OpenVisaRecord of Solemnization vs marriage certificate: which one does IRCC accept?
The paper from the ceremony is not the paper IRCC wants.
IRCC accepts only the registered marriage certificate from the province or country where you married. The Record of Solemnization handed out at the ceremony (or only your copy of the marriage licence) is not proof of marriage, and the application can't be filed with it.
1. What's the difference?
The Record of Solemnization is the officiant's confirmation that a marriage took place. The marriage certificate is the government's registered record of it, issued by the province (Vital Statistics, ServiceOntario, the Directeur de l'état civil, and so on) or by the civil registry of the country where you married. The checklist asks for the certificate.
The document(s) you submit must show that the marriage was legally registered with the government where it took place. A record of solemnization (obtained in Canada) or marriage license will not be accepted as proof that the sponsor and applicant are married.
2. How long does the certificate take?
It depends on the province and on whether the officiant has filed the registration. Each province publishes its own processing time; check the registry's page the week you order. The application waits for the certificate, so the clock starts when you order it.
3. What can we do while we wait?
Everything except submit. The forms (IMM 1344 for the sponsor; IMM 0008, IMM 5406, IMM 5669 and, if it applies, IMM 5562 for the applicant; the relationship form IMM 5532 for both of you) don't depend on the certificate. Photos, police certificates and the relationship evidence can all be gathered now.
4. What if we married abroad?
The same rule, applied to that country: the registered certificate from its civil authority, translated into English or French. A translation by a certified translator in Canada, meaning a member of a provincial or territorial translators' organization, needs no affidavit. A translation by anyone else needs the translator's sworn affidavit (Guide 5289). Some countries have extra document requirements; check IRCC's country-specific requirements for the country where you married.
5. On the form
The relationship form (IMM 5532) asks for the date and place of the marriage, and the registered certificate goes in the civil status documents section of the spouse checklist (IMM 5533).
OpenVisa is software, not a lawyer or RCIC. This page explains what the rules and forms say; it is not advice about your case. You submit your application yourself.