Destination Wedding: making it legal before/after to avoid Mexico requirements?

melindalynnrieck · July 2012

Hi ladies,

I'm wondering what your thoughts are.

we're doing a destination wedding in Cabo San Lucas and are from the US.

they require us to be there 3 FULL business days prior, blood exams, etc. and that seems kinda like a lot of runaround.

1. for those who have been on a destination wedding for yourself or a friend maybe you can provide insight, but i'm wondering if it's really nice to have the extra days to sort details with the coordinator, welcome guests, paperwork and that you really need those 3 days anyway. OR is it kinda sucky cuz on your 'stress free' wedding the first 3.5 days you're there you are in paradise but stressing over your countdown -- part of me feels like we'll 'blow' half of our vaca/honeymoon time waiting to be married. (or maybe we'll go for a week and a half instead of a week so that the first half of the trip is about guests, and THEN it's about him and i and we go off and do our own 'honeymoonish' things.)

2. should we just legalize our marriage right before we jump on the plane? is there any way paperwork can be held for a few days to make it 'legal' on our actual day that we do the symbolic ceremony?

3. have any of you thought about this/have friends/ have gone through it?

UPDATE: we've decided to go 3 days early. it would be nice to be settled in. we may extend out trip to more than a week. Thanks for your replies!

meganb1977 · July 2012

I didn't do a destination wedding, but although I don't think it's likely your paperwork could be post-dated, my vote would be to take care of your U.S. license locally at the courthouse before your trip, where you can have your ceremony in Mexico shortly after your arrival and then enjoy your honeymoon. Sounds like a lot less hassle! Your ceremony in Mexico will still be your wedding day, I'm sure they will or can give you some kind of certificate, and you can look back on that day when you celebrate your anniversary.

kmmssg · July 2012

Make sure your guests know about this. I would be so livid if I paid all that money to go to a wedding in Mexico and found out it was a sham. I'm not alone in that one, but over on the DW board they do it all the time.

daria24 · July 2012

My best friend and her family spent a week on St. John to celebrate her brother's wedding, only to find out they had made it legal 10 MONTHS before their "Wedding."

OP, me personally, I would want to have my wedding day be the day I legally got married. If you want to get married legally in the US, please be upfront with your guests about it. I don't think 3 days is that much of a hassle. I live in NY but got married in PA-we had a three day waiting period for our license. We went early, spent time with our families and finished up the details. It was NBD.

AdeleDazeem · July 2012

We had a destination wedding. We purposefully picked a place where we could marry legally in our destination ceremony.

If you are inviting people to a wedding, then it should be a wedding. Pick a place you can marry legally. Don't get married in the US and then "recreate" your wedding in a far-flung location. Why do that to your guests? I wouldn't pay money to fly to some place only to watch some re-enactment. That cheapens everything and I find it completely completely silly.

Go to Mexico a few days early. We flew to Bermuda two days early and I loved having a few days there. Fulfill their requirements to marry legally in Mexico. Have a lovely wedding.

Summer2011Bride · July 2012

I agree with Joy. If you want to marry in Mexico and have all your guests fly there to witness your marriage, then actually get married there. If you don't want to go through their requirements, then you should just have your wedding in the US and forget the Mexico thing. If I'm attending a DW, I actually want to see your real wedding. I would just go there early, fulfill the requirements, and call it a day. If you want to extend the trip, I think that's fine. If I was having a DW, I would WANT to get there a few days early though, just because you don't know if you'll have flight cancellations/trouble, etc., and I would want time to get setlled in and what not.

melindalynnrieck · July 2012

good advice thanks!!

GoodLuckBear14 · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_destination-wedding-making-it-legal-beforeafter-to-avoid-mexico-requirements?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:36Discussion:90a29037-fd38-40b2-88a7-44017cc2c3dePost:75b4a79a-43ef-4f4d-ade0-7c0a84b3cb67">Re: Destination Wedding: making it legal before/after to avoid Mexico requirements?</a>:
[QUOTE]Make sure your guests know about this. I would be so livid if I paid all that money to go to a wedding in Mexico and found out it was a sham. I'm not alone in that one, but over on the DW board they do it all the time.
Posted by kmmssg[/QUOTE]

This. I was the Best Woman in a wedding in Ireland and was told by the groom as the ceremony was starting that they had been legally married before they left the States. All I wanted to know was if Ireland required witness signatures on the marriage license. Every wedding picture of theirs has me glaring.

coopsbaby · July 2012

I know you've already decided to go early, but wanted to put in my 2 cents anyway!

We're planning on going three days early for our Vegas wedding even though you can (obviously) get married there with very little fuss. I figure it will give us time to settle in, make sure we have everything, touch base with vendors, get my dress steamed,etc. I know that sucks up about half of our honeymoon, but I really want the wedding day to be fairly stress free and I think that is definitely the way to do it.

artbyallie · July 2012

I'm glad you've decided to go early and do what's necessary to make it legal. I personally don't see the point of having a destination "wedding" that isn't even real.

Simply Fated · July 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_customs-traditions_destination-wedding-making-it-legal-beforeafter-to-avoid-mexico-requirements?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:36Discussion:90a29037-fd38-40b2-88a7-44017cc2c3dePost:823dfec6-e376-4bda-90ad-470a250df6c6">Re: Destination Wedding: making it legal before/after to avoid Mexico requirements?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm glad you've decided to go early and do what's necessary to make it legal. I personally don't see the point of having a destination "wedding" that isn't even real.
Posted by artbyallie[/QUOTE]
I completely agree. I mean, you might as well have the wedding at home and go to the destination for your honeymoon.<div>
</div><div>I also think it's a good idea to get there early. I mean, you won't be married, but you can still have fun while you wait to get married.</div>

Destination Wedding: making it legal before/after to avoid Mexico requirements?

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