Marriage options, and the "when do you plan to get married" question

[mrettercap 24]

Hey guys,

Just received our NOA1 this week (yay!) so planning ahead a bit, but I like to have a clear view of the long-term, so bear with me.

Been reading through a lot of the K-1 interview and PoE reviews and all of them seem to ask when you plan to get married.

Now, we haven't made any hard and fast plans re: booking a venue or sending out invites because we have no idea exactly how long the process is going to take. We've been planning the ceremony in terms of dresses, invites, theme, cake, etc., but we both pretty much agreed to wait until I had the visa in hand before we made any hard and fast plans.

When we do actually get married, we were thinking of having a small, informal wedding within the 90 days and have a bigger, more traditional ceremony in the summer (Texas spring, I suppose ) — I'd like my family and friends to make it over, and May-July is really the only time everybody, from both sides of the fence, can get together in once place due to holidays etc.

If I rock up to the K-1 interview and, later, the PoE and tell them we don't have a date yet, will it negatively affect our chances of getting approved?

Has anyone got any advice on the idea of having a small 'legal' wedding first, then a bigger ceremony later, both in terms of personal experience, as well as how it looks during the whole process — AoS, etc? We don't want anyone to think that we just had a shotgun marriage or something.

Cheers, apologies for the stupid questions!

Edited May 19, 2012 by mrettercap

[Smiley-one 13]

When I had my interview we had no wedding plans either. All I said in the interview is that we would marry sometime within the 90 day time frame. The CO said that was fine that we didn't have to have a specific date just as long as we knew we only had 90 days.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Smiley-one

[Moomin 292]

Nope, it's not going to have a negative effect not knowing your wedding day. Just answer truthfully if asked; that you'll get married within 90 days since you couldn't start planning before having the visa in hand and practically on your way.

Having a ceremony later on won't have a negative effect on your immigration process. It'll only be a ceremony since you'll have legalized the marriage at the first wedding.

There is a 2nd option. The K1 isn't flexible in shortening the time however you can prolong the process at different stages after the petition is approved. After the visa is issued it usually has a validity of 6 months meaning you have to enter the US before. After that, you have 90 days to get married; a total of a little less than 9 months. In theory you could delay your entry so you could plan your big wedding after the visa's in hand. However, I completely understand if you just want to fly there the minute you can.

.. And welcome to VJ

[rocks 494]

You will find that many people have a legal ceremony at the courthouse so that they can file AOS asap. Then they have time to plan a wedding with family and friends at a later date. We did that and had no problems at all with AOS. Plus it means you can have an extra anniversary to celebrate! They ask you at the POE when you intend to get married just to ensure that you know you must marry within 90 days, they don't need a specific date. We did not have a date set for our courthouse wedding until about a week before it happened, it's quite normal. Just make sure you use your legal wedding date on all the forms.

[lucy884 3]

I'm in the exact same position as you mrettercap, got our NOA1 a few days ago and thinking ahead to wedding plans! It's good to know from all the responses here that having the small legal ceremony separate from a bigger wedding celebration later on is ok to do

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

If I rock up to the K-1 interview and, later, the PoE and tell them we don't have a date yet, will it negatively affect our chances of getting approved?

Not at all. They are mainly wanting to know you understand you have 90 days once you use the visa. At a London interview it's more like chatting with somebody you just met...."so--when's the big day?" Acceptable answers are--as a soon as I get this visa; next month; we haven't decided yet; or an exact date. It's just a little conversation.

Has anyone got any advice on the idea of having a small 'legal' wedding first, then a bigger ceremony later, both in terms of personal experience, as well as how it looks during the whole process — AoS, etc? We don't want anyone to think that we just had a shotgun marriage or something.

A legal marriage with a certificate is all USCIS cares about. A "wedding" is optional, meaning the dresses, invites, theme, cake, etc.,

You need to read this thread now and ask your interview preparation questions in that thread. London 2012- K1s from NOA2 to interview thread Let's organize the info/questions into one place Knowing what K1s do in Manila or Toronto or Juarez won't help you in London. Each is different.

[mrettercap 24]

Thanks for clearing that up, guys; that sets my mind at ease.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a habit of getting flustered by border control so frequently put my foot in my mouth or start babbling like an eejit, so I like to prepare beforehand.

I'm in the exact same position as you mrettercap' date=' got our NOA1 a few days ago and thinking ahead to wedding plans! It's good to know from all the responses here that having the small legal ceremony separate from a bigger wedding celebration later on is ok to do [/quote']

Exciting, isn't it? We're just ready for the whole thing to speed through, I'm sure you guys are in exactly the same boat. Congratulations on your NOA1! I'll be following your timeline with interest; best of luck!