Planning a Wedding in Toronto: City Hall, Licence, Costs (2026)

The first real decision in a Toronto wedding isn't the dress or the venue. It's whether you marry at a City civil ceremony or somewhere of your own, because that one choice sets your guest count, your budget and how early you need to move. Either way, everything hangs on a single Ontario marriage licence, so that's the spine of this guide. After that comes what makes Toronto different: a short summer, 13% HST on almost every quote, and families that often span two or three languages.

City Hall or not?

The City of Toronto runs its own 30-minute civil weddings, with a City officiant and the room included in the price. There are two places to do it. The third option is to skip both.

Old City Hall

The romantic one. Ceremonies take place in the former Council Chamber on Thursdays, between 10 am and 3:30 pm. For 2027 dates the City charges $566.25 including HST, plus a $136.85 non-refundable deposit when you reserve.

The catches are real, though:

• 25 people in the room, maximum. Count yourselves, the witnesses and whoever holds the camera.
• City officiants only. You can't bring your own.
• Dates open six months out, one week at a time, first come, first served, with no waiting list. When we checked in October 2026, every 2026 Thursday was gone and January to March 2027 had just opened.
• Photos inside are limited to 30 minutes after the ceremony, in designated spots, with hand-held, battery-powered gear.

North York Civic Centre

The practical one, at 5100 Yonge Street. Thursday and Friday ceremonies, between 10 am and 3 pm, cost $441.95 including HST. A handful of Saturdays are offered at $481.50, non-refundable, with times from 10 am to 4:30 pm. Extra Saturdays appear on the City's website first, and the City says a reply to a Saturday request can take up to three business days.

Your own venue and officiant

Everything else: a restaurant, a converted warehouse, a downtown hotel, a farm an hour north. You'll need an officiant authorized under Ontario's Marriage Act. The province recognizes officiants registered through a religious body or an Indigenous community, plus civil officiants such as municipal clerks and their delegates, judges and justices of the peace.

What all three have in common

• Two witnesses, there in person, aged 16 or older. Short one? At its own ceremonies, the City can supply a witness for $30.40 each.
• English only at City ceremonies. If a grandparent would be lost otherwise, bring an interpreter. That person can't also sign as a witness.
• The licence comes first. The City wants to see a valid Ontario licence at your civil wedding consultation, which is free and held at North York on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The licence: one appointment, a few traps

Toronto issues marriage licences at City Hall (100 Queen Street West) and North York Civic Centre, both by appointment. You apply online, then one of you goes in person.

That person carries the printed form with both signatures in ink. Digital signatures get turned away. If you can't print it, the City will do it at the appointment, but then both of you have to be there to sign.

What it costs

The City lists $180 at the time of writing (October 2026): no HST, debit or credit card only, non-refundable. One older City booking page still shows $160, while the main licence page and the planning pages, both updated more recently, say $180. Plan on $180 and check the City's licence page before you book.

ID that works, and ID that doesn't

Each of you needs two original, valid, government-issued IDs, so four in total, and your first and last names have to match across both. Health cards, SIN cards, expired documents, photocopies and pictures on your phone are all refused. Anything not in English needs a certified translation. The minimum age in Ontario is 16; under 18, every legal guardian has to consent in writing.

If one of you has been divorced

For a Canadian divorce, bring the Certificate of Divorce, original or court-certified. A Decree Nisi, a divorce judgment or a divorce order won't be accepted.

Timing

Ontario says the licence is good for 3 months from the day it's issued, anywhere in the province. Neither the province nor the City lists a waiting period; the City simply recommends applying within 90 days of the wedding. There's no residency rule either. The City states there are no gender, residency, citizenship or medical requirements, so couples flying in from elsewhere qualify.

Summer Saturday or January Thursday?

Toronto's weather does a lot of your budgeting for you. The City books park ceremonies and photo sessions typically from May 15 to September 30, and that is exactly the window in which venues, photographers and bands lose their Saturdays first.

So what does a wedding here cost? There's no official Toronto figure, but two sources give you a frame:

• Canada-wide, a Wealthsimple survey of more than 1,200 people, covered by Global News in August 2026, found couples typically set aside about $15,000 and landed on a midpoint bill of around $25,000. A few very expensive weddings pushed the average to roughly $37,000, and only 38% said they came in near budget.
• In the GTA, Complete Wedo, a local planning company, puts most 2026 weddings at $30,000 to $60,000 all-in. Its starting figure for venue and catering is $150 to $250 a guest, which for 100 guests means $15,000 to $25,000 before tax. It's a vendor's estimate, and its own guide quotes higher ranges in places.

Toronto clearly runs above the national midpoint. Three local levers move it most.

The calendar. A July Saturday and a January Thursday are different products. Off-season and weekday dates leave room to negotiate and far more choice of vendors, often on 6 to 9 months' notice instead of 12 to 14.

HST. Ontario's harmonized sales tax is 13% (Canada Revenue Agency), and plenty of venue and vendor quotes leave it out. On a $40,000 pre-tax wedding, that's another $5,200. Give your budget a tax column from day one. The licence carries no HST, and the City's ceremony prices already include it.

Head count. Catering is priced per person, so ten extra guests at $150 to $250 each add $1,500 to $2,500 before drinks and tax. Service charges, gratuities, overtime, vendor travel and corkage rarely show up in a first quote either. Ask every vendor for an all-in number.

To run your own numbers, the wedding budget calculator splits a total into categories, and our wedding budget breakdown explains where the money usually goes.

Parks, gardens and the Toronto Islands

City parks look cheap next to a venue, but they come with rules. You book through Client Services - Park Bookings, and photo sessions are sold in 2-hour minimum blocks, starting on the hour. A sample of the City's rates, taxes included:

A ceremony in a park costs $260.07 an hour and has to be stand-up: no chairs, no decorations or props, no confetti, no food or drink. Quiet recorded music or unamplified musicians are fine.

The Toronto Islands are the big draw. Ceremonies there can take up to 100 people, more than most park sites, but the City only confirms Island availability by phone. And remember the ferry. Your schedule needs the crossing in both directions, and your guests need clear instructions well before the day.

Two languages, many families

Plenty of Toronto weddings bring together relatives who are more at home in French, or in another language entirely, than in English. A few things help:

• Put the essentials in each family's language. Date, address, dress code, RSVP deadline. If French is one of them, BrideSpark runs in English and French, so your website and invitations can follow.
• Plan for the interpreter at a City ceremony, and stand them where the family can hear.
• Think about who sits with whom. Grandparents who share a language should share a table. Our guide to making a seating chart covers the rest.
• Spell out the travel. From Pearson, the UP Express reaches Union Station in about 28 minutes, worth saying on your wedding website before guests book a cab. Hotel blocks for summer weekends go early, when festivals fill the city.
• International guests should check Canada's entry rules well ahead. Point them to the Government of Canada site rather than playing immigration adviser.

Working back from the licence

Most Toronto timelines are really two countdowns running side by side: one for the venue and vendors, one for the paperwork.

12 to 14 months out: agree on budget, rough guest list and season, and decide City Hall or not. If not, book the venue, then the photographer and officiant straight after.

10 to 11 months: caterer if separate, DJ or band, videographer. Hold hotel rooms. Aiming for Old City Hall? Mark the week your month opens, six months before.

8 to 9 months: website live, save-the-dates out. Florist, hair and makeup, rentals. Start any Foreign Divorce Authorization.

6 to 7 months: Old City Hall booking week. Attire ordered. Park photo permit booked once you know the spots.

4 to 5 months: invitations to guests coming from abroad, rings, transport between locations.

2 to 3 months: remaining invitations, with RSVPs due 4 to 6 weeks before. Licence appointment booked inside the 90-day window.

1 month: final numbers to the caterer, seating chart done, timings confirmed with every vendor.

On the day: licence in hand. Officiant and both witnesses sign right after the ceremony.

If you'd rather not carry all this in your head, the BrideSpark wedding checklist dates each task to your own wedding day.

Frequently asked questions

Can we get married at Toronto City Hall on Queen Street?

The City's civil ceremonies happen at Old City Hall, in the former Council Chamber, and at North York Civic Centre. City Hall at 100 Queen Street West is one of the two places to get your licence.

What if every Old City Hall Thursday is taken?

There's no waiting list, but the City suggests watching its reservation site for cancellations. North York Civic Centre on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday is the usual fallback.

How much is a marriage licence in Toronto right now?

$180 at the time of writing, with no HST, paid by card. One older City page still says $160, so check the City's licence page before your appointment.

Can our City ceremony be in French?

City officiants marry couples in English. You can bring an interpreter, as long as that person isn't one of your two witnesses.

Do we have to live in Ontario to marry in Toronto?

No. The City lists no residency or citizenship requirement, and the licence is valid for 3 months anywhere in Ontario.

Is HST included in wedding quotes?

Often not, so ask. City ceremony fees already include it, the licence has none, and most vendor quotes need 13% added on top.

Sources

• City of Toronto - Applying for a marriage licence
• City of Toronto - Step 2: Planning the big day
• City of Toronto - Civil weddings
• City of Toronto - Weddings, ceremonies and commercial photography in parks
• Government of Ontario - Getting married
• Canada Revenue Agency - GST/HST rates
• Global News - Wealthsimple wedding budget survey (August 2026)
• Complete Wedo - How much does a wedding cost in Toronto (2026)
• UP Express - Pearson Airport to Union Station