Ceremonial wedding

[Caladan 19]

"How would they know?" isn't the right way to think about it. "How can I show that I'm eligible for the benefits I've applied for?" is. The burden of proof is always going to be on you and your fiancée (and later, wife) to show that you're eligible for what you're applying for.

A non-binding ceremony isn't in and of itself a legal problem. It's non-binding and perfectly legal. The problem arises in whether having that ceremony increases the likelihood that you'll give the officer reason to think you are ineligible for using the K-1 or adjusting status off of it. Take a silly example. Will you give your fiancée a wedding ring at this ceremony? Will she remember to take it off? Will she consider herself married? Will she accidentally say 'husband'? Will you have pictures of a big floofy white dress and a big party and a priest? Will you take those to the AoS interview and then try to explain that, no, we weren't legally married, it just looks like a wedding?

The burden of proof is always on you two, not the other way around. That's what you have to keep in mind. I'd check with the Phillipines forums; lots of Catholics there, and they might have suggestions on how to handle it.

[payxibka 10,044]

What I'm saying is, how would anybody know we had a ceremony if it wasn't a legal wedding, and even if they did, why would it matter? Legally we would still not be married.

Again, you might understand you are not legally married, your fiancee might understand you are not legally married. Do you really think that everyone will understand it? I will give you and example. There was a USC who submitted, as a part of his evidence, photos of the "non-legal" ceremony as proof of a bona-fide relationship. He spent the next three months trying to explain why they were not married. What is easy and obvious to you may not be the situation with the one deciding your case or deciding to let you enter at the POE.

[sunandmoon 450]

To enter on the K-1, she has to be free to marry. She's not free to marry if she's already married, even if that marriage is to you. So, no legal wedding; even a non-binding ceremony can be problematic when it comes time to adjust status, or to enter (if the officer thinks she's married, he won't let her in.)

I'm also guessing that this dilemma hasn't arisen because her family wants to throw a party, but because her family is uncomfortable with sending off their good Catholic daughter to America to live with a man she's not married to.

A couple of options that might help:

1) File for the K-1, have an engagement party with a priest doing a blessing.

2) File for the K-1, find someone to do a non-binding religious ceremony (probably not going to be Catholic.)

3) Go and have a Catholic wedding with her family, file for the K-3. It will take a bit longer, but if you haven't filed for anything yet and it would make her family happy, it might be something to consider.

good advise. be careful with the non-binding regilous ceromony. how would Embassy know?one might ask.

I've heard of instances of it being jealous family member or friend.

[GabachaYucateca 0]

I'm so glad this question was posted! When I was living in Mexico with my boyfriend, he was dead set on having a ceremony beforehand and no matter how hard I tried to explain that we shouldn't, he still doesn't believe me. He was saving money to paint his mother's house so we could marry.

I think that the hardest part, especially for people from cultures with traditionally tight families, is their knowing that the marriage will take place in a foreign, scary country and not where the whole family imagined that it'd be.

To get around this problem, I'm thinking of "marrying" kitsch with tradition and getting hitched in Nevada after crossing the border into El Paso. Then hopefully we'll be able to save money and have a wedding with both families in Mexico when he's free to travel.

[jsnearline 2]

We arranged with my parish to have a Catholic wedding here in DC within the 90 days of the K1. I emailed my fiancee a PDF of the confirmation letter from the parish showing our wedding date. That was enough to convince her family that their daughter was going to start her marriage off right with a church wedding, even if it wasn't going to happen in the Philippines. We went back to the Philippines once she got her green card so we could celebrate with her family.

It's best not to take chances. If the family is dead set on a Catholic wedding there, then ditch the K1, get married, and apply for a K3. If you give your fiancee and her family the choice, I think they'll see things the way my fiiancee and her family did and agree to wait on the wedding until she's in the US. Personally, I like the idea of a blessing ceremony of some kind.

Keep in mind that you are starting a process that will always be on the record. Her green card or citizenship can be revoked at any time down the line if at any point USCIS uncovers any evidence that leads them to believe you committed any kind of fraud. I'd save yourself the trouble and do everything by the book.

Edited January 28, 2007 by jsnearline

[lostinblue 1,989]

I believe as long as you do not sign papers and are registered with the church or the state as married it would be fine. this is a discussion on the subject

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=22191&hl=

[aitian 0]

You may be able to have the ceremony if you come back after the legal wedding in the States. My girl and I are getting legally wed in the US and then coming back to Thailand next year to have a big Thai wedding so her family will be happy. You will probably have problems with this though with the Catholic church. My sister had a private wedding on the beach and then a big wedding on the first anniversary for the families' benefits but the Catholic church wouldn't do the ceremony because they were already wed. But maybe you can find a Priest in Chile that will understand due to the K-1 process.

[John and Anna 0]

Hi,

My fiance and I are going through the K1 process, and we are both going to be in Chile until we leave for the US after the Visa is issued. We would like to have some sort of wedding celebration here for her family before the real wedding in the US. Has anybody done anything like this? The problem we are running into is that she wants it to be in the Catholic church, but they will not perform the ceremony if we do not have the official civil wedding/paperwork. From my understanding we cannot have an official wedding here with the K1. Do they really know in the US if you do? Either way if there is any risk I would not want to take it. Has anyone had such a ceremonial wedding, scecifically in the Catholic or any other Christian denomanational church?

Thanks

Just keep it quiet .

My wife and I were married in another country (island in Caribbean) 3 monthes before the interview. We asked that it be a fake ceremony - no paper work.

The week before the interview I got an email from the hotel asking where they should send our marriage license. Scared me to death but the interview went fine ….

We got married in the states 2 weeks after she arrived. So far so good.

Just insist on no license being generated

[Ladylethal 12]

All I know is that was especifically asked if I got married when I entered US in my K1, also, later during AOS it could turn to be a problem and a lot of headache. If marrying in Chile is THAT important, do it and start a K3.