I attended my friends wedding at Ottawa City Hall, so yes, it does happen. In Ontario, a marriage license can take up to 2 hours to get at some city halls, but the wedding can take place the same day. My friends had a church wedding in Portugal, but they also needed a civil ceremony to make it legal. Both being Canadian citizens, it was easier to do it here before they left for Portugal. They tried to book the chapel 3 weeks for the trip to Portugal but it was very booked up and they had to settle for noon the next day. I got a phone call just after 5 pm asking if I could attend their ceremony the following day.