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Couples looking to get married at Toronto city hall in 2027 are in limbo due to a dispute between the site and its third-party wedding provider.
The city hasn’t said outright that weddings scheduled at city hall next year have been cancelled, but a spokesperson said planned construction and modernization work means it cannot provide the conditions necessary for the provider, Ministerial Associates, to continue operating.
City spokesperson Frédérique Mazerolle told CBC Toronto Friday while there are no wedding bookings at city hall as of Jan. 1, 2027, the city is looking at options “to help ensure the long-term future of wedding ceremonies at city hall.”
CBC Toronto reached out to Ministerial Associates for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. However, Ministerial Associates employee Claire Franceschetti, who is an administrator, told CBC Toronto Friday she didn’t find out about the move until a couple of days ago.
“It’s been a real shock,” Franceschetti said. “A huge surprise to those who booked their weddings in 2027.”
Speaking with CBC Toronto Friday, Ministerial Associates administrator Claire Franceschetti said she was told just a couple of days ago. (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
Meanwhile, the city said it offered the wedding provider a short-term lease extension until March 31, 2027, but that the offer was declined.
“As a result, there are currently no plans for a third-party wedding ceremony provider at City Hall after December 31, 2026,” media relations manager Kayla Lewis told CBC Toronto Friday.
On Thursday, the city thanked the marriage service provider for all the wedding ceremonies it has offered to Torontonians for the past 30 years.
‘It’s a travesty,’ administrator says
Meanwhile, the city’s Marriage Services website shows it is no longer taking new bookings at the downtown location and lists only the North York Civic Centre, Scarborough Civic Centre and York Civic Centre wedding chambers. Couples must bring their own wedding officiants, according to the city’s website.
Franceschetti said getting married at a civic centre is a complicated process that requires couples to pick up their marriage license from city hall and book a room at a civic centre on top of having to get an officiant. Another option is for an officiant to attend a couple’s wedding venue, but that’s not always affordable, she said.
The city’s Marriage Services website shows it is no longer taking new bookings at the downtown location and instead lists only North York Civic Centre, Scarborough Civic Centre and York Civic Centre wedding chambers. (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
Posts on social media show some couples are now scrambling to make alternative arrangements.
A poster on Reddit said Wednesday their ceremony couldn’t go ahead “due to renovations” and asked for affordable recommendations. Another poster replied saying they got the same call about their June 2027 date, which was “so frustrating” because their reception location was within walking distance of city hall.
Franceschetti said Ministerial Associates services a diverse population of couples, who she worries won’t be supported without them.
“I’m concerned for those people who don’t have a lot of other options,” she said. “We also have a big population of people who choose not to spend their money on big weddings.”
“We also service new immigrants who can’t at that time organize an elaborate ceremony and we also service same sex and [the] gender-diverse community. And we treat everyone with dignity and respect,” Franceschetti added.
She said the city hall weddings have become a generational experience.
“We’ve been doing such a good job of it,” Franceschetti said. “People are coming back saying, ‘Oh yes, my parents were married here and now we’re getting married.'”
“It’s a travesty,” she added.
Rachel Dean and Brent McFarland were getting married at city hall on Friday. Dean has moved out of the city, but came back downtown to get married. (Mark Bochsler/CBC)
Rachel Dean and Brent McFarland were getting married at city hall on Friday. Dean has moved out of the city, but came back downtown to get married.
“It’s an iconic location. Downtown is so important to me,” she said. “It’s nice to go to Scarborough for people that live there, but for people that live downtown and grew up downtown, it’s not as iconic.”
Dean added she would be very upset if she was one of the couples now scrambling to find a different place to host their wedding.
“I would have been really sad and it would have been really disappointing,” she said.