need help now to plan a civil wedding in michigan and shipping

[MissusM09 1]

Hello

hey i just got approved ( pending some minor paperwork) and i m now stuck in a quandry.

1. I need to have two ceremonies , a civil and a more traditional ceremonyI am leaving in July this year, and I have to have a civil ceremony, but we do not want it in a court house. I'm going to Detroit ( or maybe Chicago depends which ticket is cheaper) and i dont know how to go about getting an officiant to do a ceremony for just us in a place of our choosing. can anyone help?

2. I don't know where to start with getting hold of quotes for shipping companies from london to usa. We dont have a lot of money so everything is on a tight budget it looks like i'm leaving most of my stuff apart from my clothes, shoes. papers and books. still that is alot in itself. Can anyone give me a heads up with what I need to do, how I go about getting quotes.

I know it seems like i should have thought of this before but to be honest when you are in the process of getting the visa, thats all I was thinking about.

I hope someone can help me out here...........

xxx

Primaandjay

[rocks 494]

Hello

hey i just got approved ( pending some minor paperwork) and i m now stuck in a quandry.

1. I need to have two ceremonies , a civil and a more traditional ceremonyI am leaving in July this year, and I have to have a civil ceremony, but we do not want it in a court house. I'm going to Detroit ( or maybe Chicago depends which ticket is cheaper) and i dont know how to go about getting an officiant to do a ceremony for just us in a place of our choosing. can anyone help?

2. I don't know where to start with getting hold of quotes for shipping companies from london to usa. We dont have a lot of money so everything is on a tight budget it looks like i'm leaving most of my stuff apart from my clothes, shoes. papers and books. still that is alot in itself. Can anyone give me a heads up with what I need to do, how I go about getting quotes.

I know it seems like i should have thought of this before but to be honest when you are in the process of getting the visa, thats all I was thinking about.

I hope someone can help me out here...........

xxx

Primaandjay

if you want to find shipping companies, maybe you will find this thread useful.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=128548

Edited April 26, 2009 by rocks

[Nik+Heather 121]

To find an officiant google this:

Wedding Officiant <city> <religion specification of choice>

Or

Wedding celebrant <city> <religion specification of choice>

You'll come up with all sorts of things. I found a webpage with sort of classifieds and you could compare side by side!! Find a cheap-y one who will meet you at someone's house (need witnesses!) and get it done...or maybe they will charge you less if you bring a friend to their office and do it there- someone I know did it that way for only $50!

[MissusM09 1]

To find an officiant google this:

Wedding Officiant <city> <religion specification of choice>

Or

Wedding celebrant <city> <religion specification of choice>

You'll come up with all sorts of things. I found a webpage with sort of classifieds and you could compare side by side!! Find a cheap-y one who will meet you at someone's house (need witnesses!) and get it done...or maybe they will charge you less if you bring a friend to their office and do it there- someone I know did it that way for only $50!

thanks i will...xx

[mr and mrs 187]

i emailed a couple of justices of the peace last night and heard back from them this morning. both seemed pretty flexible, with dates and times and wheres. i know here in vermont, its pretty straightforward. no witnesses are needed and you can just get in touch with the JoP and arrange a time to meet. im only arranging this about a week (eek!! yay!!) in advance.

here is the response from the one i think we are gonna go with. she seems normal but still a bit quirky, which is good for jamie and i.

So, in answer to your questions:

I know this is so new to you that you probably don't even know what questions to ask, so I'll start at the beginning. If I don't get to everything, just ask and we'll work it out together.

1. Burlington City Hall is open from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday thru Friday. Getting the license is amazingly simple. Bring a picture ID. There is a one-page form to fill out on blue paper asking pretty basic questions: Full Name, Address, Mother and Fathers names, etc.

2. You will be asked to swear that everything on the form is true to the best of your knowledge

3. When that form is filled out, you hand it in and the information is typed on to a white piece of paper (which is the one that ends up in the City Clerks records). That is the paper that I sign to make it all legal. It is the license, not the certified “suitable for framing” certificate you will get later.

4. The $45 fee covers one certified copy of the license, which can either be mailed to you after the ceremony (takes a few weeks) or you can pick it up the same business day. In fact, many times I meet people at city hall, they fill out their part, I do my thing and give it back to the clerk. We go do the ceremony, come back and the license is ready to go.

5. I suggest that you ask for at least one more certified copy of the license (they're just $10). One to keep with all your other important papers, and the other for things life throws at you as time goes on. Many insurance companies, employers, etc. request a copy for benefits and stuff like that. It's also a good idea if you travel outside of the country to each have one in your passport in case of emergency. The need for more than one may never come up, but it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It is, however, your choice.

6. Witnesses, although nice, are not required in Vermont.

7. I have a few ceremonies I would be happy to email you to look over if you like. None of them is written in stone - you can change them, ignore them, or do them just the way they are. Whatever works for you.

8. My fee is variable depending upon the ceremony, location, rehearsal time, travel time – things like that – and runs from about $75 and up. Unfortunately I have been burned a few times with bad checks, so it's a cash only transaction.

9. Depending upon the time of year, weather and other factors, I can make some suggestions about free outdoor sites if you are into that kind of thing.

10. I do know of a couple of incredible B&B's overlooking the lake if you are interested. There are 2 hotels on the waterfront, but they look a lot nicer in the brochure if you know what I mean.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Any questions or concerns, I'm just an email away.

i actually feel a lot better after emailing with her. i was puttin off dealing with it because i thought it was going to be an awkward process, but she seems pretty cool, so i think we can make it work for us. : )

and i think she charges $75 for a quicky.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Lisabette, my husband and I got married by a JP in Bennington and she was awesome. Simple vows-- check. Only one ring given, not two -- check. Secular -- check. We exchanged our vows in her front room, and since it was Christmastime it was really lovely. And a $50 wedding is not to be sneezed at either.

Also, I arranged it all a week before as well. We got the licence on the same day as the wedding, very easy. And the drive back down to CT at night on the state roads, avoiding 91 all the way, was beautiful. We also got in a trip to the Hemmings Motor Museum, which made it an especially wonderful day for my husband.

Have fun!