Courthouse Wedding Questions

[JULIAFERNO 0]

My fiance and I are planning on doing a courthouse wedding in the next couple of weeks and having our traditional wedding ceremony/reception several months later. I have a few questions:

- Will we be able to have a second civil ceremony when we have our traditional wedding, even if we get legally married at the courthouse first?

- For those who have done this, did you do anything to celebrate your "legal" wedding? Did your wedding day still feel just as special even though you were already married by law?

- What is the civil ceremony at the courthouse like? What are the procedures?

Thanks for your input!

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Umit and I are doing something similar to this.

Get the "legal" marriage out of the way to satisfy the K-1 requirements, then plan wedding parties in Turkey and the USA.

Everytime we are together - it's like the "first" time - so

We will show up to the courthouse, with 2 friends, talk to the clerk, get sworn in, get license - then go find a person that will give us the marriage certificate.

[reeses16 8]

My fiance and I are planning on doing a courthouse wedding in the next couple of weeks and having our traditional wedding ceremony/reception several months later. I have a few questions:

- Will we be able to have a second civil ceremony when we have our traditional wedding, even if we get legally married at the courthouse first?

Yes, but why? Once you are married at the courthouse (this is the same as saying civil ceremony) you are married. I understand wanting a ceremony that is done by a religious figure or something larger where more family can attend, but why repeat the civil marriage?

- For those who have done this, did you do anything to celebrate your "legal" wedding? Did your wedding day still feel just as special even though you were already married by law?

We only had the civil service. I would imagine your 2nd wedding would still be special in a different way, having friends and family celebrate with you too. You can celebrate them both, or not, its really up to you and your hubby to be.

- What is the civil ceremony at the courthouse like? What are the procedures?

Call the office that issues marriage licenses and ask what their procedures are. Don't go on the internet but actually call....the web will list requirements, but many requirements (SSN, wait period) can be waived at the courthouse if you ask. We actually got married at a justice of the peace, near the courthouse. We got to the courthouse around 11 or so, filled the paperwork, got a waiver for SSN and 72-hour wait period (it took an extra 10 minutes, most of which were spend looking for the correct room at the courthouse), we got the license, drove the JP, got married. We hand delivered signed marriage certificate so that we could get the certified copies in our hand that day.

Thanks for your input!

[C&P 0]

My fiance came over in December and we married at the end of the month at the courthouse. We did this since they give you 90 days, there is no way I could plan the wedding I wanted in 90 days! Once we got engaged, I booked a swanky hotel for our "real" wedding at the end of this year.

When we have the second wedding we will tell whomever we choose to be the officiant, that we are already wed so no need for the paper work, but we still want the ceremony since everyone didn't see it the first time around.

We haven't had our first anniversary yet, but I plan to do something for both wedding dates. Maybe dinner on our real date, then gifts for our second date?

I made an appointment to get the marriage license a couple days in advance, showed id and passports, we filled out some paper work, they put it in the computer, had our witness sign a waiver, waited a few minutes, then got married outside in the garden. It was nice and quick, and had a little party back at home.

My fiance and I are planning on doing a courthouse wedding in the next couple of weeks and having our traditional wedding ceremony/reception several months later. I have a few questions:

- Will we be able to have a second civil ceremony when we have our traditional wedding, even if we get legally married at the courthouse first?

- For those who have done this, did you do anything to celebrate your "legal" wedding? Did your wedding day still feel just as special even though you were already married by law?

- What is the civil ceremony at the courthouse like? What are the procedures?

Thanks for your input!

[kcoyclay1 98]

Umit and I are doing something similar to this.

Get the "legal" marriage out of the way to satisfy the K-1 requirements, then plan wedding parties in Turkey and the USA.

Everytime we are together - it's like the "first" time - so

We will show up to the courthouse, with 2 friends, talk to the clerk, get sworn in, get license - then go find a person that will give us the marriage certificate.

The courthouse wedding is not really a "talk" to the clerk. You say the same things that is said at a church wedding except they cut to the chase and get straight to the point. You hold hands, look into each others eyes and make your vow to each other. The officiating person says the same things that are said at a church wedding about loving each other etc and tells you to look into the eyes of the person you are planning to spend your whole life with and just let all the love inside envelop you. Well at least mine did. You are also presented with the marriage certificate after you have signed it, pronounced husband and wife and you have "kissed your bride" so you don't need to go and find the person who will give it to you.

I don't know but mine was 10 minutes and spicy. I guess it was because I was very concerned when I saw the other couples popping in and out and were married. I prayed that mine would have substance and it surely did. We plan to have a church wedding but sickness has delayed it. Now we are planning other things like buying a home. We will renew our vows in a couple of years and then we can have the excitement that we planned.

Edited April 27, 2009 by kcoyclay1

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Umit and I are doing something similar to this.

Get the "legal" marriage out of the way to satisfy the K-1 requirements, then plan wedding parties in Turkey and the USA.

Everytime we are together - it's like the "first" time - so

We will show up to the courthouse, with 2 friends, talk to the clerk, get sworn in, get license - then go find a person that will give us the marriage certificate.

The courthouse wedding is not really a "talk" to the clerk. You say the same things that is said at a church wedding except they cut to the chase and get straight to the point. You hold hands, look into each others eyes and make your vow to each other. The officiating person says the same things that are said at a church wedding about loving each other etc and tells you to look into the eyes of the person you are planning to spend your whole life with and just let all the love inside envelop you. Well at least mine did. You are also presented with the marriage certificate after you have signed it, pronounced husband and wife and you have "kissed your bride" so you don't need to go and find the person who will give it to you.

I don't know but mine was 10 minutes and spicy. I guess it was because I was very concerned when I saw the other couples popping in and out and were married. I prayed that mine would have substance and it surely did. We plan to have a church wedding but sickness has delayed it. Now we are planning other things like buying a home. We will renew our vows in a couple of years and then we can have the excitement that we planned.

No - talking to clerk only gets you the license in Ohio - you have to do the mumble jumble with the person that signs your marriage certificate to make it all "official" - (ordained or licensed minister of any religious society or congregation within this state may perform marriages - that is when you do the mumble jumble.)

You have 60 days after that license to get married.

Your state law may vary...

[kcoyclay1 98]

Umit and I are doing something similar to this.

Get the "legal" marriage out of the way to satisfy the K-1 requirements, then plan wedding parties in Turkey and the USA.

Everytime we are together - it's like the "first" time - so

We will show up to the courthouse, with 2 friends, talk to the clerk, get sworn in, get license - then go find a person that will give us the marriage certificate.

The courthouse wedding is not really a "talk" to the clerk. You say the same things that is said at a church wedding except they cut to the chase and get straight to the point. You hold hands, look into each others eyes and make your vow to each other. The officiating person says the same things that are said at a church wedding about loving each other etc and tells you to look into the eyes of the person you are planning to spend your whole life with and just let all the love inside envelop you. Well at least mine did. You are also presented with the marriage certificate after you have signed it, pronounced husband and wife and you have "kissed your bride" so you don't need to go and find the person who will give it to you.

I don't know but mine was 10 minutes and spicy. I guess it was because I was very concerned when I saw the other couples popping in and out and were married. I prayed that mine would have substance and it surely did. We plan to have a church wedding but sickness has delayed it. Now we are planning other things like buying a home. We will renew our vows in a couple of years and then we can have the excitement that we planned.

No - talking to clerk only gets you the license in Ohio - you have to do the mumble jumble with the person that signs your marriage certificate to make it all "official" - (ordained or licensed minister of any religious society or congregation within this state may perform marriages - that is when you do the mumble jumble.)

You have 60 days after that license to get married.

Your state law may vary...

Okay, I got the impression from what you wrote when you stated after you get the license -THEN you go find the person that will give us the marriage certificate as quoted.

In NY we fill out the application, talk to the clerk, get the license and then we have I think a month or three months to get married ( I can't remember). I was just thrown off by the statement when you said ... get the license THEN go find the person that will give us the marriage certificate. I guess I get what you are saying.

Edited April 27, 2009 by kcoyclay1

[TBoneTX 47,519]

Something to think about AFTER the ceremony: If you're being married (say, by a Justice of the Peace) away from the chief courthouse, ask if you can personally take the just-signed marriage license to the courthouse yourself so that you can receive your marriage certificate while there. You'll almost never run into an objection.

Then, once at the courthouse, order MULTIPLE copies of your marriage certificates. We ordered seven (at $7 each). The clerk had never had a single order for so many, but she prepared them without complaint. After expending them on AOS, for the bank account, as a keepsake for Mom, etc., we have ONE remaining, si man!

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

My fiance and I are planning on doing a courthouse wedding in the next couple of weeks and having our traditional wedding ceremony/reception several months later. I have a few questions:

- Will we be able to have a second civil ceremony when we have our traditional wedding, even if we get legally married at the courthouse first?

- For those who have done this, did you do anything to celebrate your "legal" wedding? Did your wedding day still feel just as special even though you were already married by law?

- What is the civil ceremony at the courthouse like? What are the procedures?

Thanks for your input!

We had a "lakefront" at-our-house wedding (same as a courthouse wedding by a JP but in the front yard as the JP is our neighbor) It can be as fancy or not fancy as you want. We did not have a fancy wedding but Alla did have a white wedding dress made. It is more a "procedure" than a "wedding" but it IS legal and meets the requirements of the immigration law.

The follow on "ceremony" can also be as elaborate as you want and you are free to consider it your "true wedding" if you want. You can celebrate whichever as your "anniversary", most women choosing to celebrate BOTH especially if it involves more gifts. You will not be able to get a license (and won't need one) The cool thing is, you also don't need an "official" person to perform the ceremony (though you may want one) you could have the ceremony performed by parents, siblings or a friend. Use your imagination, make it your day without anyone having to be "official"