Question for anyone doing the legal part at home

[baileybutton]

We are still undecided on a resort AI (DR-Jamaica-Mexico) or Key West, Florida for our DW. It's super easy for non Florida residents to get married in Florida so if we decide on that route we will legally get married in Florida. However, if we do the resort AI we will do the legal stuff in Canada and have a symbolic ceremony down south. We will probably do it a few days before we leave and keep it hush hush. FI is divorced and that just means more paperwork more cost etc.

 

Waste of time and money in my opinion.

[Ginny]

I can't find any information about doing this online. Where do you go?

Originally Posted by KRama 

We plan on heading down to City Hall here in Calgary with our MOH and best man and having a very un-romantic legal ceremony. We want it to have no significance to us since our "real" wedding will be the one we have in Mexico. This will just be about the paper work.

 

[futuremrstgun]

hello fellow brides!

 

i got married at home this past friday..in TX you can do that..so if there's anyone living in TX that wants to get married, i'd highly recommend the officiant who oversaw my at home ceremony...its called bexar county marriages..mr. jensen was a real doll.

 

while the 'ceremony' was small and very intimate..just me, my husband and mr. jensen..it felt so incredibly blessed and i couldn't be happier with having such a great memory made in our new home.  i decorated and wore a cute white sundress..my husband was in khakis and a nice shirt..we ended up having friends over to help us cut the cake, do toasts and have dinner...

 

 

 

 

frankly, it was perfect and i wouldn't change a thing... i look forward to holding our beach wedding in a couple of months but friday's 'at home' wedding will ALWAYS hold a special memory for my husband and i.

 

until next time, happy planning!!!

 

R~

[JessX823]

We're having our legal ceremony at the San Francisco City Hall when we get back from our honeymoon on our 13 year dating anniversary.  We didn't want to deal with the hassle of getting married legally in Mexico. 

[kimsing12]

I have been going back and forth in my mind on this. Your post made it an easy decision for me! thank you for sharing!!

[jrack]

Originally Posted by Ginny 

 

 

I can't find any information about doing this online. Where do you go?

 

 

Me too...I keep looking at info on Calgary and it seems like you still need an officiant or JP who can sign paperwork. 

[Peach]

Originally Posted by jrack 

 

Me too...I keep looking at info on Calgary and it seems like you still need an officiant or JP who can sign paperwork. 

 

In Calgary it would be the same as in southern Alberta, where I did it.

Email a few JPs... We literally found ours by googling it. I emailed a bunch of them, explaining we wanted something short and sweet, but we do not see it as a wedding day, and so on...  a few responded, but the one emailed me back, saying she had a five minute ceremony she used for just such occasions. I met with her, looked over the ceremony. She was very understanding, just crossed out what she could while still keeping it legal. 

We met her in a gazebo in a park overlooking the coulees last Friday evening, with two friends who were intending to make it to the wedding at couldn't at the last minute. The venue, then, was free. She said you can also do it at your home or hers or anywhere, really. We wanted free. LOL. And it was in an area we take our dog hiking a lot, with some nice scenery typical of the place in the background.

We just walked up, I switched into heels (flats for getting there - but I am more than a foot and a half shorter than FI, so heels are a must!), handed over the marriage license, and stood there and did it! I had handed our friends a little camera (we didn't even bring our fancy one - lol) and they took a couple shots, but that was it. We did not do rings or anything, though we kept the kiss in there. It was quick and simple, and FI and I agreed that we did not feel like it was a wedding at all, because we were not seeing it that way. I wore a white sundress - the same I wore to my shower - and he wore shorts and a button up shirt. Afterwards the four of us went to a local pub for supper and drinks, which we go to a lot.

Exactly what we wanted. 

[Janelle0308]

My FI and I are still trying to decide if it is easier to do this before or after the DW.  Personally, I want to do it before and with only the BM and MOH there as witnesses.  However, his parents have expressed they want to be there.  For me, I want to keep it as close to just the two of us as possible as the DW part is for everyone to celebrate with us.  Not sure if this makes sense to anyone or not.  Does anyone else feel this way or have any advice for me?

[Peach]

Originally Posted by Janelle0308 

 

My FI and I are still trying to decide if it is easier to do this before or after the DW.  Personally, I want to do it before and with only the BM and MOH there as witnesses.  However, his parents have expressed they want to be there.  For me, I want to keep it as close to just the two of us as possible as the DW part is for everyone to celebrate with us.  Not sure if this makes sense to anyone or not.  Does anyone else feel this way or have any advice for me?

I think it would depend on the relationship with his parents. And how does HE feel about it? We kept the legal day SUPER simple, and just four of us - FI and I, and friends we hang out with who were planning on going to the DW but because of a family emergency could not. We kept it very low key. His parents knew about it, my family did not. If we would have asked his parents to be involved (they were our back up witnesses in case our friends could not make it), they would have, but that would have involved driving in for it, and that made it seem like a bigger deal, which we were avoiding. However, if FI had wanted his parents there, I would have been okay with it. 

 

It completely depends on the dynamics in your families, and the relationship with his parents and yours too. (Would they be upset [or would you] if his parents come and not yours?) Talk about it with your hubby to be, and then with them, and explain your reasonings. We likened our legal day as the same as going and picking up the licence, or a shower (actually, it was less of a big deal than that), or ring shopping. An important part leading up to our wedding, but just one more step. Hopefully your parents-in-law to be understand.

 

Good luck!

[scoyle90]

My fiancé and I are legally getting married at the court house in the town we both grew up in the day before we leave for our DW. I feel like our parents that will be there will be expecting us to exchange rings even though our ceremony in Punta Cana is 4 days later. Did anyone exchange rings during their legal ceremont at home BEFORE the actual wedding?