'Second Marriage' for husbands parents?

[ilovethebeach310 8]

Wasn't sure what forum to post this in....

Hey guys

Me and my husband got married in February (in the US) We had a great wedding but unfortunately his parents were unable to attend for a number of reasons. Now we are looking into having another "marriage ceremony" in the UK for his parents this July. We have done some research but can't seem to find an answer.

1. Has anyone gone through this?

2. Can you do it at a courthouse in the UK (even if the marriage won't technically be legal) - Is it possible as, I'm guessing the UK wont have any record of the marriage in UK?

Thanks

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from What Visa Do I Need to UK Regional Forum~

~Inquiry is country-specific~

~duplicate thread removed~

[Illiria 980]

The UK recognises marriages that are performed legally in the US, therefore your US marriage will be recognised by the UK. They used to permit UK nationals to register their foreign marriage certificates with the registry office but that was only so that you could more easily get a copy in a format UK institutions would recognise, they do not do this any more.

The local registrars office won't do a non legal wedding, we don't get married in courthouses in the UK but in registrars offices.

In the UK you need to post bans to get married, as you are already married you will not be able to do this. Additionally there are added rules and visa restrictions for those from outside the European economic area coming to get married in the UK, even if they are normally exempt from getting a visa.

I know a lot of churches do blessings, it has many of the ceremonial parts of a wedding but no legality. Alternatively you could just come over for a holiday and have a big party, maybe write some promises to read out as part of the party so his parents can see this.

Please note that K1 do not get EAD at the point of entry any more, this stopped years ago, this stamp is just a notice of how long you have to get married. If the Advance parole does not come by the time you intend to fly and he leaves the US then you will be abandoning the process and you will have to reapply for CR1 visa instead before he can return to the US.

Edited May 9, 2015 by Illiria

[ilovethebeach310 8]

Thanks a lot for your reply.

We did some research and found something called a 'Humanist' wedding which is a non religious ceremony that allows you to have a wedding like ceremony without actually getting married.

...and obviously we will wait for AP :-)

[Illiria 980]

Depends on where the Humanist ceremony is being held, I had friends who did this when I lived in Scotland.

Humanist ceremonies in Scotland are legal marriages. Humanist ceremonies in England, Wales and Ireland are not legal marriages and require a ceremony at a registry office to be legal.

Glad you are aware of the AP thing, so many posts on here lately where they have not been and a lot of cash has been wasted on non refundable tickets.

[ilovethebeach310 8]

IIIiria

Yeah my husband is originally from South West London so we will be OK. Thats an interesting fact about it being legal in Scotland. I know that they are trying to get the law changed so it is legal in England but hopefully that wont be any time soon.

[Owen_London 65]

So, Illiria's reply is correct, in that you can't get married twice, but confused in that UK register offices certainly offer the ceremony you are after. It's called a "Renewal of Vows" ceremony.

We had a US wedding in November 2012 with just close family, followed by a party at home for US friends the day after. The following July, we had a big "second wedding", for UK friends and family. Technically, though, it's not a second wedding. If done by a church, it would be a blessing. We aren't religious, though, so we had the event at a country house hotel, and we had someone come from the local Register Office to officiate at the ceremony. It can also be done at the Register Office itself, just like courthouse weddings in the US. However, this is not a legally binding ceremony, so you could instead hire a venue, have a friend make up a ceremony, and call it whatever you like.

EDIT: Decide which council area you want to have the ceremony in, and google "council name" then "renewal of vows". Here is Surrey, for example:

http://new.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/birth-death-marriage-and-civil-partnerships/marriage/other-types-of-ceremonies/renewal-of-vows

Edited May 20, 2015 by Owen_London