City Hall Weddings Kingston
FAQ's/Contact Us
Questions not answered here?
Complete the form below and click on submit, or call us at: 1-866-873-9654
Q: Do I need a marriage license?
A: YES. You get a license from your city hall clerk's dept. (Not us. We just do the ceremonies) Once you've booked, we'll send you a link to the Kingston and Napanee marriage license process. You can also call your local city or town hall and ask them how to get a license.
Q: Can I bring more guests?
A: We have packages that are for 6, 8 and 20 guests. Choose the one that best suits your needs. Your own small children (under 18) do not count as guests if they are standing with you. Scroll down for our full policy on extra guests. Email or call us to ask us how we can add 1 or 2 extra guests.
Q: I am booked, now what?
A: You'll receive a receipt and confirmation. Read it carefully as it has your next steps and other important info on it. About a week before your wedding, we'll email you a reminder of the site of your wedding, payment details, and what to expect on your day. You need to get a marriage license. See below on how to do that.
Q: How do the photo packages work?
A: If you choose the Simply Sharable Package or the International Package, you'll receive your 30 best photos on a memory stick, by snail mail about a month or so after your wedding or by online sharing software.
For couples with the Pop Up Wedding Package, we send you 35 photos.
Your images are full sized with no watermark. You can print them at home or at any big box store offering this service. Our couples love Walmart and Costco for this!
Q: I want to get married so my spouse can stay in Canada. How does this work?
A: You need to make an immigration application with the Canadian Government, after you're married. You will need to prove you're married. That means an official marriage certificate. Our International Package which will get your official marriage certificate back in about 3 weeks. Our International Package also includes professional photos of your wedding which are an important part of your immigration application, and a referral to an immigration consultant who will help you with the 100+ page forms you need to fill out. The Government of Canada is often suspicious of marriages that are fast, the least expensive option and with just cell phone photos. Our International Package is the best package for a wedding that will be followed by an Immigration Application, but we'll do whatever package you choose for your day.
Q: I just need a marriage certificate for immigration. Is there a cheaper way to do this ?
A: Yes. You can choose our Simple Wedding Package and DIY getting your certificate. You can have friends take cell phone photos to attach to your immigration application. You'll order your certificate 10 weeks after the wedding and then wait a couple months to get your certificate. Immigration information can be found on the Government of Canada website.
Q: Do you have other dates available?
A: YES, sometimes we can make an exception for other dates. Email us to ask. Note: we usually do not do weddings on Saturdays as our officiants and photographers are booked 2 years in advance working with other couples doing their weddings on weekends. If we can help you, we will! (extra fee applies)
Occasionally, we do offer a Sunday.
Q: Can you provide us with witnesses?
A: YES. We can provide witnesses for $25 each
Q: Where is City Hall
A: 216 Ontario Street, Kingston, Ontario.
Q: How long is the ceremony?
A: About 5 minutes. Short and Sweet!
Q: What is your refund policy?
A: If you cancel up to 60 days before your wedding, we provide an 50% refund.
If you cancel within 60 days of your wedding, we do not offer any refund.
Q: What if Covid makes it unsafe to have my wedding or we're sick?
A: If, due to Covid, we have to cancel your wedding, we will offer you the choice of either a full refund or a booking at a later date. If you wish to cancel, we'll rebook you at no charge, or offer you a refund, subject to the terms above.
Q: Do I need to book a venue and also an officiant?
A: No. Our packages include both and some decor
Q: Can I bring my own photographer?
A: NO. Only our staff photographer is permitted.
You cannot bring your own photographer.
Please don't try to sneak them in by saying they are a "friend". That won't work. Choose a package with photos or have your guests use their cell phones for your photos.
Q: How much is a wedding?
A: Our packages start at just $350
Q: How do I change my name?
A: You need your marriage certificate to change your name.
You can order your certificate 8 weeks after your wedding on the Ontario dot ca website.
Or, if you're a busy couple, we will order your certificate for you for $50, 8 weeks after your wedding. We give you that option on check out, when you book your wedding.
Q: do I sign my new name on the documents?
A: No. Your name will not change until you have the official marriage certificate. You have to order your own marriage certificate or we can do it for you. Once you have your certificate then you take it to all the places you have ID and change your name if you wish.
Q: What time should I arrive for my wedding?
A: We do our very best to start on time. Arriving 10 minutes early is always a good idea. And...you know parking in Kingston!
Q: I got married - Where's my marriage certificate?
A: The marriage certificate doesn't come to you automatically.
A marriage certificate has to be ordered and paid for.
Orders can be placed 8 weeks AFTER your marriage and it's 8 pages to scroll and click through to get to the order page on the Service Ontario website.
If you're a busy couple, for your convenience, we're happy to do that for you for the $50 fee.
Just let us know if you'd like us to order you one and we'll get it done!
IMPORTANT NOTE RE: EXTRA GUESTS
Do not bring more guests, even if you book a wedding at the park/pavilion venue in 2024.
Unfortunately, we have had too many issues with extra guests.
Happy but disruptive noise from extra guests during subsequent weddings has prevented other couples from hearing their vows.
There is no time allotted for photos with extra guests - and they WILL want pics with you! This has resulted in some guests not getting photos with the happy couple, which disappoints everyone.
Extra guests take time to park, enter the venue, have a visit and get ready for the wedding. Extra guests take time to exit after the wedding and get them together for photos.
This impacts your allotted appointment time and photos and for other weddings in the day.
Extra guests want to take their own photos of you - of course! We can manage a limited number of friends and family for this. We want your photographer taking your photos - and ready for the next wedding - not waiting til your guests are done and telling you your photo session is now over because your guests were doing their thing.
Issues with extra guests have made other couple's weddings run late, delayed photos which need to be done in daylight and prevented the happy couple from having all the photos they paid for.
Couples often have dinner reservations or plans after their wedding which are delayed when we've been forced to deal with guests in excess of what couples booked.
Extra guests have had a negative impact on the service we provide for other couple's weddings.
We want everyone's wedding to be their best day ever.
Our packages are just the right size for us to do that. They're also affordable for couples because we do several weddings in one day.
We will NOT conduct your wedding if you bring extra guests and there will be no refund. Yes, even to the park. We know that Aunt Mildred on the bench with her purse and disposable camera is here for your wedding :)
Please respect the contract we have with you so everyone can have their wedding without more stress.
If you have 1 or 2 extra guests, contact us to see how we can accommodate them. We will do everything we reasonably can to help.
And, if you have way more friends and family than you thought would want to attend - GREAT! We're happy to assist you in getting your phone set up so they can attend virtually or you can record the ceremony.
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