How do people do it?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Nothing that says you can't have a "white dress" wedding in a court house. Unless your invitation list is really big, you can have the bride in a white dress, grooms men, brides maids, the whole shootin' match, right inside the court room. Just give the court house a call and they'll tell you how many people can be reasonably accommodated.

Yes, Alla had a very nice white wedding dress made for her in Ukraine ahead of time, I actually brought it back here on one of my pre-visa trips. Though we had a JP wedding on the lawn.

[Chris_Жанна 11]

we decided on a civil wedding and then when we can save some money up and try to get fam and friends to come in a few months to do a religious type ceremony. Try to find a non-denominational minister.

I'm Catholic and would like to have a Catholic wedding, and Zhanna is Orthodox and would like to have an Orthodox wedding. We both loose!!! haha Honestly we will be happy just to be married however you slice it. I just want this day to be special for Zhanna. If she's happy I'm happy. Fortunately for me she's easy going with all this wedding stuff.

It's all about the reception anyway. Open bar anyone?????

Why can't they all get along?!?! My wife and I don't really care about all the minor details. When she was in Lviv she actually would go to Catholic and Orthodox churches and as far as she was concerned they were basically the same. We were married in a Catholic church, but when she came to Atlanta we started going to a Russian Orthodox church. She loved it, because it was very similar to her churches in Ukraine. However, when she went to confession the first time, the Orthodox priest found out we were married in a Catholic church and thus deemed us Catholic (which he informed us aren't even Christians as far as Orthodox people are concerned) and was unable to hear her confession. We were still welcomed to attend but aren't full members of the church unless we decide to convert at some point. I personally don't get what the big deal is...they seem pretty much the same to me, but I'm sure to others it's of critical importance.

Honestly, I don't care if a Rabbi or Swami marries me. I just want that damn visa! All the rest is details.

[akdiver 3]

How do people do it? Is it possible to plan a real wedding in the USA in less than a month, but not in Las Vegas?

We had a wonderful wedding on a beach in Hawaii. I planned it maybe a month or two in advance, but I could have definitely done it in less.

[Nik+Heather 121]

How do people do it? Is it possible to plan a real wedding in the USA in less than a month, but not in Las Vegas?

We had a wonderful wedding on a beach in Hawaii. I planned it maybe a month or two in advance, but I could have definitely done it in less.

I attended a beautiful Hawaii wedding this year. But! It's only good if you have attendees who can make the trip - for the expense, they almost have to spend a week there because it's just silly to go to Hawaii for only a weekend. If you decide on a beach wedding, you might consider a coast line nearer to you.

[Brad and Vika 129]

we decided on a civil wedding and then when we can save some money up and try to get fam and friends to come in a few months to do a religious type ceremony. Try to find a non-denominational minister.

I'm Catholic and would like to have a Catholic wedding, and Zhanna is Orthodox and would like to have an Orthodox wedding. We both loose!!! haha Honestly we will be happy just to be married however you slice it. I just want this day to be special for Zhanna. If she's happy I'm happy. Fortunately for me she's easy going with all this wedding stuff.

It's all about the reception anyway. Open bar anyone?????

Why can't they all get along?!?! My wife and I don't really care about all the minor details. When she was in Lviv she actually would go to Catholic and Orthodox churches and as far as she was concerned they were basically the same. We were married in a Catholic church, but when she came to Atlanta we started going to a Russian Orthodox church. She loved it, because it was very similar to her churches in Ukraine. However, when she went to confession the first time, the Orthodox priest found out we were married in a Catholic church and thus deemed us Catholic (which he informed us aren't even Christians as far as Orthodox people are concerned) and was unable to hear her confession. We were still welcomed to attend but aren't full members of the church unless we decide to convert at some point. I personally don't get what the big deal is...they seem pretty much the same to me, but I'm sure to others it's of critical importance.

They are not the same. Sure, they're more similar to each other than they are to the various protestant denominations, but they have very different approaches and a different bible and so on. Catholicism emphasizes knowledge/learning where Orthodoxy emphasis ritual/mysticism.

FWIW, I was raised Orthodox and would rather have a ceremony with no religion at all than a Catholic ceremony.

The first time we went to Chicago, we saw several Orthodox looking churches in the "Ukrainian village". Vika was very disappointed to discover they were Catholic. We even went to mass at one that was held in Ukrainian, and she thinks the diaspora of Ukrainians in Chicago is mostly from Western Ukraine, where Catholicism is dominant. I guess my point is that she sees a huge difference, and wouldn't consider converting.

[akdiver 3]

I attended a beautiful Hawaii wedding this year. But! It's only good if you have attendees who can make the trip - for the expense, they almost have to spend a week there because it's just silly to go to Hawaii for only a weekend. If you decide on a beach wedding, you might consider a coast line nearer to you.

Well, it helps a lot if you don't bother to invite anyone else - just you and the misses. That's what we did - worked out perfectly. Also a lot less stressful than having to deal with a bunch of other people.

Not much point in a beach wedding here in Alaska - the cost for "attendees" flying up here isn't any less than Hawaii, and the beaches all look like gravel or mud parking lots anyway.

Edited November 7, 2009 by akdiver

[Nik+Heather 121]

I attended a beautiful Hawaii wedding this year. But! It's only good if you have attendees who can make the trip - for the expense, they almost have to spend a week there because it's just silly to go to Hawaii for only a weekend. If you decide on a beach wedding, you might consider a coast line nearer to you.

Well, it helps a lot if you don't bother to invite anyone else - just you and the misses. That's what we did - worked out perfectly. Also a lot less stressful than having to deal with a bunch of other people.

Not much point in a beach wedding here in Alaska - the cost for "attendees" flying up here isn't any less than Hawaii, and the beaches all look like gravel or mud parking lots anyway.

Well, took into consideration was all I asked. Had to giggle about your description of Alaska's beaches.

[morretti 0]

Hi, we got married at our apartment in Wisconsin, no family or friends, just a few of my husband's work colleagues as witnesses. It was lovely, I had a simple dress and we had very little to organise, so got to enjoy getting married without all the stress that can come with planning a wedding and only had the wedding day "this is a HUGE thing to do" nerves to deal with. On our first anniversary we were living in the UK and had the whole church thing with family and friends. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our first anniversary and gave us plenty of time to meet with the vicar, plan the ceremony and reception and all the extras. And because we were already legally married, we got to enjoy the big wedding ceremony without having any of those nerves. It worked out so well for us and only one wedding anniversary date to celebrate too. I feel we got the best of both worlds.

[akdiver 3]

Had to giggle about your description of Alaska's beaches.

It's pretty accurate (:

[1HappyGuy 45]

Going the way of the JP or courthouse really is pretty simple and less costly. Of course the big wedding is what so many young women dream of, so passing that up is difficult. Since your fiancee is now here, the important thing is to get married within the 90 day time period. If she is still hoping for the big wedding, then plan it later. It will be much better if there is no time pressure (90 days) and there will be time for foreign visitors to obtain visas.

We went the county courthouse route and Judge Betty (that's all she does is marry people) did a very nice job. We've been married almost 4 years and we haven't had a problem with it. If you are both in love, what difference does it really make?

[Larry and Maria 0]

We got the same type of response from orthodox and catholic and even some others. I quickly switched to plan "B" since Maria wasn't adamant about a "church" wedding. That could come later. We got a private minister found on the internet, a photographer, and booked a room at an historic hotel on the Gulf. The room had a balcony looking out west at the Gulf from several floors up and we got married at sunset. Maria didn't want to get married on the beach which a lot of people do. Anyway, it worked out well for us and we hope it works out well for you.

[visaveteran 1]

If you decide to elope, I suggest getting married in the US Virgin Islands (St. Thomas). I did this with my first wife and it was a great experience and very unusual. You will be married by the Territorial Judge of USVI. Much higher up the food chain than a JP or an "internet minister." The great thing is once your married, your on your honeymoon...and can hit the beach. The Caribbean is very romantic to say the least.

The best way to set this up is to call your congressman and have his staff contact the USVI for you. They are happy to oblige.

If you want unique, this is it.

[Kailey 3]

Yes, as everybody is saying, do the courthouse.

Then, after she has her 2-year Green Card, you can "Honeymoon" in Russia, and have a full ceremony in her church, with her family and friends.

I think honeymoon anywhere outside the USA is possible before 2 years - you need sth as Advance Payroll for this. I haven't explored that Adv.Payroll thing in details yet but there is definitely a way to travel outside of the country BEFORE she gets a GK.

Btw wedding in an Orthodox Church will be a very beautiful ceremony .

[WalkonWildSide 0]

I think honeymoon anywhere outside the USA is possible before 2 years -

The US Virgin Islands are part of the United States, therefore she isn't leaving the USA.

Edited November 10, 2009 by WalkonWildSide