Egyptian wedding.. next steps?

[eachubb 0]

Planning on getting married in Egypt next year.. my fiance is muslim im christian and we would like to follow his muslim traditions for the wedding.. what do i need to provide for the ceremony? can I begin a visa now ? or do i have to wait until after we are married to start a spouse visa? will he still have to do his rmy duty after we are married? if anyone has gone through this please share any advice i would really appreciate it

[canadian_wife 1,823]

you might want to post this in the regional forum

but to answer one of your questions, no, you cannot file for a spouse until you have a spouse. On of the requirements when submitting the petition is to send your marriage certificate, which you cannot get until you are married

Good luck

[NY_BX 397]

Planning on getting married in Egypt next year.. my fiance is muslim im christian and we would like to follow his muslim traditions for the wedding.. what do i need to provide for the ceremony? can I begin a visa now ? or do i have to wait until after we are married to start a spouse visa? will he still have to do his rmy duty after we are married? if anyone has gone through this please share any advice i would really appreciate it

Your timeline says you applied for a K-1. What happened with that? You can't be married to apply and you must marry in the US. You can't begin any spouse visa until you have a marriage certificate. He may be required to complete his Army duty; he needs to check. Know that the visa process may take from 10-14 months- longer if he goes through lengthy AP.

Also- and I know this is unrequested advice- study the guidelines and the red flags extensively. Remember, Egypt is a high fraud country, so they scrutinize virtually everyone.

Good luck and congrats!

[Ihavequestions 419]

Planning on getting married in Egypt next year.. my fiance is muslim im christian and we would like to follow his muslim traditions for the wedding.. what do i need to provide for the ceremony? can I begin a visa now ? or do i have to wait until after we are married to start a spouse visa? will he still have to do his rmy duty after we are married? if anyone has gone through this please share any advice i would really appreciate it

The only way a foreigner can marry an Egyptian in Egypt is at the court house. It does not matter who's religion is what, so there is no following traditions in the court house. You will have to get a 'free to marry paper' from the US Embassy in order to marry.

As others have said, you can't apply for a spouse visa without a spouse.

It used to be that Egyptians married to foreigners were exempt from military duty. Now, however, they tend to put them at the front of the line, so marriage to a foreigner is no longer an exemption.

You may want to scoot on over to the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) forum because your request for advice will get more attention.

[Ryan H 3,813]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to MENA regional forum; majority of topic is specific to Egypt.

[eachubb 0]

Your timeline says you applied for a K-1. What happened with that? You can't be married to apply and you must marry in the US. You can't begin any spouse visa until you have a marriage certificate. He may be required to complete his Army duty; he needs to check. Know that the visa process may take from 10-14 months- longer if he goes through lengthy AP.

Also- and I know this is unrequested advice- study the guidelines and the red flags extensively. Remember, Egypt is a high fraud country, so they scrutinize virtually everyone.

Good luck and congrats!

We would like to get married in egypt so we have decided to not do the K-1 visa anymore and after we are married to start a spouse visa.. i was just trying to get information on what i would need exactly as far as paperwork when im there to make sure it is a valid certificate and the next steps i would have to make..

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to MENA regional forum; majority of topic is specific to Egypt.

thanks for moving this topic wasnt sure where to post before

[NY_BX 397]

We would like to get married in egypt so we have decided to not do the K-1 visa anymore and after we are married to start a spouse visa.. i was just trying to get information on what i would need exactly as far as paperwork when im there to make sure it is a valid certificate and the next steps i would have to make..

thanks for moving this topic wasnt sure where to post before

WOW! Well, good luck! How close are you to finalizing the K-1? It'll take so much time with the spouse visa.... just saying.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Planning on getting married in Egypt next year.. my fiance is muslim im christian and we would like to follow his muslim traditions for the wedding.. what do i need to provide for the ceremony? can I begin a visa now ? or do i have to wait until after we are married to start a spouse visa? will he still have to do his rmy duty after we are married? if anyone has gone through this please share any advice i would really appreciate it

Hi eachubb welcome to VJ - MENA. About getting married formally in Egypt and recognized by the United States I suggest reading the US Embassy in Cairo's website on marriage in Egypt. Here is the link. It has all the Steps you'll need to know. We completed them in about two days. It's like doing it at the justice of the peace in the States. It's not very glamourous. You can still hold the Islamic wedding ceremony but you'll need a certificate of religion from your Christian church back home if it is truely to be an Islamic wedding. I recommend doing the white wedding religious ceremony with friends and family there and taking tons of pictures. You'll cherish that memory for a long time. There are some Imam's like at El Nour Mosque that will provide a wedding without a religious certificate if they know the family you're marrying into. This is what we did in our case since I don't really attend a Christian church anymore. I guess you'll have to check with your fiance on that one since they'll be make the arraingments with the religious person officiating the ceremony.

After the wedding you can file for the CR-1/IR-1 family based spouse visa. It will take at least a year for processing so get ready for a wait unless you plan on staying with him in his country.

It is more complicated to answer your question about the mandatory military duty in Egypt. He won't be exempt for marrying a foreign spouse but there are other considerations he may be exempt for.

Is he an only child or only son?

Is he the sole provider for his family?

Does he have any medical conditions. There are only a few that exempt them.

What is his current age?

What month was he born?

What is his education level?

Is he in college?

If so what is he studying in college?

Do you have any red flags in your reltionship?

If you can answer all these questions I can determine if he will have to serve, when he will have to report to serve, and for how long.

Red Flags that may be scrutinized by the CO. (You don't have to answer these. They're just an FYI)

Is he pushing to marry you in order to avoid military service because he believes there is an exemption for marrying a foreign spouse?

What is your age difference?

What is your religions? (You've already told us the answer to this one.)

Do you share a common language?

How many times have you met in person?

For how long was the visit?

How long have you known each other before marriage?

Are you of child bearing age?

Do you have children from a previous marriage?

Have you met his friends and family?

What do they think of your relationship?

Have either of you been married before?

How many times?

Are your prior marriages finalized?

Has he been petitioned before by another USC?

Have you petitioned for an immigrant before?

What is your education level compared to his?

What do you two have in common?

I'm sure others can think of more red flags and some will dismiss some of the red flags mentioned because it didn't apply to their case in their situation.

YMMV.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Dr. A ♥ O

[Mithra 1,185]

Just purely out of curiousity and because I had never heard of such - what exactly does this Egyptian religious white wedding ceremony entail? Is it a seperate Islamic ceremony after the usual courthouse wedding? Are there special vows involved?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

It's like a regular wedding with elements of the traditional white dress. The brides typically rent the wedding dress in Egypt because they'll never wear it again and the grooms buy their suits because they will eventually wear it again. The day starts with going to the incubator bride beauty parlor. We joke about it being that because it's a beauty shop especially for brides. In goes a group of girls getting married that day and out pops a beautiful bride with her hair and veil and makeup done in her white wedding gown. Then men outside the beauty place sing, chant, bang on the tambourine and toss flowers at the couple seeing each other for the first time. They do this with the whole world watching from the street as the couple walks to the studio to get their wedding pictures done before the ceremony. At the wedding picture parlor the family attend to the couple and we had the hibiscuious juice brought to us or refreshment while waiting for our turn for pictures. Before hand you have already selected your flowers and picture backgrounds. The wedding bouquet will be brought to the couple for the wedding pictures during this time for a local shop in the area doing business with all these places.

Then after the pictures it's time to go to the ceremony at the masjid. Ours was at El Nour Mosque. They have several conference rooms to hold these ceremonies. Ours was in conference room two which happened to be the same place my SIL and her husband married a few years before. So from the wedding pictures place to the mosque the family pile into several cars decorated in flowers. I learned that day the bride is supposed to barely shake the hand of men that greet them. So don't do a strong American handshake. Do a soft grip as if it's almost not there. Also I was instructed the bride should keep her veil over one shoulder for appearances. Mine didn't always stay that way and I had to keep bringing it over one side of my shoulder. The other thing is the big poofy thing under the dress to give it shape. I can't recall the name but that will be interesting to handle when sitting down. In the back of the car the groom will help the bride to get in because of the big thing under her dress that makes it poofy. The bride always sits on the right hand side and the groom on the left. Also it is considered a big honor for whoever is picked to be their driver.

At the mosque the family will park the cars and help the couple out of their car. Mostly helping the bride manage the heavy poofy dress. Then the couple along with the family will enter their room there may already be a few guests already there waiting. The couple will be escorted by officials to go to front of the room and sit on a high podium that has only two seats just for them. There will be TV monitors in the room and the video camera man will be recording the couple so get ready to see your smiling faces on the screen. Once everyone has arrived the religious service lasts for an hour where the Imam speaks to the friends and family. The couple will come down from the podium and sit a big table with the Imam and the who ever is giving the bride away. In our case it was my SIL's husband. You may want to bring a family member if possible for this part. My family couldn't afford to make it however and planned to do something back in the States for us. I also noticed that the women usually sit on one side of the room with men on the other side. Sometimes men and women will sit together too like a brother and sister I saw. The Imam at our wedding spoke about the kind of marriage we have that is of two different cultures and religions and should be respected too. Religious text is cited. It's all in Arabic. The husband will have to say some vows and the only vow the wife has to say is, "I give myself as a Wife," but in Arabic. People will gasp at your butchery of the language once they hear you speak those words if you don't know Arabic well. Afterwards more professional pictures are taken of the couple. Everyone wants to which the couple well so there will be lots of handshaking and greeting. Lots of Masha'Allah's. In the back of the room there are Pepsi's and chocolate's served. Which I didn't get any of because it's all for the guests. lol

After the ceremony at typical Egyptian wedding party happens and that may be in the streets with the colorful lights strung everywhere or it may be in a hotel conference room you rent. We opted not to have the large party with loud music blaring for several hours. The couple has to sit on a podium again in two chairs and be stared at while the guests dance and get crazy. We just did the quiet religious ceremony for friends and family to formalize the marriage for them in their eyes. After the religious ceremony when the couple get back in the car people toss flower petals on them. Then the driver is followed by the family and friends and they honk all the way down the highway in celebration and act real crazy out their windows with each other. People on the highway also honk in celebration when they see the wedding cars passing. We were taken to our hotel where we had a quick weekend honeymoon. It was a very romantic time.

Sorry so short but I have to get back to work now. I'll update more later if I can think of anything else.

[LOVE2OURBB 1]

Been there done that! If you will start a Spouse Visa you must be married first, and yes you must marry in Egypt,this site

http://egypt.usembassy.gov/consular/acs12.html

will give you all the guidelines for a marriage in Egypt. As far as the Military YES your fiance Military status will have to be cleared before he travels (you must send Military Records with the visa applicant) and also before traveling to USA, your than husband should have a certificate stateing that he is in good stand to leave the country (My husband got exempted however he picked up this certificate from The Mansura base)

What I also sudgest is that you start looking at the requirenments for the Spouse Visa and start putting all your documents together this will save you some time.

[Mithra 1,185]

Ok so basically a normal Egyptian wedding/normal wedding, in general. I thought it was some kind of super special thing that I hadn't heard about.

It's like a regular wedding with elements of the traditional white dress. The brides typically rent the wedding dress in Egypt because they'll never wear it again and the grooms buy their suits because they will eventually wear it again. The day starts with going to the incubator bride beauty parlor. We joke about it being that because it's a beauty shop especially for brides. In goes a group of girls getting married that day and out pops a beautiful bride with her hair and veil and makeup done in her white wedding gown. Then men outside the beauty place sing, chant, bang on the tambourine and toss flowers at the couple seeing each other for the first time. They do this with the whole world watching from the street as the couple walks to the studio to get their wedding pictures done before the ceremony. At the wedding picture parlor the family attend to the couple and we had the hibiscuious juice brought to us or refreshment while waiting for our turn for pictures. Before hand you have already selected your flowers and picture backgrounds. The wedding bouquet will be brought to the couple for the wedding pictures during this time for a local shop in the area doing business with all these places.

Then after the pictures it's time to go to the ceremony at the masjid. Ours was at El Nour Mosque. They have several conference rooms to hold these ceremonies. Ours was in conference room two which happened to be the same place my SIL and her husband married a few years before. So from the wedding pictures place to the mosque the family pile into several cars decorated in flowers. I learned that day the bride is supposed to barely shake the hand of men that greet them. So don't do a strong American handshake. Do a soft grip as if it's almost not there. Also I was instructed the bride should keep her veil over one shoulder for appearances. Mine didn't always stay that way and I had to keep bringing it over one side of my shoulder. The other thing is the big poofy thing under the dress to give it shape. I can't recall the name but that will be interesting to handle when sitting down. In the back of the car the groom will help the bride to get in because of the big thing under her dress that makes it poofy. The bride always sits on the right hand side and the groom on the left. Also it is considered a big honor for whoever is picked to be their driver.

At the mosque the family will park the cars and help the couple out of their car. Mostly helping the bride manage the heavy poofy dress. Then the couple along with the family will enter their room there may already be a few guests already there waiting. The couple will be escorted by officials to go to front of the room and sit on a high podium that has only two seats just for them. There will be TV monitors in the room and the video camera man will be recording the couple so get ready to see your smiling faces on the screen. Once everyone has arrived the religious service lasts for an hour where the Imam speaks to the friends and family. The couple will come down from the podium and sit a big table with the Imam and the who ever is giving the bride away. In our case it was my SIL's husband. You may want to bring a family member if possible for this part. My family couldn't afford to make it however and planned to do something back in the States for us. I also noticed that the women usually sit on one side of the room with men on the other side. Sometimes men and women will sit together too like a brother and sister I saw. The Imam at our wedding spoke about the kind of marriage we have that is of two different cultures and religions and should be respected too. Religious text is cited. It's all in Arabic. The husband will have to say some vows and the only vow the wife has to say is, "I give myself as a Wife," but in Arabic. People will gasp at your butchery of the language once they hear you speak those words if you don't know Arabic well. Afterwards more professional pictures are taken of the couple. Everyone wants to which the couple well so there will be lots of handshaking and greeting. Lots of Masha'Allah's. In the back of the room there are Pepsi's and chocolate's served. Which I didn't get any of because it's all for the guests. lol

After the ceremony at typical Egyptian wedding party happens and that may be in the streets with the colorful lights strung everywhere or it may be in a hotel conference room you rent. We opted not to have the large party with loud music blaring for several hours. The couple has to sit on a podium again in two chairs and be stared at while the guests dance and get crazy. We just did the quiet religious ceremony for friends and family to formalize the marriage for them in their eyes. After the religious ceremony when the couple get back in the car people toss flower petals on them. Then the driver is followed by the family and friends and they honk all the way down the highway in celebration and act real crazy out their windows with each other. People on the highway also honk in celebration when they see the wedding cars passing. We were taken to our hotel where we had a quick weekend honeymoon. It was a very romantic time.

Sorry so short but I have to get back to work now. I'll update more later if I can think of anything else.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Ok so basically a normal Egyptian wedding/normal wedding, in general. I thought it was some kind of super special thing that I hadn't heard about.

Yes as I said in the begining it is similar to a normal western wedding with the white dress and religious ceremony. I wonder why you would think it was some kind of super special thing other than it is something super special for the couple?

I remembered some other things to update with.

In the civil ceremony and the religious ceremony there will be the question of a dowry. If you aren't familiar with this it might make things uncomfortable when it is brought up if it is never brought up to you before. The civil paper suggests a minimum of 20 L.E. I think. It's been nearly six years for us so I can't recall exactally. The western women aren't used to being paid a dowry but it is your right to negotiate one. You're entitled to real gold jewlery. You get rings, necklaces, bracelettes and earrings or you can get money. You're also entitled to a home provided by your spouse in Egypt. These standards are why many Egyptian men have to wait a long time to marry their Egyptian sweetheart. They can have long periods of engagement that go on for years until they meet the requirments of providing housing and a dowry. Thus sometimes Egyptian men will go for western women because they aren't aware of or want the standard provisions.

Also if you stay with the family in the weeks prior to the wedding expect a ton of visitors at the family home. These are all friends, family and neighbors who want to mee the new addition. They will also come bearing gifts of sweet deserts and all kinds of goodies. Another sweet detail I recall is the kindness and generosity of the women in my Egyptian family making is so special for us. They took care of all the arraingments and stayed up all night cooking for us and all the guests. They must have cooked a ton of food. They do this to send the new couple off on their honeymoon with traditional delicious dishes to show their care for the couple even while they are on their honeymoon. Lots of family and guests comes and visits them after the wedding so the rest of the food goes to them too.

Another detail at the wedding you will be given small cards the size of what you may find in a bouqet of flowers. Inside these cards is money. Once you collect all the cards it is important to sit down with your spouse or female relative who speaks english and write out who gave you the money, what their relation is to you and how much they gave you. The women keep track of the finances and when it comes time for someone's wedding or birth of a baby or time of need you are to return the favor of the gift of money to them in kindness.

[Mithra 1,185]

Because of the whole "white wedding" thing. The only thing that makes it a "white wedding" is the dress color and that's pretty standard attire. I suppose you could have the same experience without the white dress, no?

Anyone who has been to a wedding will have seen all this stuff before.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Mithra

[RFQ 110]

nvm everyone else said it well

Edited August 28, 2012 by RFQ