Planning a Wedding while waiting?

[Kukolka 8]

Hey strangers, welcome to VJ!

A lot of people do get married at the courthouse to fulfill the visa requirement and have a celebration with family later.

Dave and I did just one wedding, so if you choose to do it that way, here's my advice (copypasted) from a previous thread:

It's *possible* to plan a large wedding in the time allotted by the K-1 visa. Using most of the 6 months before moving would be useful for that. Have everything that's not time-sensitive ready to go (guest list, attire; pick out menus, invitations, favours). To save time on printing invitations (printers typically take about 5 weeks), use packaged blank invitations formatted to print from your computer printer. Have a few choices for each vendor: location, officiant, photographer, caterer, DJ, florist, cake artist, etc. Find a hotel that will let you reserve a block of rooms with no penalty. Gather information for a few hotels in different price ranges to pass on to your guests. Keep your guests informed that they'll be invited to a wedding on short notice. Address envelopes.

Once you get the visa (and not before), put the plan into action: pick a range of dates (remember you have 9 months total to work with), and find out which of those work for the people who *must* be there (closest family, wedding party?) Call your first choice vendors to find out which of those dates all of them are available; contact backup vendors if necessary. Book everything. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Mail invitations. E-mail or call guests, as well, so they know when the wedding will be before receiving a snail-mail invitation.

Whichever way you decide, we wish you two the best!

[X Factor 1,112]

Hey strangers, welcome to VJ!

A lot of people do get married at the courthouse to fulfill the visa requirement and have a celebration with family later.

Dave and I did just one wedding, so if you choose to do it that way, here's my advice (copypasted) from a previous thread:

It's *possible* to plan a large wedding in the time allotted by the K-1 visa. Using most of the 6 months before moving would be useful for that. Have everything that's not time-sensitive ready to go (guest list, attire; pick out menus, invitations, favours). To save time on printing invitations (printers typically take about 5 weeks), use packaged blank invitations formatted to print from your computer printer. Have a few choices for each vendor: location, officiant, photographer, caterer, DJ, florist, cake artist, etc. Find a hotel that will let you reserve a block of rooms with no penalty. Gather information for a few hotels in different price ranges to pass on to your guests. Keep your guests informed that they'll be invited to a wedding on short notice. Address envelopes.

Once you get the visa (and not before), put the plan into action: pick a range of dates (remember you have 9 months total to work with), and find out which of those work for the people who *must* be there (closest family, wedding party?) Call your first choice vendors to find out which of those dates all of them are available; contact backup vendors if necessary. Book everything. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Mail invitations. E-mail or call guests, as well, so they know when the wedding will be before receiving a snail-mail invitation.

Whichever way you decide, we wish you two the best!

Very practical

[kristinanddan09 1]

I have to say, Daniel and I went down to the Courthouse and got married there with my parents there. A year form that date we are now planning a huge celebration along with a ceremony to renew the vows so his family and the rest of mine can be there as well. I'll be honest, it was a lot less stressful, I wouldn't have been able to have the visa dealings as well as plan a wedding at the same time. But do whatever is best for you. It's hard to tell though when they'll be here and you don't want to lose any money.

[Darkmoonfaerie 19]

This is exactly what we're planning to do!

Hey strangers, welcome to VJ!

A lot of people do get married at the courthouse to fulfill the visa requirement and have a celebration with family later.

Dave and I did just one wedding, so if you choose to do it that way, here's my advice (copypasted) from a previous thread:

It's *possible* to plan a large wedding in the time allotted by the K-1 visa. Using most of the 6 months before moving would be useful for that. Have everything that's not time-sensitive ready to go (guest list, attire; pick out menus, invitations, favours). To save time on printing invitations (printers typically take about 5 weeks), use packaged blank invitations formatted to print from your computer printer. Have a few choices for each vendor: location, officiant, photographer, caterer, DJ, florist, cake artist, etc. Find a hotel that will let you reserve a block of rooms with no penalty. Gather information for a few hotels in different price ranges to pass on to your guests. Keep your guests informed that they'll be invited to a wedding on short notice. Address envelopes.

Once you get the visa (and not before), put the plan into action: pick a range of dates (remember you have 9 months total to work with), and find out which of those work for the people who *must* be there (closest family, wedding party?) Call your first choice vendors to find out which of those dates all of them are available; contact backup vendors if necessary. Book everything. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Mail invitations. E-mail or call guests, as well, so they know when the wedding will be before receiving a snail-mail invitation.

Whichever way you decide, we wish you two the best!

[Olivia&Brock 0]

Hey strangers, welcome to VJ!

A lot of people do get married at the courthouse to fulfill the visa requirement and have a celebration with family later.

Dave and I did just one wedding, so if you choose to do it that way, here's my advice (copypasted) from a previous thread:

It's *possible* to plan a large wedding in the time allotted by the K-1 visa. Using most of the 6 months before moving would be useful for that. Have everything that's not time-sensitive ready to go (guest list, attire; pick out menus, invitations, favours). To save time on printing invitations (printers typically take about 5 weeks), use packaged blank invitations formatted to print from your computer printer. Have a few choices for each vendor: location, officiant, photographer, caterer, DJ, florist, cake artist, etc. Find a hotel that will let you reserve a block of rooms with no penalty. Gather information for a few hotels in different price ranges to pass on to your guests. Keep your guests informed that they'll be invited to a wedding on short notice. Address envelopes.

Once you get the visa (and not before), put the plan into action: pick a range of dates (remember you have 9 months total to work with), and find out which of those work for the people who *must* be there (closest family, wedding party?) Call your first choice vendors to find out which of those dates all of them are available; contact backup vendors if necessary. Book everything. Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests. Mail invitations. E-mail or call guests, as well, so they know when the wedding will be before receiving a snail-mail invitation.

Whichever way you decide, we wish you two the best!

BETA!! <3 Thank youuu (:

[MERIC061609 15]

Our plan is (if everything goes as planned) to have an official engagement party for my family and friends the week my fiance arrives to the States. He wants to give me the ring in front of my parents. Yes, my fiance did not want me to wear my ring until he would ask my parent face to face. Anyways, we are going to get married the following week in the court house. We are planing a big celebration religious weeding not here but in Lima-Peru so both families will be there. However, this wedding will be in 3 years. We think is long enough time for all family member to plan ahead for a trip down to Lima and for us to save up enough money for this wedding.

Good Luck

MERIC

[-=Mai and Timmy=- 12]

So my fiance and I wanted to start planning our wedding now because we wanted to have a nice wedding where everyone could go and that takes a hell of a lot of time. So I've been trying to plan it with my mom and we're starting to realize how difficult it is. It's just really hard to set a date when we don't know exactly when it will be approved or if it wont be or what. I was just curious if anyone had any advice on it because we really wanted to start planning the wedding now so we can just have it done by the time everything's approved. Thank you <3

it makes sense and seems interesting!!! :thumbs:

Edited July 17, 2012 by -=Mai and Timmy=-

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from K1 Process & Procedures to Off Topic; topic is about wedding planning and not about the K1 visa process itself.

[texas-gal 3]

We had a traditional wedding at my church two weeks after my fiance arrived here. We planned as much of it beforehand as we could: my dress and accessories, bridesmaid dresses, invitations which we did ourselves, reception decorations, cake (someone I knew made them), dishes for the reception, location, favors, and gifts for the wedding party. My fiance and I decided our honeymoon location before he came. Some specifics I couldn't do until he was able to come such as booking the caterer, photographer, and DJ. I looked on several do it yourself type website and we found a lot of things at local stores that we used and purchased in advance. One thing we decided was to use silk flowers instead of real flowers. That way we didn't need to hire a florist and could have the flowers ready to go. We sent people who were invited information as we could with updates so they had an idea of when we were looking at. My caterer was a local restaurant. The food was wonderful and the price was a lot less than I would have paid otherwise.