A bann is a public announcement made from a church. Some religions have historically required that a specific number of "marriage banns" be made, prior to a wedding.
In Ontario, Canada, a couple who marries using the reading of the banns at a church need not seek a marriage licence. A same-sex couple attempted to marry this way in Toronto in 1999, since the province was not then issuing marriage licences to same-sex couples. The marriage was ruled valid in 2003. See Same-sex marriage in Canada.
