives offering this service for free and others having a higher fee for including additional services (like marriage classes or customized ceremonies). If you wish to have a religious representative perform your marriage ceremony, it is imperative to confirm that they are registered with Vitals Statistics for your marriage to be legal.
Treaty First Nation Designate or Doukhobor Communities
If either or both of the individuals getting married are members of a Treaty First Nation or Doukhobor Community, they may be legally married within their tradition without the registration of a religious representative. Immediately following the marriage, a written record must be made and sent to the Vital Statistics Agency. If you or your partner fall into this category, I recommend reviewing the BC Marriage Act and reaching out to your nation or community leadership for more information. The remainder of this article will refer to marriages solemnized by marriage commissioners or religious representatives, as I unfortunately do not have experience with Treaty First Nation or Doukhobor weddings.
2. Purchase a Marriage Licence
Where
There are over 900 marriage licence issuers in 150 locations throughout the province. These include many London Drugs Stores, insurance agencies, and Service BC offices. Here in Revelstoke marriage licences are issued at the Service BC office in the courthouse building. You can purchase your marriage license from any issuer, no matter where in BC you are getting married. You can see a complete list of BC Marriage License Issuers here.
When
Your marriage licence is valid for three months, so you must purchase it within the three months prior to the day you will be getting married. If you lose your license, you can return to the issuer where you purchased it to receive a replacement. If it expires, you will need to purchase a new one.
How
Only one member of the couple getting married needs to be present to purchase the marriage license. You will need one piece of primary identification for yourself and your partner. Examples of this include your birth certificate, IMM/immigration form, permanent resident card, or citizenship card. The marriage licence issuer may also accept a passport or driver’s licence in some circumstances. If either you or your partner were married previously, you will also need to provide proof of divorce or death of your former spouse.
Cost
The cost of a marriage license is $100 which is non-refundable.
Helpful Tip
While still at the issuer, be sure to review your marriage license for any mistakes. You’ll notice that there are some portions left incomplete - your officiant will go over this with you in a meeting prior to your ceremony. To reduce the risk of errors I recommend having your officiant do the writing (I thought this was unnecessary advice until I made a mistake on my own marriage license prior to becoming an officiant). Information you will need include your parents names as listed on their birth certificates and the location where they were born. If you cannot obtain this information UNKNOWN can be written instead.
3. Complete Your Marriage Ceremony
All civil or religious marriage ceremonies must include:
The presence of both individuals wishing to get married. You can’t be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and you must both understand the language of the ceremony and marriage licence. If you do not understand the language you must have a third person present to translate.
Two witnesses who understand the legal ceremony they are witnessing. The witnesses do not need to have any connection to the couple and BC Vital Statistics Agency does not stipulate a minimum age.
An officiant authorized to solemnize marriages in BC.
A declaration of intent and consent to be married by both individuals who are to be married.
This must be made in the presence of the witnesses and officiant. It can take place in the form of a repeat-after-me statement or a question with the individuals responding “I do”. Examples include “I call on those present to witness that I, [first, middle, last name], take you [first, middle, last name] to be my lawful wedded spouse.” or “In the presence of these witnesses, do you [first, middle, last name], take [first, middle, last name] to be your lawful wedded spouse?”.
A religious component (for religious ceremonies) or the repetition of the following statement by each party (for civil ceremonies): I solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I, [first, middle, last name], may not be joined in matrimony to [first, middle, last name].
Your officiant will walk you through the religious components of your ceremony beforehand, often allowing room for your input or customization. For example, in the Metaphysical Religion, which I am a minister in, I provide couples with a list religious elements that they can choose from. It features practices specific to the beliefs of the Canadian International Metaphysical Ministry, like meditation, hand fasting, philosophical teachings, readings of sacred texts, or spiritual reflection. Some religions may also allow other leaders or members to be a part of this religious component.
You are also welcome to include personal vows, exchanging of rings, or other meaningful symbolism to your ceremony.
Declaration of Marriage by your officiant. This is typically done before the first kiss (which, by the way, is not legally necessary), and sounds something like, ““By virtue of the powers vested in me by the British Columbia Marriage Act, I hereby pronounce you to be married.”
Completion of the Documents.
You, your partner, both of your witnesses, and your officiant will need to sign your marriage licence and the officiant’s marriage registrar. You will sign your names the same way you always have, even if one or both of you are choosing to change your last name now that you are married. Your witnesses will also need to print their names before signing (do not print their name in advance, as extenuating circumstances can lead to a last minute change in your witnesses). Your officiant will keep these documents, sending your marriage license to vital statistics and holding onto their registrar for an additional record. You will receive your official marriage certificate in the mail in about 3 weeks.
You’re Married!
Just like that, you’re now officially married. What’s next? Learn more about changing your name or updating your marriage status here.
