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“When you realize that you’ve found the right person with whom you can spend your life, you definitely want to start the rest of your life as soon as possible.” When Harry Met Sally.
Love has no boundaries. It neither understands any language nor does it get limited to geographical boundaries. It can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. And now that you’ve gotten stricken with cupid’s arrow, you probably understand what we are talking about.
But what if there are some reasons due to which you aren’t able to have that “happily ever after” moment with your American fiance. Yes, if you are considering marrying an American resident, there are some things that you should know about before tying the knot. Let’s take a look at them!
These days Americans are becoming huge fans of minimal weddings. They like to celebrate their intimate affair with close friends and immediate family members. Plus, American wedding traditions are much more than the bride carrying something old, something blue, and something borrowed. Over time it has evolved, and there are so many new ones making their way to contemporary weddings.
For example, in the olden days, bridesmaids used to dress up exactly like the bride in order to confuse an evil spirit that tries to kidnap or harm the bride. But today, the bridesmaids dress up differently from the bride, but they all wear the same dress for good luck. So there is a mixture of traditional beliefs and modernity in American weddings.
Thus, if you are about to marry an American citizen, here are a few wedding traditions that you must know about:
Some other customs and traditions are similar to the traditional Christian wedding where a couple meets in the presence of a minister, exchanges their vows and rings, and is pronounced as husband and wife.
Here the things get a bit critical. If you are not a US citizen, but your fiance is, the legal formalities get a bit complicated. First, the American spouse has to file a petition for his/her foreign partner to get married in the USA. A document which is known as a fiance visa or K-1 visa allows the partner to enter the country legally. After the marriage ceremony is over and is celebrated by the family members and friends of the couple, the foreign spouse has the freedom to change his/her status in the country and is free to apply for permanent residency in the States.
Fact: You’ll be surprised to know that one in six newly married couples in America belongs to different races, cultures, and ethnicity. This means there is hope for you as well!
Speaking of applying for a permanent residence in the USA. Let’s get one thing clear first; it is not easy to become a citizen of the most powerful country on the planet. So, if you are marrying an American citizen, you need to know that you can apply for the USA Green Card after the marriage. This means that if you wish to stay in America with your spouse, you will have to apply for a marriage-based green card. For this, you need to be familiar with the law that the US authorities recognize only civil marriages that are registered with them. They need to confirm that the marriage was celebrated, is authentic, and valid.
You also should know that after this, if a child is born in this union, he/she will automatically be considered as a US citizen. You just have to register the child’s birth to the authorities, and you are all done.
Traditionally, the groom used to plan the honeymoon and kidnapped the bride after the wedding, and ran off to an unknown location where no one could find them. They were usually gone for days or maybe months. But today, it is much more like a vacation that a couple takes to blow off some steam after the tiring marriage preparations. This is really romantic because it gives a fairy tale start to the wedding life of the couple.
And if you are marrying an American, the chances are that he/she would want to go to a special holiday destination after the wedding. You can surprise your spouse by planning an exotic honeymoon and a romantic getaway.
Wrapping Up
Gone are the days when marrying into a different culture or ethnicity was considered taboo. Today, people are free to choose their life partner regardless of any race, sex or creed. With few legal formalities, you can easily start your married life with your spouse.
Yes, it might feel daunting at first, but every marriage should have some “X” factor, and yours is to get married to someone who is a resident of a powerful country. So, what are you waiting for? Plan your marriage and look for all the legal forms you need to get filled.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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