Alberta marriages are valid throughout the world and one does not have to be a Canadian citizen or an Alberta resident to get married in the province. The couple requires an Alberta Marriage Licence available at any registry office in Alberta.
There is a fee for this license. To obtain the licence, both bride and groom must apply together at an Alberta registry office. Contact a registry office in advance to confirm the documents you will need to bring with you.
On the day of the wedding, the marriage licence is turned over to the marriage commissioner. The ceremony cannot occur without the licence! The commissioner then submits the licence to Alberta Vital Statistics for registration of the marriage. At the ceremony the bride and groom will be provided with a Statement of Marriage.
Official certificates of marriage are available from Alberta Vital Statistics following the marriage. There is a fee for this and you make application to an Alberta registry office along with the Statement of Marriage that I give you at the ceremony.
In order for the wedding to take place the ceremony must be witnessed by two people, eighteen years of age or older. It is not necessary that the couple know the witnesses prior to the wedding. I have been asked to provide witnesses.