Couples just like you are confused about the different terms when it comes to finding and hiring someone who can legally marry you in British Columbia. Some of the titles you may have heard are Marriage Commissioner, Wedding Officiant, or Wedding Celebrant. While they’re often used interchangeably, they don’t always mean the same thing. Understanding the differences can help you choose the right person to perform your ceremony. They are all slightly different in price, performance value, and process, but one thing has to remain true. To legally marry your fiancé, in Victoria, BC, the person who marries you much be performed by someone authorized under the BC Vital Statistics Agency. But if you have your heart set on having someone sentimental marry you, we also chat about a work around, later in this blog.

What’s the Difference Between a Marriage Commissioner, Wedding Officiant, and Celebrant?

Marriage Commissioner

A Marriage Commissioner is appointed by the Province of British Columbia to perform legal civil marriage ceremonies. They are authorized by the BC Vital Statistics Agency and can legally marry couples anywhere in the province.

Marriage Commissioners typically offer straightforward, non-religious ceremonies and follow provincial guidelines. While many are happy to personalize parts of the ceremony, such as allowing personal vows or adding meaningful readings, they generally provide a more structured experience than a private officiant. They are also the most cost effective option, for couples looking to get married on a budget.

A Marriage Commissioner is a great choice if you’re looking for a simple, legal ceremony without much customization.

Wedding Officiant

A Wedding Officiant is a broader term that refers to anyone who is legally authorized to perform a marriage ceremony. In British Columbia, this includes Marriage Commissioners as well as religious officiants who are registered with the province.

Many private wedding professionals also describe themselves as wedding officiants because it’s the term most couples search for when planning their wedding. Depending on their authorization, they may perform civil, religious, spiritual, or non-denominational ceremonies.

“Wedding Officiant” is often the easiest search term to use when looking to find someone who can legally marry you. Even while creating a ceremony that reflects your personalities and values. Additionally, you can add search terms to narrow the results if you’re looking specifically for civil, religious, spiritual, or non-denominational ceremonies.

Wedding Celebrant

A Wedding Celebrant focuses on creating a highly personalized ceremony that tells your story. Celebrants often spend time getting to know you, writing a custom ceremony, and incorporating personal touches like family traditions, cultural elements, unity ceremonies, or symbolic rituals. They also can include telling the story of how you met, your proposal story, or anything else that would make the ceremony extra special for you and your guests.

In British Columbia, it’s important to know that not every celebrant is legally authorized to perform marriages. Some celebrants are also registered officiants or Marriage Commissioners and can complete the legal paperwork themselves. Others work alongside a Marriage Commissioner or licensed officiant, who performs the legal portion of the ceremony while the celebrant leads the personalized elements. We will touch on this idea later, when explaining how you can have a non-authorized person perform your ceremony.

If having a unique, story-driven ceremony is your priority, a celebrant may be the perfect fit.

Government Marriage Commissioners in Victoria BC

A Marriage Commissioner is appointed by the Province of British Columbia to perform legal civil marriage ceremonies. They are authorized by the BC Vital Statistics Agency and can legally marry couples anywhere in the province.

Government Marriage Commissioners have a fixed provincial fee of $75 +GST. This option is perfect for those wanting to elope or have an intimate wedding on a budget. Or those who are planning a destination wedding, wanting to legally tie the knot before or after their celebration abroad. Government Marriage Commissioners tend to offer a more straight forward script, however you can schedule calls or in person meetings to personalize your ceremony slightly, and have the time to talk through the experience beforehand. Additional preparation time is billed at $25/hour.

On the Government website, you can search for the municipality that you’re planning to host your ceremony in to avoid any mileage charges. If you pick a Victoria, BC, Marriage Commissioner, and get married in Sooke, BC, you can expect a mileage charge for the travel.

A Marriage Commissioner from the Government Website is the simplest option, however, this simplicity also comes with some restrictions. They have to follow some BC Regulations, therefore, if you have elaborate customization goals for your ceremony, this may not be the option for you.

Private Wedding Officiants & Celebrants in Victoria BC

As we touched on above, private Wedding Officiants and Celebrants in Victoria BC, allows your ceremony to be customized to suit religious, spiritual, or non-denominational ceremonies, as well as more story driven ceremony performances. Below are a few of my favourite Officiants and Celebrants.

Young Hip & Married – (866) 726-9510

• Personalized ceremonies
• Team of Officiants
• Story-driven approach
• Elopements through large weddings
• Serves Victoria and Vancouver Island

Wildhearts Ceremonies – (250) 885-8516

• Inclusive ceremonies
• LGBTQ+ affirming
• Custom-written ceremonies
• Legal marriage registration included

Barbara Densmore – (250) 740-0123

• Spiritual, non-traditional, and deeply personalized ceremonies
• Specializes in meaningful weddings, intimate elopements, and vow renewals
• Custom ceremonies
• Serves Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island Wedding Lady (Cecilia Penner)

• Warm, witty, inclusive, and highly personalized ceremonies
• Calm guidance from “What do we do?” to “I do!”
• Welcomes couples of all backgrounds, identities, and relationship styles
• LGBTQ+ affirming approach to every ceremony
• Serves all of Vancouver Island

Should You Hire a Marriage Commissioner or Private Wedding Officiant?

Marriage Commissioner	Private Officiant
Lowest cost	More personalized
Government appointed	Greater flexibility
Civil ceremony	Customized ceremony
Standard process	Unique storytelling

Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Officiant

• Are you legally licensed in BC?
• Are you LGBTQ+ friendly?
• Can we write our own vows?
• Do you attend the rehearsal?
• What happens if you’re sick?
• Do you travel?

How to Have a Friend or Family Member Marry You in British Columbia

As mentioned above, there is a way to allow your friend or family member to marry you in Victoria, BC. To do this, you would hire a Government Marriage Commissioner to perform a legal ceremony, along side (or before or after or on a completely different day) your appointed person. This way you are still legally married, while also enjoying the sentimentality of having a loved one up at the altar with you.

Wedding Photographer’s Advice

These are some of the things I see during ceremonies that really make a difference for my couples:

• Choose someone who has an energy that matches with that of your relationship and guests. This could mean someone who performs in a deeply meaningful way, or someone who is loud and throws some jokes in. Consider what will flow nicely, just “make sense” for the two of you, and keep you in the moment.
• Does their general aesthetic match your wedding day? They will be starring in many of your ceremony photos, so does that person help tell the visual story of your day?
• If you’re on the nervous side, pay special attention to how they prepare you beforehand, someone with ample experience, and a calm energy.
• Ask how they arrive on time, and keep their ceremonies running smoothly and on time
• Of course, I’m biased for this one, but how do they create great photo moments? Exceptional Officiants know when to step out of the way, like for the first kiss, and private vows. This makes all the difference when reminiscing on your wedding in 20 years and looking through your album

How and When to Get Your Marriage License

And one last thing, because why bounce you off to a different blog post, when I can quickly add it in here? In BC, obtaining your marriage license is pretty simple.

Where: You can get them from Service BC locations, or London Drugs Stores

Bring: Primary ID, such as a passport or birth certificate for both you and your partner (Best if you can go together), and any proof of divorce for previous legal marriages

Cost: $100

When: Marriage Licenses expire 3 months after you obtain them, so aim to get them within 3 months leading up to your wedding day. Don’t wait until the last minute! This is a crucial step in being legally married. So create a date out of it, and don’t put it off!