A wedding timeline has two kinds of dates. Most of it is flexible and set by how quickly good vendors book. A handful of dates are fixed by law, and in Ontario those decide the order: your marriage licence is only valid for 3 months from the date it was issued, so the whole plan works backwards from that window.
Below is the timeline I would hand anyone planning a wedding in Northumberland County, Ontario, from the first budget conversation to the certificate that arrives after the honeymoon.
Key Takeaways
- An Ontario marriage licence is valid for 3 months from the date it is issued, so apply inside the three months before the wedding (Government of Ontario, updated September 2, 2026).
- Licence fees in Northumberland County vary by office: $120 in Cramahe, $125 in Port Hope and Brighton, $175 in Trent Hills (municipal pages, checked September 26, 2026).
- Cobourg civil ceremonies run Friday afternoons at 1, 2 or 3 p.m. for $400; the Town says 2026 is fully booked and 2027 bookings open January 4, 2027.
- A wedding with alcohol at an unlicensed venue needs an AGCO Special Occasion Permit: apply at least 10 days ahead, and give municipal notice 30 to 60 days ahead where required.
- Two witnesses must sign the licence immediately after the ceremony (Ontario Marriage Act, section 25).
- ServiceOntario can take up to 8 weeks after registration to process a marriage certificate; regular online service is $15.
12 months or more out: the decisions everything else waits on
Start with three numbers: the budget, the guest count and the season. Every quote you collect later depends on them, and the venue cannot be chosen without all three. My guide to building a realistic wedding budget walks through the first one.
Then the venue. It sets your date, your capacity and often your caterer, so it comes before almost everything else. If you are looking at summer and early fall Saturdays, this is the stage to book, and my list of how far in advance to book each wedding vendor covers who comes next.
Some sites add a permit with its own deadline. The Ganaraska Forest, north of Port Hope, asks for special event applications at least three months ahead with an insurance certificate attached. Ask about it on the first call.
9 to 6 months out: the people who make the day
This is vendor season: photographer, caterer if the venue does not supply one, officiant, florist and music. Book the officiant here. Not later. If you want a civil ceremony at a municipal office, read that office's rules now, because each one sets its own days, fees and notice:
- Cobourg holds civil ceremonies on Friday afternoons at 1, 2 or 3 p.m. for $400, paid by cash or debit, and the licence is due at least 10 days before. The Town's page says 2026 is fully booked and 2027 bookings open January 4, 2027.
- Trent Hills needs at least 7 days' notice and a pre-ceremony meeting held 5 or more days before. Fees run from $400 in Council Chambers during office hours to $550 after hours at another location.
- Port Hope and Brighton do not currently perform civil ceremonies, per Port Hope's marriage page and Brighton's.
A religious or independent officiant has to be registered with the province. Ontario publishes the list of registered marriage officiants as open data, refreshed weekly, and it takes two minutes to search.
Send save-the-dates around six months out, or eight if many guests travel or the date lands on a long weekend. Order attire now too. Made-to-order pieces and alterations eat months.
If you would rather hand this middle stretch to someone else, The Signature Bloom covers vendor sourcing, budget tracking and a custom event timeline, and you can book a consultation to talk it through.
4 to 2 months out: invitations, permits and the licence window
Invitations go out about eight weeks before, with an RSVP date four weeks before. That gap is deliberate. It gives you a week to chase the stragglers before the caterer wants numbers.
Alcohol comes next. If the venue is not a licensed establishment, you need a Special Occasion Permit from the AGCO. A private-event permit costs $50 a day when drinks are free and $150 a day when you sell them. The AGCO asks for the application at least 10 days before the event, and where municipal notice is required, that notice goes in at least 30 days (up to 60) ahead. Put the permit on your calendar at the two-month mark and it will never be the thing you forgot.
Once you are inside three months, apply for the licence. This is what the county's offices published on September 27, 2026. Our marriage licence fees by town guide compares each office and its civil ceremonies in full:
| Office | Licence fee | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Cobourg | Not listed on the Town's page | Apply online through ServiceOntario |
| Port Hope | $125 | Apply online, then pick up by appointment |
| Brighton | $125 | Cash or debit, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Trent Hills | $175 | 66 Front Street South, Campbellford |
| Cramahe | $120 | Allow 2 to 3 weeks; no appointment needed |
| Hamilton Township | $125 | Only one applicant needs to attend |
| Alnwick/Haldimand | $150 | One applicant, with ID for both |
Each applicant brings two pieces of government-issued ID, one with a photo. If either of you was divorced outside Canada, start sooner: the province says those documents may take up to 4 weeks to process.
The last month: numbers, walk-through and the day-of timeline
Final guest count to the caterer. Seating chart. Final payments, if your contracts put them here. Then the document that matters most on the day: a timeline with every vendor's arrival time, name and phone number, sent to all of them at once so they are working from the same page.
Walk the venue with whoever is running the day. The Rosebud, our day-of coordination package, includes a venue walk-through and timeline review for exactly this reason, and it covers up to 10 hours on the day. If you are weighing whether you need that, my post on what a day-of coordinator does lays out the job.
The week of, confirm the officiant and both witnesses. Pack an emergency kit: safety pins, stain pen, phone chargers, pain relievers, a lighter for the candles.
The day itself, hour by hour
Every venue and season changes this, so treat it as a template. Say the ceremony is at 4 p.m. in October, when the light goes early:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Hair and makeup start; the florist delivers personal flowers |
| 12:30 p.m. | Photographer arrives for getting-ready photos and details |
| 2:00 p.m. | First look and portraits while the light is still high |
| 3:15 p.m. | Guests arrive; the coordinator checks chairs, sound and the signing table |
| 4:00 p.m. | Ceremony |
| 4:25 p.m. | Signing: you, both witnesses and the officiant |
| 4:30 p.m. | Cocktail hour; family photos |
| 6:00 p.m. | Dinner is served |
| 7:30 p.m. | Speeches and first dance |
| 11:30 p.m. | Last song; vendors begin teardown |
Two things are fixed in that table. The signing happens right after the ceremony, because Ontario requires you, your witnesses and the person who performed the marriage to sign immediately. And there are two witnesses, the minimum under section 25 of the Ontario Marriage Act. Everything else can move.
After the wedding: registration and the certificate
Your officiant sends the signed licence to ServiceOntario, and that registers the marriage. You can order your certificate any time after the ceremony, but processing may take up to 8 weeks after registration. Regular online service is $15 with Canada Post delivery; premium is $45 by courier.
Order it early if you plan to take your spouse's last name. ServiceOntario wants the official certificate, not the Record of Solemnization of Marriage you signed at the ceremony, before it will update a health card or driver's licence. Then send the thank-you notes. While the details are fresh, write down what each vendor did well and post it as a review, since a specific review with names and moments in it is the most useful thank-you a small local business can get.
A timeline only works when every vendor has the same one. If you would like help building yours, tell me about your date and we can start with the fixed deadlines and fill in the rest.
