The Marriage Act

Ontario’s Marriage Act is the provincial legislation that regulates the solemnization of marriage.

You need to meet the following requirements to meet Ontario’s regulations:

• Marriage requires the free and enlightened consent of two persons to be the spouse of each other.

• You need to be at least 16 years old to get married in Ontario. (Under 18 years old: you will need written consent from both your parents. You can get consent forms where you get a marriage licence.)

• No particular form of ceremony is required except that in some part of the ceremony, in the presence of the person solemnizing the marriage and witnesses, each of the parties shall declare: 

  • I do solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I, ________, may not be joined in matrimony to ________; and each of the parties shall say to the other:

  • I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, ______, do take you, _______, to be my lawful wedded wife (or to be my lawful wedded husband or to be my lawful wedded partner or to be my lawful wedded spouse), after which the person solemnizing the marriage shall say:

  • I, ______, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Marriage Act, do hereby pronounce you _______ and _______ to be married.