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    Simple, Meaningful Marriage Ceremonies in Toronto

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Congratulations!

Welcome! Please accept my best wishes if you are planning a wedding. I am Mary Beaty, a certified Humanist Wedding Officiant licensed by the Registrar General and the Ontario Humanist Society to provide legal non-denominational, secular, non-sectarian marriage ceremonies in Ontario. Our weddings do not use religious language, but are respectful of cultural traditions and may include traditional elements as well as modern elements of your choice. 

Our marriage ceremonies are legally equivalent to a 'civil' wedding, as conducted by a Justice of the Peace, a Marriage Commissioner, or a City Hall wedding, but each service is personally written, and includes Humanist values of equality and respect and commitment.

Personalized Wedding Ceremonies

Whether you choose a traditional or contemporary wedding, a private elopement or a family event, each ceremony is prepared with the couple, to reflect your own values and wishes, traditions and style. Here are a few sample wedding ceremonies as a guide.

Traditional or Modern

We offer both traditional wedding services, formal and informal, and also modern contemporary ceremonies. Our services are simple and unfussy - but we encourage you to include traditions, music and personal touches, including friends, family, and humour! 

Types of Ceremonies - size and traditions
We officiate at all types of wedding ceremonies, from private ceremonies to small weddings for family and friends, to larger events. I have been honoured to officiate for over 900 couples, and am familiar with heritage traditions, inter-cultural weddings, non-traditional ceremonies and unique locations, as well as surprise weddings, private elopements, location weddings, weddings with children, and other special circumstances. 

 
About Me: I am a Humanist Chaplain at the University of Toronto, a former librarian (UofT), a human rights and social justice activist, a teacher, a grandmother, a writer, and an original member of the Toronto School of Storytelling. As an organic farmer, I am also interested in sustainability, and green issues.

I am a member of the The International Humanist and Ethical Union, The Humanist Association of Toronto, Humanist Canada, The Ontario Humanist Society, The Humanist Society (HS), and the American Humanist Association (AHA), and the Campus Chaplains Association at the University of Toronto.  From 2001-2007, I represented the AHA/HS at the United Nations in New York, and I am a founding member of the Council of Ethics Based Organizations (CEBO) in at the United Nations. 

Wedding locations
I will consider most locations - formal and informal - including lofts, art galleries, hotels, parks, and your own backyard. We've used settings as diverse as The Rosewater Room, the Berkeley Church & Fieldhouse (article), The Royal Conservatory of Music, Royal Ontario Museum, Gardiner Museum, Arts and Letters Club, AGO, Hart House, University of Toronto, St. Lawrence Hall, Arcadian Court, and historic sites such as Todmorden Mills, Enoch Turner School, McLean House, Campbell House, Black Creek Village, Allan Gardens, the Distillery, as well as the Gladstone, Park-Hyatt, Hilton, Sutton, Royal York, Drake, and other Hotels.  We have also had events at many restaurants and cafes; from little family bistros and bars to Balzacs coffee house, the Rectory Cafe on Toronto island (right, Star article), or Canoe,Le Select, the Globe Bistro, 99 Sudbury, Terroni, La Maquette, Grace, as examples.

We've held fun ceremonies in museums and art galleries, clubs, party rooms in condos, on your rooftop, in your living room or hotel room, at the gazebo at St. James, the Music Garden, the Music Gallery, beaches and woodland walks, and in my own apartment by the fireplace (below). I enjoyed the wedding of the Roncesvalles couple (right) who ran the rainy Toronto Marathon in the morning, then got married in their back yard in the afternoon. And they made all the food, too!

We've celebrated wedding in many unique spots, including parks, gardens, castles, forests, boardwalks, bridges, in a rowboat on the lake, a deserted beach in November, a bright January morning in the Skypod of the CN Tower (right), or in the snow at the ice rink at Nathan Phillips Square.  Whether you choose a traditional, romantic or unusual setting, we help you design a simple, meaningful ceremony which reflects your values and traditions - because it's YOUR wedding.

Weddings in Toronto, and Ontario
I am available for weddings in most of Toronto, particularly downtown, and other locations in Ontario by request. Just send me a message with your date & location, and I'm happy to answer questions, chat about your plans, and send sample ceremonies, wedding ideas, and a fee schedule. If I'm booked, I'll refer you to other Humanist officiants. 

Weddings in New York
I am also licensed by the Humanist Society of the American Humanist Association and the State of New York to solemnize marriages in New York. I have officiated for many Canadian and international couples honeymooning in New York City, including a memorable dawn wedding on the Brooklyn Bridge on Canada Day. I am happy to arrange a NY wedding or refer you to my colleagues in New York.  Feel free to ask about legal requirements for Canadians wishing to be married in New York. See Weddingsofnewyork.com and ElopeNewYork.com for more information. We've been profiled in the New York Times, the NYDailyNews, ABC, Martha Stewart, Canal+, TimeOutNY, etc.

Best wishes, and happy wedding!   - Mary

Mary Beaty, Humanist Officiant, B.A., B.Ed., M.L.S. OHS