Catholic girl here. First of all, the statement that Catholic weddings are not "legal" in the States is absolutely FALSE. What makes a marriage LEGAL is a marriage license which can be used in a Catholic wedding. According to federal law, marriages performed within the US MUST have a valid marriage license prior to the wedding ceremony, regardless of where it is held or if it is a religious or secular ceremony. A Catholic priest has the legal authority to perform valid marriages according to US laws... as does a judge, a rabbi, a Hindu priest, a pastor, etc. From what you stated, it would seem like a judge would have to perform the legal marriage and a priest would do a religious ceremony. Simply not the case.
And as everyone else stated, a wedding is a wedding is a wedding. Doesn't matter if it is a secular ceremony, a church wedding, or whatever. Fancy, simple, big or small. Simply put, you would be married which could cause a lot of issues down the road.
Get a new lawyer, too.
P.S. If you would like some advice from someone who did a Catholic wedding on a K1, I'm more than happy to give some suggestions.
Nicholas&Michelle reacted to TexasHeartsIndia in Catholic ceremony before k-1 interview