RESERVE THE DATE: Jan.24, 2021, We will be participating in a virtual wedding show!
Marriage License and Wedding Commissioner Services
Shawna, Denise and Monique at Weddingbella, are dedicated to ensuring that every wedding ceremony is EXACTLY what the bride and groom desires. That's why Weddingbella customizes every wedding ceremony down to the smallest detail, with unlimited changes up to the last minute.
Whether you‘re getting married in a house of worship, banquet hall, country club, barn, park, house, hotel, restaurant, art gallery, library or backyard, Weddingbella can preside over your nuptials within the province of Manitoba.
If all you want is a quick "I Do / I Do" ceremony, Weddingbella can meet you at a location of your choice to make your marriage official.
Shawna has a 100% success rate in customer satisfaction AND all couples married by Shawna have remained together (yes, she checks by keeping in touch).
Shawna, Denise or Monique would love to chat with you about your wedding ceremony needs. Call or email for more information on how Weddingbella can help make the day of your dreams, come true!
Services Include:
- Marriage licenses
- Civil or religious ceremony
- Initial face-to-face meeting
- Ideas for ceremony (poems, songs, prayers, scriptures, ring exchange, vows, etc)
- Special ceremonies (sand, water, rose, etc)
- Unlimited edits to ceremony
- Wedding rehearsal
- Helping Hand
- Registration of marriage with Vital Statistics
- Assistance with requesting your Marriage Certificate (required for name changes)
- Other services upon request
Marriage Licenses
Before tying the knot, a Marriage License is required.
Weddingbella can provide this service to you.
Marriage Licenses must be purchased at least 24 hours prior to the ceremony and are valid for 3 months.
When you meet with us for your Marriage License, you will need the following:
- Identification
- Know the full names of both parents and their place of birth (town/city and province as well as the Country if outside of Canada)
- If previously married, an "original" Divorce Certificate or Decree
- If widowed, proof of passing (obituary, funeral/memorial service program, or death certificate)
- $100 cash or E-transfer only
COVID-19 GUIDELINES
Weddingbella adheres to the guidelines set forth by the Province of Manitoba.
All couples will ensure:
- Social Distancing (including wedding party)
- Face Mask Management (when applicable)
- Wellness Checklist (for all guests and wedding party)
- Gathering Sizes Within Allowable Limits
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
A 25% non-refundable deposit is required at time of booking.
Deposits may be carried over to a future date (year,)
Balance due 24 hour prior to Wedding ceremony.
Refunds are not provided, unless Weddingbella is unable to fulfill the ceremony commitment
If a client cancels services after:
- A Draft or Final ceremony has been provided to couple, 75% of service fees will immediately be due to Officiant
- A Ceremony has been written, but not yet sent to couple, the deposit is forfeited and a $50 additional fee may be applied
All Weddingbella Officiants have the right to a safe workplace, therefore if they deem it unsafe (due to COVID-19. or for any other reason), they may leave the Wedding ceremony without providing a refund to the couple.
The Marriage License is a legal document. Parties who will be signing the Marriage License must be of sound mind and not under any excessive influence of drugs or alcohol. All Weddingbella Officiants have the right to postpone the signing of the Marriage License (or a ceremony in its entirety) to a later date if necessary. An additional fee will be applied should this occur.
Provincial COVID-19 restrictions and protocols will be followed
Services and Fees
Marriage License
$100
Quickie Ceremony – Making it Legal
Perfect for couples planning a destination wedding and want to "make it legal" before their tropical sandy beach wedding.
$100
Traditional / Civil Ceremony (non-personalized)
If you would like a simple civil ceremony that includes all the traditional elements, this ceremony is for you!
$175
Uniquely Yours Ceremony
Wedding ceremonies are a personal and intimate exchange of love. Whether you want a civil or spiritual ceremony, Weddingbella will meet with you, then customize your ceremony down to the smallest detail ensuring that it is uniquely yours!
$250
Wedding Rehearsal
The Wedding Rehearsal is an important service to consider when planning your wedding. A one-hour wedding rehearsal is usually sufficient in ensuring that the ceremony goes smoothly. While not mandatory, a rehearsal is encouraged
$100
Helping Hand
The Helping Hand service is often used when couples select a friend or family member to officiate their wedding. We will assist your Personal Officiant by providing our advice and guidance on creating the ceremony, or review the ceremony to ensure it includes all the legal requirements.
To legally marry you and your fiance, your Personal Officiant will require a Temporary Marriage Officiating License from the Province of Manitoba. For the same cost, we can provide the legal signature at your ceremony, saving your Personal Officiant's time, and anxiety of applying for their own license. They still perform the ceremony, while we provide the legal signature. Contact Weddingbella for a quote and a list of all Helping Hand services.
Mileage
Mileage fees apply to rural Wedding Rehearsals and Ceremonies only.
Shawna Joy Peterson
Shawna Peterson is Manitoba born and raised, and has lived most of her life here.
She is married to Dave, an awesome husband of 29+ years. She enjoys being a Nana to 3 beautiful grandchildren, ranging from 1 - 8 years old.
Shawna has always loved and lived life to the fullest. She wrote an entertaining book in 2015 which depicts some of the funniest moments in her life. She views life through rose-colored glasses and believes the glass is ALWAYS “almost full” (half glass full is for skeptics) and believes there is light in every corner of darkness.
Shawna’s faith, steadfast belief in love and the constitution of marriage, coupled with the natural gift of serving others, makes Marriage Officiating, a match made in heaven.
Shawna's first wedding was in 2014 when she had the honour of officiating her niece’s wedding. This began to fuel a passion and since then, she's officiated several weddings for family, friends, colleagues and new clients. In 2019, she created Weddingbella, which has grown into a team of amazing of Officiants.
Shawna, and any member of the Weddingbella team would love to chat with you about your wedding plans and create a masterpiece ceremony that your Wedding Day deserves!
Personal Note from Shawna
I am incredibly proud of the Weddingbella Team. In it's first full year in business, we have learned a lot about this industry and the sudden change it took. As a team, we learned how to "do weddings" differently in the face of a world-wide pandemic where many facets of the Wedding industry were impacted. All our Officiants learned to adapt to the ever-changing protocols and restrictions on our business and successfully provided couples with a beautiful Wedding Day! From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU Weddingbella's!! I'm so happy to be working alongside you!!
AND
A Big THANKS to all the couples that have trusted us to make your Wedding Day both memorable and magical.
Stay Safe (wear a mask)
.JPG/:/rs=h:650,cg:true,m/qt=q:1)
Denise Borowski
Denise Borowski has enjoyed a lengthy career at the University of Manitoba in the Research Ethics and Compliance Office and remains there today.
She is happily married to her husband of 31 years and has always been an active member of her community while raising two children. She currently volunteers for the Manitoba Riders with Disabilities Association (MRDA) as a side-walker, which is an extremely rewarding opportunity. In the winter months, she spends time at the curling rink and enjoys a long bike ride in the summer.
Her spare time is spent with family and friends, which is exceptionally important to her.
Personal Note from Denise
Becoming a Wedding Commissioner is an exciting new adventure and I am honored to be a part of the Weddingbella Team.
Monique Aquin Graboski
Monique Aquin Graboski is Manitoba born and has lived in MB, AB and the USA.
She is happily married to Reg, for 33 years to date, and together they have 3 grown children and 2 adult grandchildren and passels of pets that all give them love and joy in life. Reg and Monique have been fortunate enough to travel the world and have visited South America, Mexico, USA, Greece, Italy, Turkey with dreams of going back to Europe someday.
Monique's approach to life is to give every day her most positive attitude. She starts the day with a smile and an open heart to get off on the path of openness to every experience, and project the love that she feels in her soul. Even the worst days can be tempered by finding the silver lining.
In addition to presiding at weddings since 2000, Monique and her husband sell Marriage Licenses. It has afforded them the opportunity to meet so many great couples and their families, of all ages, creeds, nationalities etc. They have faith in humanity and embrace everyone as part of our country and the future for our nation.
Monique looks forward to meeting you and your fiancé as she helps you to achieve your dream day.
Personal Note from Monique
I have known Shawna, the daughter of the man who introduced my husband to me, since she was a girl. I can’t believe we are both retired, and it will be a joy to work with her and Denise at Weddingbella.
EXCERPTS FROM TESTIMONIALS
Never have I met someone who believes so deeply in the constitution of marriage as Shawna does
Having Shawna as our officiant at our wedding was a blessing and asking her was the easiest decision
Without a doubt our wedding day was made extra special all in thanks to Shawna
Shawna ensured our wants, beliefs and needs were met
It is evident that Shawna truly loves what she does and believes in the sanctity of marriage
She incorporated pieces of our lives prior to meeting each other, with honour and respect
