Email: info@halifaxweddingchapel.com
Congratulations and Jubilations!
Our Wedding Chapel and Marriage Officiants
Our beautiful chapel has ample free parking and seats 90 guests plus the wedding party beneath spectacular vaulted cedar beams.
Officiants are licenced by the Province of Nova Scotia to perform non-denominational and spiritual marriage ceremonies. They are available for consultation and will assist you in every way that they can to ensure that your special day is perfect.
We encourage you to tour the chapel, take in its stunning beauty, and meet our officiants. Simply call 225-5768 and make an appointment to visit [we can assure you that we won't bite!]. In addition to weddings during the daytime on Saturdays, Sundays and weekdays [except Good Friday], officiants are available for early evening to midnight weddings on location or at the chapel.
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Choice of Location for Your Wedding Ceremony
The choice of location is yours within the jurisdiction of the Province of Nova Scotia. You are welcome to celebrate your special day at our beautiful chapel, or alternatively opt for an on location wedding. You are free to choose other locations to hold your wedding ceremony [we will be very happy to oblige]. Officiants will perform wedding ceremonies anywhere in Nova Scotia: Metro Halifax and Dartmouth area; other areas within the Halifax Regional Municipality [HRM]; or anywhere outside HRM.
The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination.
Here are some ideas to consider for your wedding location:
- on board a yatch or tall ship;
- at a resort getaway or lakeside resort;
- at a country club, golf course, or luxury hotel;
- outdoors, at the beach or in a public park;
- in a historical home;
- at a museum or art gallery;
- aboard a train or airplane;
- in a farmhouse or bed & breakfast inn;
- in a private home with scenic grounds or a garden;
- have an at home wedding; or
- under the wide-open starry skies [very romantic!].
The adventurous, on the other hand, may prefer to take the plunge literally with a bungee or parachute jump together. Any extreme activity should take place after the final blessing, and introduction of the bride and groom. [The officiant will be happy to remain available in the unfortunate event of any subsequent equipment failures.] Please remember that the more exotic locations - aboard an offshore oilrig for example - will doubtless come with certain hidden costs that may require some very serious consideration. For fresh air locales, you will want to reserve at least one tent; or have an alternate, indoor location as a backup.
Our Doors Are Always Open
Our doors are open to everybody regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability.
Planning Your Ceremony
We offer you the maximum flexibility to allow you to plan your wedding the way you wish. We welcome traditional, contemporary and innovative ceremonies. You can write your own ceremony; sing to your beloved; involve your children, step-children or grandchildren in the ceremony; include favourite readings, poems, music and hymns; invite a choir, a quartet or a soloist to perform; bring your own CDs; or decorate the chapel to your taste [simply let us know what you have in mind at least one week prior to your big day]. If you are planning a Christian ceremony, you can choose whether or not to include a nuptial Mass. Our simple request is for you and your guests to remember that, no matter how the service is structured, our Creator is present with us and must be accorded all due respect. Please contact our office as far in advance of your wedding as possible.
Your Wedding Ceremony
Couples who want to personalize their wedding ceremony to focus on the love that unites them, may choose to write their own vows to convey their feelings for each other. Others may want to combine the traditional exchange of vows and rings with modern dedications of love and commitment. Whatever you choose depends upon what best suits your personalities and are, of course, beautiful and special ways to express your love and promises to one other.
Spirituality
Couples who are not familiar with traditional religious customs, but would like to honour their marriage vows and make spirituality a meaningful part of the ceremony, are welcome to discuss an alternative order of service with our officiants. Officiants will gladly guide you and help you decide how to personalize rites or religious elements in ways that you find meaningful. For example, couples may want to include the lighting of a Unity Candle in the wedding ceremony to symbolize the Union of Two Lives, or perhaps the bride and groom will present a beautiful Rose to each other, giving recognition to the new and honourable title of "Husband and Wife".
Planning A Christian Ceremony?
Couples who are planning a Christian wedding ceremony are welcome to include a full nuptial Mass, complete with the Eucharist as an affirmation of faith and celebration of thanksgiving to God. Holy Communion [The Lord's Supper] should be included as part of the wedding ceremony by all practising Christians. You will receive a copy of the order of service when you book your wedding; alternative order of service can be discussed with the officiating priest. The choice of readings, hymns and music is yours. [The organist will require a consultative meeting to discuss your special music.]
Cross-Cultural and Ethnic Ceremonies
Couples are welcome to infuse elements of their cultural background into their wedding ceremony. Our officiants, who have traveled and lived the world over, will be delighted to help you design your ceremony. We will be very happy also to officiate ethnic wedding ceremonies at the chapel or on location.
Obtaining a Marriage Licence
A Marriage Licence must be purchased before two people can marry in the Province of Nova Scotia. The licence does not mean that you are married, but that you may get married. A licence can be purchased by appointment from a Deputy Issuer or from Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations during regular business hours. Only one member of the couple needs to apply for the licence, but you will be asked to provide identification and proof of age for both the bride and groom. Information required with identification will include:
- Full name, including given names
- Age
- Marital status
- Current address
The provincial fee for a marriage licence is $100.00 and there is a five day waiting period between the day of application for the licence and the date of issuance.
For more information, visit the SERVICE NOVA SCOTIA web information page.
In addition, the officiating priest will require you to produce the following documents:
- Marriage licence and photo identification
- If either party is divorced, proof of divorce (certificate of divorce or decree absolute)
- If either party is widowed, proof of death (death certificate, funeral director's statement of death or obituary notice)
Registering Your Marriage
The Halifax Wedding Chapel will register your marriage with the province of Nova Scotia. You will receive a church marriage certificate on the day of your wedding; your official marriage certificate will be mailed to you by Service Nova Scotia within approximately ten working days.
Chapel Decoration
Our chapel can be decorated with candles and beautiful silk floral arrangements on your wedding day. You are welcome to beautify the chapel to your taste with seasonal flowers, tulle, ribbon, etc. You are welcome to take photographs and videos at all times.
Innovative Celebrations... For Those Who March to The Beat of a Different Drum!
- A symbolic shared communal meal - like the meal of fish and loaves that Jesus blessed and shared with many - comprising wine/cheese/crackers, fresh bread, fruit/vegetable platter, or even chocolate;
- Your dog as ring-bearer [point at the dog to see ring pillow];
- Your wedding party dressed in opera costumes;
- Enjoy the old-fashion romance of train travel [from Halifax to Cape Breton on board the Bras d'Or luxury excursion train, mid-June to mid-October]
- Autumn splendor / Harvest Wedding;
- Favourite sing-along songs;
- Invite an acrobat or dance troop to perform;
- Guests dressed up as characters from your favourite book or movie;
- A Winter Wonderland Wedding.