Frequently asked questions about weddings

In the 40-year history of Le Nouveau Penser, intended spouses have preferred marriage and rarely used civil union. Civil union should not be confused with marriage even though similar in several aspects. The rights and obligations of civil union spouses are in fact the same as if they were married. For example, the rules of matrimonial regime and family patrimony apply the same way. However, to enter into civil union, one has to be 18 years old but only16 for marriage. In the case of marriage, civil or religious, divorce is pronounced by a judge but civil union can end by an agreement signed in front of a notary. If there is no agreement, the court will pronounce the dissolution. Both can be dissolved by death of one of the spouses. If spouses decide to get married, the civil union is automatically cancelled. When choosing civil union, one must verify its validity in the rest of Canada and in other countries. Civil union is not recognized outside Quebec, however, with some exceptions, marriages celebrated in Queec are recognized around the world.

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.  Confirming to the Civil Code of Québec and to the Charter of the French Language all documents signed at the ceremony will be in french.

Le Nouveau Penser  is not tied to any faith, whether Catholic, Jewish, Orthodox, 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 Directeur de l’État Civil. As such, we take care of the administration and registration of all legal documents required for your change of status, to include the Notice of publication, to be published on the website of the Directeur de l’État Civil, within 20 days before the date of the celebration. It is therefore important that your documents reach us early (about a month before the wedding date) because we must first make the request and the civil status office allows 48 hours to respond. If these conditions are not met, the marriage must be postponed, because even if we did, it would not be registered.

At the end of the ceremony, following the signatures, your officiant will give you a copy of the Declaration of Marriage (DEC-50) as a proof of your marriage.

A few weeks later, you will receive a letter from the Directeur de l’État Civil confirming that your marriage has been registered. At the same time, you will be invited to order your marriage certificate. It is up to the spouses to make the request themselves to the Director, as the law does not allow us to do this for you.

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 true copy of a divorce certificate, or an irrevocable divorce decree, you will need to contact the clerk at the courthouse in the judicial district where your divorce was granted. Examine the document you have in hand. Your document must contain a registration number. It is a single sheet with “Certificate of Divorce” written on it.

Note that the divorce decree, which is usually several pages long, is not accepted for the registration of marriage at the Directeur de l’État Civil. (The first page may contain the required number).

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.

We are recognized by the Directeur du bureau de l’état civil du Québec. to legally marry individuals. Thus, we take charge of all legal requirements and documents reflecting a change in your civil status to include notice of marriage, published on the website of the Directeur de l’état civil for 20 days preceding the scheduled solemnization date. It is therefore important that your documents reach us early (about a month before the wedding date) because we must first make the request and the civil status office allows 2 working days to respond. If these conditions are not met, the marriage must be postponed, because even if we did, it would not be registered.

Don’t worry, we take care of completing and publishing this document for you.

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 at the officiant’s office. 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 connection to religious communities or sects.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.

The celebrant usually wears a stole over his civilian dress, he or she can wear an alb and a stole to better suit your wishes.

It takes approximately 25 to 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. In practice, you can make your reservation as soon as you know the date, time and place of your wedding.

The publication of a marriage notice with the Directeur de l’état civil, is a legal obligation that serves to publicly announce one’s intention to marry, or unite civilly. The publication of this notice is carried out on the website of the Directeur de l’état civil. When receiving a request for publication of a marriage, the Directeur de l’état civil ensures the competence of the officiant. The publication notice must be posted for 20 consecutive days prior to the wedding ceremony on the site of the Directeur de l’état civil.

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
• Your preference for the officiant: male, female, or no preference

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 initial phone conversation, opening the 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 officiant will request to send him adeposit of 200$ within the following two (2) weeks via an Interac transfer to his 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, Jewish, Orthodox, 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 at the officiant’s office. 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.

The celebrant usually wears a stole over his civilian dress, he or she can wear an alb and a stole to better suit your wishes.

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 25 to 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. In practice, you can make your reservation as soon as you know the date, time and place of your ceremony.

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
• Your preference for the officiant: male, female, or no preference

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 initial phone conversation, opening the 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 officiant will request to send him adeposit of 200$ within the following two (2) weeks via an Interac transfer to his 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.