So where do plan to honeymoon? Do you plan one?

[ChristinaM 0]

Matt, we're not trying to rain on your parade here, but I don't think you understand how serious the implications of what you're talking about doing are.

If you have to "practice" calling each other "fiance" not husband and wife, you're doing something illegal. In fact, what you're doing could be construed as visa fraud (and very likely would be) and your WIFE (which she will be when she enters) could be deported and banned from reentering the US.

For what it's worth, you should check out AP processing times. It's really not that bad - 60 to 90 days, I believe. Not "years" before she could go home at all.

If you consider it worth the risk to flout the terms of your fiance's visa and have her potentially barred from the US then that's your call and nothing anyone here says will change your mind. But please, please don't come back and say that nobody warned you of the risks.

But yes, Hawaii would be a lovely place to get married and then have the honeymoon.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

We won't be busting any laws because it is not a legal ceremony. Not in any way. No marriage license will be obtained. And my fiance is no dummy, so she won't slip up. It will simply be a ceremony for her parents to see their daughter have that day. NOTHING official will take place. Others here have done it. And it would absolutely be at least a nother YEAR to wait if we went K3 because we could not marry until this September or October anyway. I have looked at the K3 situation with Vietnam. It takes a long long time. Going K1, if she passes her interview, she will be here by Thanksgiving. Also, wait times for getting that approval to go overseas can take a long time. I know two couples in NYC who are going on 12 months now. It's just insane.

So please, why don't we get back on topic here. I appreciate your warnings. I am not trying to be rude or anything. But sometimes certain things have to be done and this is one of those times.

It will all be good.

And I just got my approval email from the Vermont Service Center, which is amazing since they only recieved my I-129F on 2/21! Of course, Vermont is known for being quick. Now the real waiting begins.

Edited March 4, 2006 by Matt_Stevens

[ChristinaM 0]

Jeez, I am sorry that I offended you.

FYI, NBC are processing AP from Jan. 15 2006, and NYC office from October 2005. To my calculations, that's 3 to 6 months. Two couples doth not a representative sample make.

You may wish to consider that it would perhaps be easier to explain things like country-specific ceremonies in a context like this, given that people from all over the world post on this board and all we are trying to do is help you. I notice that only one of the other posters on this thread is going through Vietnam, and the post you wrote leaves the issue that both Ziggy and I brought up very open.

When you post on a board that you intend to perform a ceremony which will cause someone to consider you married, you have to be aware that part of the K1 requirement is not to be so. Not everybody is though, and I'm sure you'd agree that it's better to put the warning out and make sure it's understood (and the implications) rather than allow someone to do something which would jeopardise everything they had waited for. However, since I am obviously completely ignorant, I will leave you alone on that one.

And "getting back to topic", I'll reiterate my previous post:

Hawaii would be a lovely place to get married and then have the honeymoon.

I wish you luck, and hope you both make it through the point of entry and have a lovely time, wherever you end up going.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

OK, I sense the extreme sarcasm and it is not needed. I am not offended and do not need to be talked to like a child. I got your warning. I appreciate your concern. But at no time did I call you "completely ignorant" or anything else. It is uncalled for to put those words or actions in my mouth.

I am fully aware of the K1 requirement. But I am also aware of the cultural needs of my fiance and her family. If no Legal papers are filed and no marriage license is obtained, then no laws are broken. Period. End of story. In addition, I have researched back over a year here and many couples where the fiance is from Asia have done what I will be doing an had no problems. This is why I had decided to do this in the first place.

So please, let it go.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

By the way, clmarsh and I called truce. So all is well.

[dalegg 143]

Just for my own 2 cents. Though it wasn't the actual legal marriage, my wife and I did take a "honeymoon" in Vietnam after our engagement ceremony. We went to Nha Trang for a week and had an absolute blast. I would recommend that to anyone.

Our legal marriage was very infomal back in the states. We took a trip to Las Vegas for the weekend about a month later and then in the Summer went to Hawaii, but I wouldn't consider either of those a honeymoon.

To this day my wife still refers to the day we had our engagement ceremony as the day we got married. In fact she referred to me as her husband from that day forward even though we didn't legally marry for another year and a half. That might have been her way of telling me that if I cheated on her while in the states from that point on she would think of it as adultery!

It's kind of hard for a lot of people to understand the engagement ceremony in Vietnam. It looks and feels a lot like a marriage, so you'd think it would throw off the consulars and question your K1 application, but in Vietnam, it is a part of the customs, and the consulars expect to see evidence of it.

Edited March 4, 2006 by dalegg

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Well, my carnal self hopes her parents consider that a divorce because I am dying over here!!!!!

[babybunny 2]

we did not have a honeymoon when we got married. I was sick as a dog. but, when Javed get home we will plan something awsome for 2 weeks. If my timing is right I will take off a few weeks from school.

[zyggy 9]

I am fully aware of the K1 requirement. But I am also aware of the cultural needs of my fiance and her family. If no Legal papers are filed and no marriage license is obtained, then no laws are broken. Period. End of story. In addition, I have researched back over a year here and many couples where the fiance is from Asia have done what I will be doing an had no problems. This is why I had decided to do this in the first place.

So please, let it go.

Just to expand...

The CBP officer does not have intimate knowledge of marriage laws and regulations throughout the world. All they know is if looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck it's a duck. And all the lawyering and explanations about the legal rules for marriage in Vietnam will fall on deaf ears. In their eyes , you're married and your "spouse" will be sent home until they have the proper visa.

All we're doing is givng your information and warning you... the decision and the risk is still yours..

Best of luck...

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Uh, how will they possibly know about the ceremony? Are they Professor X? Are they psychic? I think not. No one will tell them, that is for sure and she sure as heck won't have a wedding ring on, that I can tell you! Just an engagement ring.

Not to mention we have discussed doing the legal marriage in Hawaii at great length now and we both agree that this would be perfect. At the time of her entry we will have all the paperwork showing this will take place if that subject comes up.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Matt_Stevens

[Inlove_tx 0]

We didn't have a Honeymoon after the wedding, because my husband just got a new job and he couldn't get any day off. We'll probably have the religious ceremony in my home country in the future, since we only had the civil ceremony here in the States, so we might have the honeymoon then.

We did go to Italy for X-mas and we had a few romantic weeks there, but we would LOVE to go on a cruise, we've always dreamed about it, and I really hope it comes true...we'll see!

Edited March 6, 2006 by Inlove_tx

[nayalamb 0]

right now, we're just concentrating on all the AOS paperwork and the cost of moving into our new apartment. if anything, right after the civil ceremony, we'll drive up to the poconos or to atlanitc city for the weekend. when things have settled down and i am free to travel, then we'll go somewhere fantastic.

hawaii does sound lovely though... good luck to ya!

[pax 0]

You must let us know if you're coming up to the Poconos--I'm practically just down the street!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

we're going to sedona for the weekend after our vegas wedding.

real honeymoon will be a 2 week trip to New Zealand over christmas, USCIS willing