Getting married

Overview

To get married in Alberta, there are a number of steps you must complete.

Before the marriage ceremony

1. Get an Alberta marriage licence.
   • Check the marriage licence carefully to make sure all the information is correct so you will not need to make changes later.
2. Choose the type of marriage ceremony you want:
   • religious ceremony performed by a clergy person, or
   • civil ceremony performed by a marriage commissioner.
3. Find a marriage officiant, a person who is authorized through Vital Statistics to perform marriages in Alberta.

At the ceremony

Make sure all the marriage ceremony requirements are followed.

After the ceremony

1. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the marriage officiant will give the couple either a Civil Marriage Ceremony Statement or Religious Marriage Ceremony Statement.
2. The marriage officiant sends the Registration of Marriage to Vital Statistics within 2 days/48 hours of the ceremony for registration.
   • The Registration of Marriage is the official marriage record and is permanently archived.
   • The information on the Registration of Marriage is used to create government-issued marriage documents, like Marriage Certificates.
3. You can purchase a Marriage Certificate.
   • Alberta Marriage Certificates can be ordered at an Alberta registry agent office.
   • If there are errors on your marriage document, an amendment may be needed.
4. In Alberta, you can keep your own last name or assume a married last name.

Marriage Ceremony – Religious or Civil

In Alberta there are 2 kinds of marriage ceremonies that an authorized marriage officiant can perform. Both are equally legal.

Religious ceremony

• Religious ceremonies are performed by a clergy member.
• The clergy person must be registered with Vital Statistics to perform marriages in Alberta according to the rites and usages of the recognized religious organization to which they belong.
• All marriage ceremony requirements apply.
• A valid Alberta marriage licence is always needed.

Civil ceremony

• Civil ceremonies are performed by a marriage commissioner, who provides couples with flexible non-religious options.
• Marriage commissioners are appointed by the Alberta Government.
• All marriage ceremony requirements apply.
• A valid Alberta marriage licence is always needed.
• During a civil ceremony, each person getting married is required to declare the following 2 legislated statements in front of their intended spouse, both witnesses and the marriage commissioner:
  • I do solemnly declare that I do not know of any lawful impediment why I, (name) may not be joined in matrimony to (name).
  • I call on those persons present to witness that I, (name), do take you, (name) to be my lawful wedded (wife/husband/spouse).

Marriage ceremony requirements

When getting married in Alberta, the following requirements must be met:

• the Alberta marriage licence must be valid on the date of marriage
• the Registration of Marriage/Marriage Licence form must be given to the marriage officiant before the marriage ceremony starts
• the ceremony must take place in Alberta
• the marriage officiant must be authorized by Vital Statistics to perform marriages in Alberta
• the couple getting married and 2 adult witnesses must be physically in the presence of the marriage officiant
  • marriage by proxy such as someone standing in place for the person getting married via teleconferencing is not allowed
• witnesses must meet the following requirements:
  • be 18 years of age or older
  • cannot be cognitively impaired
• the couple and the witnesses must be fluent in the languages being spoken at the marriage ceremony and understand the English forms they have to sign
  • if a person in the wedding party (couple and/or witnesses) are not fluent in the languages being spoken and/or English, an interpreter/translator may be required; talk to your marriage officiant
  • when an interpreter/translator is required, it is the couple's responsibility to provide one
• none of the wedding party may be under the influence of a drug or alcohol, or be heavily medicated
• during the ceremony, the Registration of Marriage form must be signed by the couple, the 2 witnesses and the marriage officiant

Symbolic/mock ceremonies

Symbolic/mock ceremonies are not legal marriages and cannot be registered.

Find a marriage officiant to perform the marriage

There are 2 kinds of marriage officiants: clergy, who perform religious ceremonies, and marriage commissioners, who perform civil ceremonies. Both can legally perform marriages, and there is no legal difference between them.

Clergy

• A religious marriage is performed by a clergy person.
• They are registered with Vital Statistics to perform marriages in Alberta in accordance to the rites and usages of the religious organization to which they belong.
• As there are over 10,000 clergy registered to perform marriages in Alberta, a public list is not available.
• To find an authorized religious representative/clergy person, contact the applicable church or religious organization.

Marriage Commissioner

• A civil marriage is preformed by a marriage commissioner.
• They are appointed by the Alberta Government to perform marriages for the community in which they reside and have been appointed to serve.
• See the list of marriage commissioners in Alberta.
• Registry agents can also provide names of marriage commissioners.

Cost

Contact the marriage officiant to ask about their fees, as costs can vary.

Married last name

In Alberta, you can keep your own last name or assume a married name. A legal change of name through Vital Statistics is not required.

You can:

• keep your last name
• assume your spouse's last name
• join your and your spouse’s last names and assume this joined name
  • joining a last name can be with or without a hyphen, or a space; the order of the 2 names is up to you
  • for example: Smith-Jones, Smith Jones, SmithJones

Changing to a married name

If you choose to assume your spouse's last name (or create a joined last name), change all your ID to reflect the new last name. Contact each organization that you have a relationship with and ask what they require to update your new name. Most organizations will want to see your government issued marriage certificate.

If you assume a married last name in Alberta, the name on your birth certificate does not change.

You can get a marriage certificate at a registry agent office or through Registry Connect, depending on your location.

Changing back from a married name

If you assumed a married last name and want to go back to the last name you had before you married (for example a previous married name or the name on your birth certificate), it is the same process as when you changed to the assumed last name, only in reverse.

Contact all the organizations that have a record of your married name and ask what they require to make the change back. Some may want to see:

• your government issued marriage certificate (which will reflect the name you used at the time of your marriage)
• your birth certificate
• both certificates
• something else

You can get a marriage certificate at a registry agent office or through Registry Connect, depending on your location.

Other jurisdictions

It is important to note that the practice of assuming a last name in Alberta may differ in other jurisdictions. For example, another province may require a legal change of name rather than permitting a spouse to assume a new last name through marriage. This may or may not affect the name on your birth certificate. Contact the applicable jurisdictions for their practices.

Contact

Connect with the Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Contact Centre:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-7013 (Edmonton and area)
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-422-4225

Email: [email protected]

Related

• Correct a birth, marriage, death or stillbirth record
• Get a marriage certificate or document
• Find a marriage officiant