Planning Wedding

[Madisonanina 1]

I am from Canada and plan on marrying my dual citizen bf in the next few years. We both currently live in Canada, but want to get married and live in the states. My main concern with the K1 visa and having it is how I'll be able to plan our wedding. I heard that if I enter the states as a visitor with my Canadian priveledge it can be held against me getting my K1 because it looks like I entered the states under false pretenses. But if I have my K1 before going to the states I will only have 90 days to plan the wedding and get married. My question is, how does one plan a wedding if you can't be in the states? Would I make trips to the US to do cake tastings, looking at venues and such and THEN apply for a K1 once most planning has been done? If so, when I am engaged and want to have the wedding a year from then, when should I start the application process?? I really appreciate your help!

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Easy. never lout any money down until visa is in hand. if you don't want to go that route, loom for places with flexibility on dates and changing things.

immigration isn't about what we want, it's about them and their policies. you should be able to visit easy enough during the process with adequate ties

[Cheezees 1,514]

Get married in a courthouse and later on you can have whatever ceremony you want. This is a non-issue.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Get married in a courthouse and later on you can have whatever ceremony you want. This is a non-issue.

or that lol

[Madisonanina 1]

So basically I can't have the "dream wedding" is what you're saying? What about hiring a wedding planner in the states to do it all for me and communicate with me over skype?

[Transborderwife 4,666]

So basically I can't have the "dream wedding" is what you're saying? What about hiring a wedding planner in the states to do it all for me and communicate with me over skype?

Sure you can. there's no rule that says you can't marry first then plan for your wedding after. aand sure hire a planner. but a planner can't necessarily change things if your visa is somehow delayed.

[Madisonanina 1]

I'm starting to get it now haha. Well once you get your K1 visa how soon are you required to step foot in the states and start the 90 days?

Thank you so much for all your help this far!

[LionessDeon 2,060]

I don't think there's many people that apply for K1 visa that have a big wedding like that for that exact reason. Most of what I've seen on VJ, people that want big weddings do the spouse visa not the fiancée visa.

With that being said my husband and I did the K1 visa and we had a wedding. Granted it was only close family and friends about 50 to 60 people. it was in my brothers backyard. we cooked the American food ourselves, catered the Jamaican food that we ordered and picked up from a restaurant. The cake testing we did within two weeks after he arrived that's plenty of time for cake. I found an amazing florist and we worked mostly online and telephone calls. I never even went to their shop. they delivered the flowers the day of the wedding and they were absolutely beautiful, exactly what I wanted. Party rentals like chairs tablecloth linens and China only take a couple weeks. Decorations I ordered online through Amazion. I bought my dress before he arrived in the USA, his suit didn't take any time at all. It's just not knowing the date to book venues and caterers. That's why we kept that part simple. It takes some creativity and again ours was small. We were fortunate that his mother and uncle's family were there.

Edited November 24, 2016 by LionessDeon

[HandmadeTurnip 150]

I'm starting to get it now haha. Well once you get your K1 visa how soon are you required to step foot in the states and start the 90 days?

Thank you so much for all your help this far!

Usually within 6 months of your medical.

[LionessDeon 2,060]

I'm starting to get it now haha. Well once you get your K1 visa how soon are you required to step foot in the states and start the 90 days?

Thank you so much for all your help this far!

You usually have 6 months from the date of your medical exam. However, they gave my husband (fiancé at the time) 6 months from his interview date to enter USA and use the K1 visa

[Ash.1101 1,755]

Yeah it's 6 months from the date of the medical, and then you have 90 days from entry to marry, so over all, 9 months to plan.


You can plan, but if you want to have a physical hand in it, it won't happen.

We still married in a church, with family and friends, had a reception dinner, and what not. We never wanted a big wedding. I still had my nice expensive pretty dress, and it was more of a wedding than a lot of people do here because they're afraid they won't have much time.

Most people WON'T wait when they get their visa, they come in ASAP because they miss their fiance. That's why a lot of people courthouse wedding it. If you want that big awesome wedding, you can always wait to enter until a day or two before your visa expires, then have 90 more days to marry and marry towards the end of the 90th day.

[LionessDeon 2,060]

I agree. I think going through this immigration journey tends to alter your "dreams" a bit. I just wanted to end the separation!

Good luck OP! I hope it all works out!

[canadian_wife 1,791]

If you want a dream wedding, and are not planning to move to the U.S for 'years' as your post says why not plan your dream wedding, do all the fun things associated with it and hen apply for a Cr-1 spousal visa?

Marrying, having the dream wedding, etc is all possible with the CR-1 spousal visa.

Good luck

[Mollie09 1,543]

Why not come to the US, marry, go back to Canada and file CR-1?

[yuna628 9,528]

I am from Canada and plan on marrying my dual citizen bf in the next few years. We both currently live in Canada, but want to get married and live in the states. My main concern with the K1 visa and having it is how I'll be able to plan our wedding. I heard that if I enter the states as a visitor with my Canadian priveledge it can be held against me getting my K1 because it looks like I entered the states under false pretenses. But if I have my K1 before going to the states I will only have 90 days to plan the wedding and get married. My question is, how does one plan a wedding if you can't be in the states? Would I make trips to the US to do cake tastings, looking at venues and such and THEN apply for a K1 once most planning has been done? If so, when I am engaged and want to have the wedding a year from then, when should I start the application process?? I really appreciate your help!

How does one plan a wedding, while doing a K1? Well the USCIS says you shouldn't...in fact I'd always recommend you shouldn't. Get your K1, get married in a courthouse, and then plan out your ceremony together the way you want it and have a big bash later. But, I have to tell you, I would be very much lying if I said it was impossible to plan a wedding while waiting for a K1... because me and my husband absolutely did it and it worked and it was lovely. Of course, it certainly is risky with the timing and many numerous unknown variables. You're going to need a good support system, a USC fiancé that you trust to make the majority of the big decisions, including any snap decisions that comes up (they need to be focused and wanting to be involved). We skyped, phoned, and took photographs every step of the way. Most of it was all DIY. In the end it was a wedding just the way we wanted it, no do-overs, with both our families attending.

I don't really think a wedding planner would have made it easier. It was not more difficult to plan then any other wedding I suppose, but logistics wise and stress wise, it's certainly tough. You could plan some stuff before filing of course, but ultimately there's going to be heavy decisions the USC is going to have to make, and arrange. There will also be tons of unknowns that could mess up plans.

So basically I can't have the "dream wedding" is what you're saying? What about hiring a wedding planner in the states to do it all for me and communicate with me over skype?

Sure you can. If you're a bit crazy like us. But hey we made it work, and if you're up for a challenge, you can too with or without a wedding planner.