Wedding Planning and K-1

[LibbyG99 65]

I apologize, this is not really an administrative "visa" related question, but a challenge we probably all share. I am wedding planning with my fiance and we are at the point where we are ready to make a deposit on a venue, purchase dress, etc. How conservative should we be on spending money before he has his visa? Is it a bad idea to put a deposit on a venue in case something goes wrong? Anyone have similar experiences/stories?

[SalishSea 16,770]

2 minutes ago, LibbyG99 said:

I apologize, this is not really an administrative "visa" related question, but a challenge we probably all share. I am wedding planning with my fiance and we are at the point where we are ready to make a deposit on a venue, purchase dress, etc. How conservative should we be on spending money before he has his visa? Is it a bad idea to put a deposit on a venue in case something goes wrong? Anyone have similar experiences/stories?

The K-1 visa is spectacularly ill-suited to any type of wedding planning.  I would only pay whatever I was willing to lose in terms of deposits, etc.  Even if you can realistically determine when you might have an approved petition, there are so many other parameters that can significantly change the timeline:  transit times, interview availability, prolonged AP, etc.

 

If you need to be able to plan something, a CR-1 is much more suitable.

 

Most K-1s elope.

[Letspaintcookies 2,207]

Don't do it unless it's refundable or you're ok with losing the money.

[geowrian 22,335]

Golden rule: Don't make any plans that you are unable or unwilling to change until the visa is in hand.

This makes any "hard" planning for a wedding on a K-1 very difficult. You can do a lot of stuff without a firm date, venue, etc., but don't put any money down until the visa is hand, unless you are able to change it, get a refund, or don't mind loosing it.

 

If a large/well-planned wedding is desired, the best things are to either do a CR-1 visa OR don't do the "hard" planning, booking venues, setting dates, etc. until the visa is in hand. The visa will be valid for up to 6 months, constrained by the medical. Then you have 90 days to marry. That gives you up to ~9 months to marry.

Although it is not recommended to push things off until the end of the 90 days to marry, since things can happen, getting the marriage certificate may take time, etc., and you still need to file for AOS.

[Just Paul 4,591]

The more you want it to work the less the chance of ot working in immigration.    

 

Do nothing until you have the visa in hand and have verified it is CORRECT.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Do what so many others have done:  get the visa, enter the U.S., have a civil marriage as soon as possible, file for AOS, then plan the ceremony at your absolute leisure.

 

Our civil ceremony:  Hallowe'en

Our big ceremony:   Pearl Harbor Day

[nasse_forelle 4]

Agreed with everybody. I am in the same boat. And we are not doing anything until visa is issued. I'd rather save all that money towards the application fees down the road like AOS. The fees are goona be doubled by the time we apply for AOS, so better have the dough ready.

Edited February 13, 2020 by nasse_forelle

[yuna628 9,528]

10 hours ago, LibbyG99 said:

I apologize, this is not really an administrative "visa" related question, but a challenge we probably all share. I am wedding planning with my fiance and we are at the point where we are ready to make a deposit on a venue, purchase dress, etc. How conservative should we be on spending money before he has his visa? Is it a bad idea to put a deposit on a venue in case something goes wrong? Anyone have similar experiences/stories?

We proved that planning during a K1 is possible. However it is risky, causes moments of extreme angst, and is not for most people. I would never recommend doing it for anyone, nor would I probably ever do it again.

 

Most purchases I made ahead of time, like the dress, decorations, etc. Dress fittings were tricky and I pushed them for a random date well in advance, if the fittings were done before it was time... well I was just going to have to squeeze into it somehow. We had picked out our venue long ago and made the owner aware of our circumstances. They were willing to work with us, and so a deposit was not placed until the day of his visa interview. Cake was ordered after too. Hotel and flight bookings for guests were much more tricky.

 

Keep in mind we had a small wedding with under 20 guests, anything larger and it's nearly impossible to expect some venues to be that understanding. Even our chosen venue caused us problems, and a panic attack when I thought I was going to have to pick a much more expensive venue at short notice. The bridal shop also caused problems by losing gowns for the wedding party. Our two constants was our officiant and photographer that was willing, even with short notice to do everything we asked. Even still we had to deal with a lot of headaches, and threatened to elope more than a few times.

 

Most K1 couples just get married at a courthouse and plan a bigger event later, when they have time and money. Some have also successfully just planned quickie weddings at chapels, or 'petite' weddings at niche venues that provide a nice wedding experience for just the bride and groom. Remember, the USCIS just wants proof you got married, not proof of how traditional it was. It's not very romantic putting it that way is it?

[debbiedoo 2,339]

dont put money down on anything.

 

when they get here, do a small civil service at a courthouse or whatever. then plan for a larger wedding.

 

we got married in our home on xmas eve 2018, and our party wedding was july 27 2019.

[ineedadisplayname 443]

20 hours ago, LibbyG99 said:

I apologize, this is not really an administrative "visa" related question, but a challenge we probably all share. I am wedding planning with my fiance and we are at the point where we are ready to make a deposit on a venue, purchase dress, etc. How conservative should we be on spending money before he has his visa? Is it a bad idea to put a deposit on a venue in case something goes wrong? Anyone have similar experiences/stories?

Do not do any of it.

Once the visa is approved you can get married at the courthouse or pay an ordained person who could marry you at home or in a park of your choice or if the courthouse is not romantic enough.

After that file AOS and then start planning the wedding.

The forum is full with ppl paying deposits for venues, catering and then the processing times going up or visa denied...

 

[Maria002 54]

Plan, research for options to each of the things you want for your ceremony, that may give you an idea of the final sketch. But don't book or pay for anything yet.

I've been doing this for months and guess what, most of the things we initially planned , we are not going to do them because of different reasons. Once you get approved  you can start to book all the things on your list.

[Ryan H 3,790]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to Moving to the US and Your New Life In America forum; topic is not about the K1 Process itself but pertains to items post POE.

[Ryan H 3,790]

**Hijack post and replies to said post removed.**