Civil Marriage Celebrant in Montreal
The civil marriage celebrant is the person who celebrates a civil marriage. It can be a professional celebrant or an occasional celebrant such as a one-day celebrant. In both cases, they must be authorized by the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec to solemnize the civil marriage for which they were chosen.
In Quebec, there are several types of civil marriage celebrants. The recognized celebrants are:
- a clerk or deputy clerk of the Superior Court
- a notary
- a mayor
- a member of the municipal or borough council
- a municipal official
- a relative or friend (one-day celebrant)
The celebrant’s speech during the civil marriage contains a formal part and an informal part
The formal part stems from an obligation that the celebrant has. He must read aloud to the future spouses in their entirety, in the presence of two witnesses, articles 392 to 396 of the Civil Code of Québec. The informal part can be a personalized speech written by the spouses or with the spouses. This speech can, for example, tell the story of the meeting or strong elements of the life of the bride and groom.
The price of a marriage celebrant may vary depending on their expertise and the services included with the celebration (travel, special request) and the day of the ceremony. Generally, civil marriages celebrated on weekends are more expensive than those celebrated during the week.
Choosing an experienced wedding celebrant is a wise choice
This will ensure that the administrative formalities and the legality of your civil marriage are respected. Sometimes marriages are declared void because of the breach of an administrative formality or obligation of the celebrant.
An experienced civil marriage celebrant will be able to celebrate your civil marriage in a professional manner. Imagine entrusting the celebration to a loved one who, overcome by emotion, is unable to make you pronounce the traditional “I do” and who draws all the attention to him…