HELP with getting legally married

Hi girls, I had previously posted a thread on getting legally married in the states and doing a ceremony in Mexico. Since reading all the horror stories about trying to get documents recognized in the US, it has scared me a bit. I was thinking of getting married here in the Chicago and not telling anyone and having a minister through Dreams PV marry us out there. For those who have done something similar, how did you go about doing this Is it possible to get the free wedding and be able to add on?

We have actually decided to do this very thing. We will be getting married through a local minister in a private ceremony before we leave, and doing the symbolic ceremony without anyone knowing it in the Dominican Republic. You should be able to still do a "Renewal of Vows" package with a non-demonimational minister presiding and have it included in whatever package you choose. We are doing everything a la carte, but will still pay to have a minister there so as to not draw suspician to our having already been wed. Our WC at the resort has had no problem with any of our requests so far, and it seems pretty standard these days, especially with the paperwork, and in the DR the price to get legally married just went up, along with the timeframe for getting your legal docs got lots longer.

We will have our legal ceremony (just the two of us, shhhh...) in the U.S. and then have a symbolic ceremony in Mexico. Our WC said that this is very common. The costs are about the same, except for the $600.00 we would have paid for the paperwork, blood tests, ect.

We are also going to do our legeal ceremony in Canada right before we leave, nobody knows. Our wedding coordinator has no problems with this, happens all the time. We are also still having a minister there, and it is my real weding as far as I am concerned. You are actually the first people I have told this too, so don't tell!!

 

Kelly~

 

I also believe the free weddings are based on how many rooms you book, not if you are doing your legal wedding there. You will have to add on to the free weddings, whereever you go I would think, I think the free wedding is pretty basic.

This may be a dumb question (and since I'm a lawyer it's probably triple dumb) but let's say I get legally married in Mexico per their rules. What is the harm in getting "married" again once I get back to WA just to make sure it's all legal? I know it would be a waste of $$, but are there any other downsides.

 

I ask bc my FMIL knows the legal requirements in MX and will know if we fake it there. But for own ocd peace of mind I'd like to be sure it is legal here too.

The Palace resorts (Moon palace, cancun palace, etc.) will no give you the free package if it is not the legal ceremony.

Good topic to start up.....We are also doing the cymbolic cermeony instead of a legal one in Mexcio, but we are having the legal one here at home after we get home. Is there any reason you all decided to do the legal one first? I'm just wondering if there was a specific reason. We are also keeping the "legality" of it a secret.....that is if our parents can keep their big mouths shut!

I could be wrong, but I feel like I have read you have to have a marriage certificate already in order to do a symbolic ceremony. Does anyone know more about this? I have read some people chose to make it legal before they arrive instead of after in order to get the free room upgrade & other things that come along with the honeymoon package.

If you want to get the "free honeymoon package" at many resorts, you have to show your marriage license. We've decided to get the legalities overwith ahead of time just in case (heaven forbid) anything were to happen while we are gone. I won't change my name until we return, though. We were going to do it all at the resort, but in most cases you only have 30 days to change over to the others health insurance, etc (without having to wait for the next open enrollment) ... and that can't be done w/o a marriage license as proof. So, since the DR can take MONTHS to get your papers back to you, and then we have to translate back from Spanish to English, it just seems easier and smarter for us to do it ahead of time. I was fine doing it after, but Mom had to bring up the "what if something happened to one of you while you are there" factor. Leave it to parents to always be devils advocate, right? :-)

OK I have to start this thread up again - I am confused!

FI and I are planning on doing the SAME thing- a ssshh shhh ceremony here, and doing the ROV w/ the minister in DR next April.

So we figured we want to do that - but now what? How do we do it? I am not worried about the legalities but more about the travel for me.

?!?

I know that we have to show our legal marriage certificate to do the ROV at deams, which will show my new married last name? correct?

But then my id and passport will say my maiden name?

is this ok - can I get back into the country and if we do it this summer (8 months before we go) can I wait that long before changing my name without a problem? Or is there a time constraint to changing your documents such as your passport prior to leaving?

I guess i can change my name prior to leaving, I would just have to do it soon enough so that I get everything back in time to travel.

That way I can get health insurance.

Ugh- I don't know what to do?! Anyone with this issue that can help me in the timeline on how to go about this "secret marriage and travel"?

Thanks!