Frequently asked questions about weddings

The ceremony can be conducted in French, English, and possibly in other languages. The assistance of a translator may be required.

The documents signed during the ceremony will be in French or English.

“Throughout its more than 40 years of existence, Civil Union has scarcely been utilized by prospective spouses. ‘Civil union resembles marriage in several aspects, but they should not be confused. The rights and obligations of partners united in civil union are indeed the same as those of married partners. Consider, for instance, the rules governing matrimonial regimes and those of familial patrimony. However, the required age to enter into a civil union is 18 years, whereas it is 16 years for marriage.

Furthermore, while civil or religious marriages are dissolved through divorce (mandatorily pronounced by a judge) or by death, a civil union, also dissolved by death, can be terminated through an agreement signed by the partners before a notary. In the absence of an agreement, the court will pronounce the dissolution of the union. Lastly, marriage terminates a civil union, with the sole consequence being that the partners will henceforth be married.

Another aspect to consider before opting for a civil union is its recognition elsewhere in Canada or in other countries. Marriage is an institution recognized worldwide. With few exceptions, a marriage celebrated in Quebec will be acknowledged everywhere, which may not always be the case for civil union.”

Le Nouveau Penser  is not tied to any faith, whether Catholic or otherwise, therefore we respect everyone’s individual religious beliefs.Our philosophy is one of respect, humanism and unity.

Consequently, the texts chosen for your ceremony will take into account your beliefs or your non-beliefs.

We are authorized by the Director of the Office of Civil Status of Quebec. As such, we take charge of the administration of all legal documents, including the Notice of Marriage, which must be published on the Director of Civil Status’s website for 20 days preceding the date of the celebration.

Following the ceremony and after the signatures, your officiant will provide you with a copy of the Marriage Declaration (DEC-50) as proof of your marriage. They will then submit the necessary documents to the civil registry for the registration of your marriage.

A few weeks later, you will receive a letter from the Director of the Office of Civil Status of Quebec confirming the registration of your marriage. At the same time, you will be invited to order your marriage certificate. It is the responsibility of the spouses to make this request directly to the Director, as the law does not permit us to do this on your behalf.

Proof of identity:

For the two individuals concerned, official proof of identity with photograph (Quebec driver’s license, health insurance card, or passport).

Birth certificate:

For people born in Quebec:

If you were born in Quebec, the large birth certificate, bearing on the lower left an inscription of 13 digits is requested. The large format is required because the parents’ names must appear on the document.

If you do not have it in your possession, it can be ordered online from the Directeur de l’état Civil. Allow up to five weeks to receive the document. However, you can request faster delivery at an additional cost.

For people born outside of Quebec:

The birth certificate issued by the local authorities of the country or province of origin is accepted.

Divorce certificate:

To obtain a certified copy of a divorce certificate or an irrevocable divorce judgment, you will need to contact the clerk’s office of the courthouse in the judicial district where your divorce was granted. Review the document you have on hand. Your document should contain a registration number and date of effectiveness.

Death certificate:

Death certificate of the deceased spouse may also be obtained from the Directeur de l’État Civil.

Important note: All aforementioned documents must be either in French or in English. Otherwise, they must be translated by a translator from the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec.

You can check if your marriage notice has been published by going to the Publication of Marriage and Civil Union notices page.

You can consult the register of celebrants on the site of the Directeur de l’État Civil.

There is only one meeting held either at the officiant’s office or at a location agreed upon by you and the officiant.

The meeting generally lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. Meetings take place on weekdays, or week-ends, daytime,  or evening, at the time agreed to with your officiant.

Meetings are usually scheduled once you have all the necessary legal documents in your possession regarding your marriage.

Yes, each spouse must have their own witness. You can choose whoever you want as a witness. If your child meets this condition, you have the right to nominate them even if they are not 18 years old.

A ceremony celebrated by Le Nouveau Penser can be held anywhere; though the civil marriages must be celebrated in the province of Quebec, anywhere with a civic address. If you want a ceremony to take place in a temple, or church, you will need to obtain permission or a contract from their leaders, as we have no affiliation with them.The same way, if you want to celebrate your wedding in a park, check with your municipality to see if you are allowed to do so.

Here is a list of places where we have already celebrated.

Our dress code is a guideline aimed at maintaining the quality of the image projected by the celebrants of Le Nouveau Penser.

It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the ceremony.

At the time of your choice, weekdays, weekends, days, or evenings.

Le Nouveau Penser gathers several officiants. If, for some major reason, your official celebrant is unable to perform your ceremony, we will authorize a replacement who will respect the date and place of your ceremony.

We advise you to book as early as possible.

Please note that we need to publish a wedding notice for 20 days prior to the celebration date, excluding processing time.

An official reservation can be made by phone or email.

We will need the following information:

• Date and time of the ceremony
• Name and full civic address of the ceremony venue
• Both of your names
• Two phone numbers, ideally your cellular
• Your email address

If contacting us by email, please leave your phone number to reach you and the best time for us to do so. We will recommend a celebrant who will contact you within 24 hours.

You also have two options:

• Contact the officiant of your choice directly. (Consult the list of all our officiants, and their contact details on the site)
• Contact the office of Le Nouveau Penser.  We are open every day of the week from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. 1-514-254-2951 or celebrant@lenouveaupenser.com

The price of our services varies depending on how far the celebrant must travel to get to your ceremony location.

This service is turnkey. It includes the opening of your case file, meeting to finalize the ceremony, handling and recording legal documents, celebrant travel, celebration and taxes.

No other fees will be added to this amount.

To confirm your reservation, your celebrant will ask you to send a non-refundable deposit promptly via Interac e-Transfer to their email address.

The balance owed must be paid no later than one (1) month prior to the ceremony.

Please Note:  Full payment amount may be made with the initial payment, if you prefer.

Le Nouveau Penser  is not tied to any faith, whether Catholic or otherwise, therefore we respect everyone’s individual religious beliefs.Our philosophy is one of respect, humanism and unity.

Consequently, the texts chosen for your ceremony will take into account your beliefs or your non-beliefs.

No legal document is required.

There is only one meeting held either at the officiant’s office or at a location agreed upon by you and the officiant.

The meeting generally lasts between 30 and 60 minutes. Meetings take place on weekdays, or week-ends, daytime,  or evening, at the time agreed to with your officiant.

Meetings are usually scheduled once you have all the necessary legal documents in your possession regarding your marriage.

Your ceremony can be held anywhere. Here is a list of places where we have already celebrated.

Our dress code is a guideline aimed at maintaining the quality of the image projected by the celebrants of Le Nouveau Penser.

The texts can be modified according to your requirements, with the agreement of the celebrant.

The ceremony can be presented in French, in English, or in both languages simultaneously, when possible.  It could possibly be presented in other languages, upon request.

It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the ceremony.

At the time of your choice, weekdays, weekends, days, or evenings.

Le Nouveau Penser gathers several officiants. If, for some major reason, your official celebrant is unable to perform your ceremony, we will authorize a replacement who will respect the date and place of your ceremony.

We recommend that you reserve your date as early as possible.

An official reservation can be made by phone or email. We will need the following information:

• Date and time of the ceremony
• Name and full civic address of the ceremony venue
• Both of your names
• Two phone numbers, ideally your cellular
• Your email address

If contacting us by email, please leave your phone number to reach you and the best time for us to do so. We will recommend a celebrant who will contact you within 24 hours.

You also have two options:

• Contact the officiant of your choice directly. (Consult the list of all our officiants, and their contact details on the site)
• Contact the office of Le Nouveau Penser.  We are open every day of the week from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. 1-514-254-2951 or celebrant@lenouveaupenser.com

The price of our services varies depending on how far the celebrant must travel to get to your ceremony location.

This service is turnkey. It includes the opening of your case file, meeting to finalize the ceremony, celebrant travel, celebration and taxes. No other fees will be added to this amount.

To confirm your reservation, your celebrant will ask you to send a non-refundable deposit promptly via Interac e-Transfer to their email address.

The balance owed must be paid no later than one (1) month prior to the ceremony.

Please Note:  Full payment amount may be made with the initial payment, if you prefer.