LeftCoastLady

My boyfriend arrived intact, in one piece and tired. He tells me immigration was easy; no drama. They took his passport, fingerprints and asked him to go to another room. There were a lot of people, however for some odd reason, he only waited 5 minutes. Processed him and he was on his way.
Time to get drunk and watch Bill Maher.....

The amount you spend doesn't make your wedding "cheap, skanky #######". Getting married at the courthouse has nothing to do with being "skanky or crappy". If you spend more money than I did on a wedding, that does not make your wedding, marriage or relationship better or more meaningful than mine. It ONLY means you spent more money. People choose to get married in tons of various types of ceremonies. None are better than the other, simply different. There isn't actually more to getting married than just what is required legally. That is all you need to get married, period. You are confusing a ceremony with the actual relationship/marriage. The two are not the same, at all.
I think their wedding ceremony was what they wanted. It made them happy and they had no silly notion that they had to break their bank accounts to have a meaningful, happy wedding. People should get married in the fashion that makes them happy and content. The ceremony means whatever it means to the couple, no matter how it was performed, or how much was spent on it.
I would never let society dictate to me how much I should spend, or what would make me happy. I can know those things on my own. I know for sure it was not spending thousands on some 'traditional' wedding ceremony because that is the norm now. You can see how that all works out so well for 'celebrities' too.

US post office Priority Mail envelope. (Free at the post office). It's made of light cardboard. If it won't fit in that, she is sending waaaaay too much stuff.

Actually, it's kind of awesome.

Some people believe that a wedding should be a modest affair - to highlight the commitment that is being made, not the amount of money spent to show-off. Weddings used to be more low-key, but now we have so much pressure with a whole industry telling us to coordinate the stationary with ribbons around the chair, and a whole television show about spending more money than you have for a ballroom gown. Women used to buy a practical wedding dress that they could wear again at other occasions.
My friend's grandmother eloped and got married in a small town somewhere in the southwest while they were driving around. That marriage lasted 50+ years and that couple was the foundation of a whole family for generations. She used to tell my friend about marriage, "It doesn't matter how it starts, it matters what you do with it."
What other people have done might not work for you, but you shouldn't belittle their precious memories and call it shameful or skanky: that attitude is atrocious. If you are going to be in an international marriage, you will have to learn to be more considerate of other people's opinions.

People should spend their time planning a great marriage instead of a wedding, The wedding is a moment in time, the marriage is forever... which is more important.

My husband and I were married in fifteen minutes by a justice of the peace. This in NO WAY mean I do not value marriage, or that I do not value my husband. My relationship and my marriage holds just as much value as someone who spent tens of thousands of dollars on their ceremony. Your viewpoint is outdated and offensive.
Once again, outdated and offensive. A divorce is shameful? An unplanned pregnancy is shameful? No. These are common life events that happen. Judging someone on these facts is ridiculous. Who are YOU to say what's acceptable for other people? Live your life, mind your business, and get off your high horse.
How is it an insult? Why are your preferences about marriage ceremonies the way it has to be for every couple? I don't like weddings and I never wanted one. Had nothing to do with my visa. I didn't care about where it was, I cared about who I was there with. I can't believe how offensive you're being in this post with your attempts to put down all the couples who didn't do things your way.
For some people, just getting married to the person they love is special enough.

And a marriage isn't defined by the wedding. It's defined by the love of the people involved, not society and certainly not you.

you are completely and totally, wrong.
and also, completely and totally, offensive.
the only thing shameful about your view of marriage is how utterly materialistic it is.

um, your statement might have been somewhat true if it were say, 1958 - but it's 2012 and the OP isn't asking for your opinion about civil ceremonies, they're asking about the marriage requirement of the K1 visa.
OP - my husband and i were married in a quick civil ceremony @ a pub we both like. it cost us $40. our AOS was approved without interview. we provided our marriage certificate and pictures the officiant took of us. the amount of money spent on a wedding or rings, is completely up to the couple involved. my husband and i don't even have rings and we don't want them. there is no law that states the validity of a marriage is attached to the cost of such things.

Wow Wow You don't need a lawyer for the visa process . Unless there is some kind of extreme issue in either of your lives. All you need to do is follow the K-1 visa guide here for FREE !!
Step-by-Step Guide on How to File for a K-1 Visa for your Foreign Fiance(e)
http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide
If you have any questions. VJ is full of experienced and knowledgable members that will help you along the way for FREE!! We are all on this Journey and understand what the process is. We are willing and ready to help anyone with questions.
If you don't have a complicated history for either of you and have not paid that lawyer. Dump the lawyer fast and come to VJ . We will help get you going and through the K-1 visa process for FREE !!!

Then you don't really want to bring her to the US.
Look, you may not be trolling, but let's be honest here. Your application to bring your fiance over takes up valuable resources from USCIS. If you don't even want to *meet* her, why do you want her to come to the US? What's the point? The process is expensive, time-consuming, and people who *genuinely love each other* have trouble enduring it. And you're not sure you want to meet her? Financial difficulties notwithstanding, this is absurd. She lives in a visa waiver country; you are blessed by the fact that she can actually travel here freely. Do not waste your money or our government's time with a visa petition unless you're actually invested in the relationship.