City Of Ottawa Considers Its Wedding Options

The City of Ottawa has seen a steady increase in the number of couples that are opting for civil weddings. In the past, couples in the Canadian capital could marry before a justice of the peace. The increased workload of the court brought a halt to that practice, but in 2004, the City of Ottawa authorised the city’s clerks to perform civil wedding ceremonies.

Since that time, the number of civil weddings has grown and the City now performs nearly 1,000 weddings each year. The wedding facilities are very small and accommodate only 10 people, including the participants and the clerk.

Not wanting to compete with ministers in Ottawa, the city clerks’ offices don’t allow customisation of the wedding ceremony. The cost of a civil ceremony is CDN$145 if the ceremony is performed during business hours, and CDN$258 if the couple wants to exchange vows after hours or on Saturdays. Rush weddings will run CDN$325 with a $145 marriage license fee tacked on.

Due to the volume of wedding requests, and complaints from couples who want more space for families and friends, the Ottawa City Clerk, Pierre Pagé says he will look carefully at City Hall to see if a space that can accommodate 30 people can be found.

Keywords: Wedding News, Weddingblog, Wedding

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