Separation & Divorce

Congrats! Have fun planning all of the ceremony and celebration details! There are some things that you should consider though, from a non-decoration standpoint at least.

What is the process of getting married in Saskatchewan?

You will need to get a marriage license from a marriage license issuer. A marriage licence becomes effective the day after it is purchased and is only valid for a period of 3 months. You will then need an officiant to ‘do’ the marriage. This can either be a suitable religious individual or a marriage commissioner. You will give the officiant the license, answer some questions, and then once everything has been signed, you are married. The signed license then needs to be sent to e-Health Saskatchewan to register your marriage. In order to have proof of your marriage, you will have to order a marriage certificate from e-Health Saskatchewan. You can order a marriage certificate here.

Are you getting married outside of Canada?

Make sure that you are either get a marriage licence in Saskatchewan or that your destination can provide a marriage licence that the Canadian government will accept.

We typically suggest that the best thing for a couple to do is to have the legal or civil ceremony completed in Saskatchewan prior to or following your wedding. For those that unfortunately have certificates from countries that Canada will not accept, you may be considered technically unmarried in Canada, which could affect your rights and responsibilities should your relationship end in the future.

A pre-nuptial agreement, commonly known as a 'pre-nup', is typically signed before marriage, as your rights and responsiblities to your spouse may change considerably once you are married. Typically, pre-nups are drafted with the intention of being married shortly, but can also just be a 'what-if' for the future.

A cohabitation agreement and a pre-nup agreement are effectively the same agreement, just the pre-nup makes reference to marriage, whereas the cohabitation may not.

Pre-nups and cohabitation agreements can be signed after marriage, but are then known as 'interspousal agreements', as you are no longer pre your nuptials. Your interspousal agreement can have all the same rules as you may have wanted for your pre-nuptial. We recommend that you review your circumstances with a lawyer before your wedding date, so that we can advise on a course of actions that helps you get to the conclusion you want.