Legally married...Before or after?

Good question!!! I am planning on getting married in Mexico and from what I understand they make you do a blood test which is the worst possible scenerio for me who is deathly afraid of needles. I would love to have it "legally" done at that time though. I thought about doing it before or after but wondered if that would take away from it being sentimental or not?? Any feedback would help. Thanks!! (I know I sound like a 3 year old!!!)

I had the same concerns as you, so we got married the Monday that we returned from Cabo. Loved it. We still consider that Saturday to be the anniversary that we are sentimentally tied to. The rest was paperwork.

we thought about doing it before we left... just to save the hassle or PITA as some of you put it...(that's so cute!)

 

but I kind of want to whole lead up thing and the stress and the nerves that all go with it...(I think) although I DO know it would be a helluvalot easier to just do the symbolic part there... we'll be there for 2+ weeks and will have the time to get everything in order (I hope!)

 

Any thoughts??

For us it was less hassle to do it here, we didn't have to be in mexico for 4 days prior, and it was less expensive because we don't have to have everything translated a million times. But I know how you feel, at first I wanted to legal ceremony there, but the more I thought about it, I knew it would be so much easier to do it here.

I've heard stories about how much the translation can cost - a lot of times it's not included in the package, and can cost up to $700 (yeeesh)
Something we'll definately have to consider, I guess.

Would be kind of fun to go to the courthouse by ourselves on the day we leave for MX... and not tell anyone!

My FI and I have def decided to have a religious/legal wedding at a church a couple of days before we leave. It will be just the two of us and a friend (so that she can be our witness and take a couple of pics) and I am loving the idea more and more everytime I think about it. I think it will be really romantic for just the two of us to get married in spiritual wedding. Then we will be free to enjoy Mexico and not worry about needles or translating stupid papers for close toa $1,000. I am really happy with my decision.

 

-Glenda

I guess we are going to get legally married afterward because I think we have decided on the Aventura Spa Palace and in there FAQ section it says:

 

Q. Can I get married in my country and still receive the Free Wedding Package?

A. No. The Free Wedding Package can only be obtained if both bride and groom are getting married for the first time. (If you are already civilly married, please ask about our vow renewal packages).

does that mean you have to have a civil marriage there for it to be being married for your first time? or can you just have a spiritual one?

I was thinking about getting married here in Cali at the court house, but I just decided to do it in Costa Rica and if our papers are wrong for some reason then we will do it here in Cali. I really don't care either way.

Jilly, I am assuming that you can have just a religious ceremony because in the the option section it lists: Religious ceremony (Non-denominational) $280.00 in addition to the pkg. cost