Legal in the States...Marriage ..HELP!

[ClipperMiami]

Moving from state to state (or country to country) and having your marriage recogonized is one thing. For a resident of a state to have an out of state marriage recognized is a different matter. Based on the 15 minutes of Google research I did it would appear that based on Texas law, they were required to get a Texas marriage license issued, then have it signed by the officient.

So, if I move to Texas I'm out of my 30 year old Florida marriage and no alimony? :-)

[big_duck]

So, if I move to Texas I'm out of my 30 year old Florida marriage and no alimony? :-)

 

Read my first sentance again, very carefully. :rolleyes:

[truecruiser]

My daughter was married on the Valor two years ago. The only optionwas when the ship was in port. No weddings at sea. They were married in Miami on the ship about 3 hours before the ship sailed. No problems with the Florida license of course.

 

Just curious...do you know why (getting married at sea) was not an option? i'm guessing that maybe she didn't have the captain do it?

 

i thought captains cld perform marriage ceremonies. and, i'd think it wld have to be done, if at all, at sea, b/c once you are in port, wldn't the captain have to be empowered to do the ceremony by the locale he is tied up to (whose waters he is in) (in your case, for example, the state of fla)?

[ShedQueen77]

Not exactly. The marriage has to be considered legal in the country you were married in... which gets sticky. Some perform marriages without following all regulations and it's not considered legal. Some have residency restrictions, etc. No, just getting married in another country doesn't automatically make you married legally... you have to know ahead of time exactly what would be accepted by that country, not just what someone tells you. BUT, in GC, they no longer have a residency requirement... so as long as they did everything below and they were legally married, they should be okay.

 

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Cost: US $200.

Waiting Period: None.

Requirements: Cayman Islands International Immigration Department Pink Slip showing proof of entry (receive this from Immigration upon arrival into the Cayman Islands) or ship boarding passes; valid passports or original or certified copies of birth certificates along with photo identification; in the case of second marriages, original or certified copies of divorce or death certificate; parental consent if under 18 years of age; two witnesses to be present at the ceremony. Photocopies of documents are not accepted.

 

I posted my information based on the assumption that the OP's wedding went through all the proper legal channels. If she used the ship's wedding planner, this all should have been taken care of. If not, that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

 

I never once said that getting married in a foreign country automatically makes it legal everywhere else. I said that if you get married (assumed) LEGALLY in a foreign country (following all procedures, requirements, loopholes, whatever...) that marriage will be legally recognized in the US and pretty much anywhere.

 

Honestly, I read the OP's wedding date and there is probably no way that the certified copy of the license would have been issued to them already. It's only been 9 days! What I'm assuming happened was that she tried using the certificate from the ceremony to change her name, DL, SS card, etc.. or for some other legal issue and they told her it wasn't legal. Which they are right, it isn't. Only the certified copy issued by that country's governing body is.

[ClipperMiami]

Read my first sentance again, very carefully. :rolleyes:

They must have some fascinating laws to deal with the wife is a Texas resident but the husband is a New Yorker and get married in Hawaii; the husband is a Texas resident the wife is a Brit and they get married in France; usw.

 

Well, Texas does like to claim to be "like a whole other country."

[GoinCruisin]

Just curious...do you know why? i'm guessing that maybe she didn't have the captain do it?

 

i thought captains cld perform marriage ceremonies. and, i'd think it wld have to be done, if at all, at sea, b/c once you are in port, wldn't the captain have to be empowered to do the ceremony by the locale he is tied up to (whose waters he is in) (in your case, for example, the state of fla)?

 

You can't get married except when docked now, at least I haven't heard of anyone getting married at sea. Here is a good article...

 

Can Cruise Ship Captains Marry You?

 

It's a wonderfully romantic concept, being married at sea by the ship's captain in a large ballroom with a band playing. But it doesn't happen in reality.

 

Cruise ship captains do not have the legal authority to perform a valid marriage ceremony, even on the high seas.

 

Most weddings are held before sailing or in one of the cruise port destinations.

 

There are two exceptions: Japanese captains may marry couples with Japanese passports.

 

And the captains of the Golden Princess, Star Princess and Grand Princess also have the proper authority because their ships are registered in Bermuda and they have Bermuda licenses.

 

 

 

You can still have a wedding ceremony at sea, but it's not easy. What you see in old romantic movies just doesn't happen very often today.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

 

1. Even though it is believed to be a regular event, a ship's captain generally doesn't have the legal right to perform a wedding at sea. In order for a Captain of a ship to perform a marriage at sea, he must be a judge, a justice of the peace, a minister or an officially recognize officiant such as a Notary Public.
   
2. Japanese ships allow Captains to perform a marriage ceremony at sea, but only if the couple has valid Japanese passports.
   
3. Through Bermuda law, and because the captains have Bermuda licenses to perform weddings, captains aboard Princess Cruise's "Golden Princess" and the "Grand Princess" can perform weddings aboard ship and at sea. 800-774-6237
   
4. A romantic alternative is to have your wedding aboard ship while it is docked in a port. You need to follow the port's requirements for such a wedding. All cruise lines offer this option.
   
5. Many cruise lines will require that once in port, you will need to leave the ship, swear before a judge that everything is correct with previous prepared paperwork, then go back to the ship for your ceremony.
   
6. If you want to renew your vows at sea, you need to show proof of a valid marriage.
   
7. If the captain obtains a temporary permit to perform your wedding, a Cruise West captain can officiate your wedding within Alaska waterways.
   

Tips:

 

1. A wedding at sea takes planning. It's not something you can decide at the last minute.
   
2. Some states and locales allow you to use their marriage license elsewhere (like in a foreign port). Ask your county clerk if this is so.
   
3. Having a wedding at sea makes arranging the honeymoon easier. Just make sure you tell friends and relatives to leave you alone after the ceremony!
   
4. Couples in Bermuda must be 21 and have picture ID showing proof of age.
   
5. Some websites still mention Liberian law for the Princess Cruise Line weddings, but that was changed.

What You Need:

 

• Photo ID
  
• Other required documentation
  
• Time to plan your wedding

[truecruiser]

You can't get married except when docked now, at least I haven't heard of anyone getting married at sea. Here is a good article...

 

Can Cruise Ship Captains Marry You?

 

It's a wonderfully romantic concept, being married at sea by the ship's captain in a large ballroom with a band playing. But it doesn't happen in reality.

 

Cruise ship captains do not have the legal authority to perform a valid marriage ceremony, even on the high seas.

 

Most weddings are held before sailing or in one of the cruise port destinations.

 

There are two exceptions: Japanese captains may marry couples with Japanese passports.

 

And the captains of the Golden Princess, Star Princess and Grand Princess also have the proper authority because their ships are registered in Bermuda and they have Bermuda licenses.

 

 

 

You can still have a wedding ceremony at sea, but it's not easy. What you see in old romantic movies just doesn't happen very often today.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: Varies

Here's How:

1. Even though it is believed to be a regular event, a ship's captain generally doesn't have the legal right to perform a wedding at sea. In order for a Captain of a ship to perform a marriage at sea, he must be a judge, a justice of the peace, a minister or an officially recognize officiant such as a Notary Public.
   
2. Japanese ships allow Captains to perform a marriage ceremony at sea, but only if the couple has valid Japanese passports.
   
3. Through Bermuda law, and because the captains have Bermuda licenses to perform weddings, captains aboard Princess Cruise's "Golden Princess" and the "Grand Princess" can perform weddings aboard ship and at sea. 800-774-6237
   
4. A romantic alternative is to have your wedding aboard ship while it is docked in a port. You need to follow the port's requirements for such a wedding. All cruise lines offer this option.
   
5. Many cruise lines will require that once in port, you will need to leave the ship, swear before a judge that everything is correct with previous prepared paperwork, then go back to the ship for your ceremony.
   
6. If you want to renew your vows at sea, you need to show proof of a valid marriage.
   
7. If the captain obtains a temporary permit to perform your wedding, a Cruise West captain can officiate your wedding within Alaska waterways.

Tips:

1. A wedding at sea takes planning. It's not something you can decide at the last minute.
   
2. Some states and locales allow you to use their marriage license elsewhere (like in a foreign port). Ask your county clerk if this is so.
   
3. Having a wedding at sea makes arranging the honeymoon easier. Just make sure you tell friends and relatives to leave you alone after the ceremony!
   
4. Couples in Bermuda must be 21 and have picture ID showing proof of age.
   
5. Some websites still mention Liberian law for the Princess Cruise Line weddings, but that was changed.

What You Need:

• Photo ID
  
• Other required documentation
  
• Time to plan your wedding

 

Interesting info. thanks, GC. learn somethin new everyday. i was duped b/c i really thought captains cld perform the ceremonies. oh well.

[ShedQueen77]

You can't get married except when docked now, at least I haven't heard of anyone getting married at sea.

 

Princess does "at sea" weddings where you can get married by the ship's captain.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na595&submit=pk

[CatgirlNC]

so what happens if you get married on the ship, at sea? that's no good either?

 

My brother and sister-in-law got married on the Miracle in January. We were docked at Grand Cayman. The cermony was performed by a Grand Cayman officiant who came over on the tender to do 2 weddings.

 

So far I have not heard of my brother & his wife running into any legal (or other) issues with their marriage license or documentation from Grand Cayman.

[truecruiser]

hey wait! see #1 -- i'm a notary. maybe i can go and marry them LOL.

[GoinCruisin]

Princess does "at sea" weddings where you can get married by the ship's captain.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na595&submit=pk

 

Yes, as mentioned in the article I posted above... looks like there are 3 ships registerd.

[PINEVIEW01]

Heya everyone....

My husband and I just made it back from the 3/18/2007 Conquest Cruise. We were married in the Grand Cayman port...BEAUTIFUL...I was told it would be legal in the states, and that all we had to do was show the marriage license in the states from Cayman, and they would validate it and make it legal here. I'm now being told it is NOT legal....has anyone else run into this problem....my husband is really upset...they say we have to have a common law marriage to back date to the day we got married.....or get J.P. married, but the date will be different....

If you could give your advice/opinons...that would be great...

Will post pics of our wedding by Friday 3/30.....

Thanks in advance.... :D

Some one already posted my reply, sorry!

[ClipperMiami]

Princess does "at sea" weddings where you can get married by the ship's captain.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na595&submit=pk

I suspect that this nautical tradition went away sue to the advent of large scale cruising.

 

The number of ships and the myriad of ships' national registrations simply made it too complex. You will note that the Princess program results in a marriage under Bermuda law, the nation of the ship's registry. This was long the tradition at sea but that was before the explosion of cruise ships and their flags of convenience.

[kelz66]

*note to self* next time get "married" in the Caymens...LOL :rolleyes:

[BKHwedding2007]

Hello Everyone:

 

I've been married five days and my wife is already puttin' words in my mouth. =)

 

This is the not-so-upset husband.

 

For those message board legal experts out there who doubt Texas law feel free to call our local county clerk:

 

512-854-9188

 

They can clear up your doubt. One of the posters was correct in that each state has different laws. We were 'legally' married in GC. I was lucky enough to join the priest as he went to get all the paper work. We have certified originals of all the paperwork sealed by the GC Governor. All of this is rather pointless in Texas.

 

IF you are going to get married in GC and you live in Texas; follow the advice of others and do the JP thing a week or two prior. Less hassle.

 

NOW, with that said, don't tell the GC people about your arrangement or they will make a big stink about not allowing you to marry again and forcing you into renewing your vows. Our laws conflict with their laws.

 

Basically, do the paperwork before you leave. Go through with everything in GC as if it's the real deal. Then keep the copy of the certificate they give you as a souvenir; that's all it will be good for.

 

I wish you soon-to-be-married folks out there much less frustration than we had. In the end, it's awesome in every way!

[SugarFreeSheila]

Hi, BKHwedding2007! I was on this same cruise and believe I saw you getting on the tender in Grand Cayman after the wedding. You looked beautiful! I hope it was a lovely day for you. :)

 

Six years ago, I was married on a cruise ship - but in San Juan. I hope you get everything squared away quickly and easily.

[BKHwedding2007]

Thanks Sugarfree.....

We were there, It turned out great...I hope we get it figured out rather soon..:p

Thanks again,

~Kimberly

[ShedQueen77]

Hello Everyone:

 

I've been married five days and my wife is already puttin' words in my mouth. =)

 

This is the not-so-upset husband.

 

For those message board legal experts out there who doubt Texas law feel free to call our local county clerk:

 

512-854-9188

 

They can clear up your doubt. One of the posters was correct in that each state has different laws. We were 'legally' married in GC. I was lucky enough to join the priest as he went to get all the paper work. We have certified originals of all the paperwork sealed by the GC Governor. All of this is rather pointless in Texas.

 

IF you are going to get married in GC and you live in Texas; follow the advice of others and do the JP thing a week or two prior. Less hassle.

 

NOW, with that said, don't tell the GC people about your arrangement or they will make a big stink about not allowing you to marry again and forcing you into renewing your vows. Our laws conflict with their laws.

 

Basically, do the paperwork before you leave. Go through with everything in GC as if it's the real deal. Then keep the copy of the certificate they give you as a souvenir; that's all it will be good for.

 

I wish you soon-to-be-married folks out there much less frustration than we had. In the end, it's awesome in every way!

 

With all due respect, I will speak for myself and say that I was only trying to help with the issue at hand with what information I was given. I never claimed to be an expert at anything! :) I've been doing a LOT of reading and questioning about foreign marriage licenses and trying to keep on top of all of the information. I thought that some of that information might have been helpful given the information from the OP.

 

I felt really sorry for your wife because she sounded so upset about the situation. As a bride-to-be, I know how upsetting it can be when things don't go as planned! :D I hope she's feeling better about the situation now. I'm glad you were able to get everything straightened out!

 

Congratulations!!

[BKHwedding2007]

With all due respect, I will speak for myself and say that I was only trying to help with the issue at hand with what information I was given. I never claimed to be an expert at anything! :) I've been doing a LOT of reading and questioning about foreign marriage licenses and trying to keep on top of all of the information. I thought that some of that information might have been helpful given the information from the OP.

 

I felt really sorry for your wife because she sounded so upset about the situation. As a bride-to-be, I know how upsetting it can be when things don't go as planned! :D I hope she's feeling better about the situation now. I'm glad you were able to get everything straightened out!

 

Congratulations!!

 

Hey There Lora!

 

I don't envy your situation. My lovely wife had a rough time with all the coordinating. Lots of days spent in frustration. So many different points of information and a lot of times we'd get conflicting information.

 

To top that off, we made our first attempt at planning the wedding through Carnival. That was a mistake but our money was refunded and we did it directly.

 

Some people might think that is our problem but I assure you it isn't. The wedding department at Carnival is simply lacking. But it really depends; we had a huge party and wanted to outline details early and have plans. If you are in a situation where you can just 'go-with-the-flow' maybe Carnival is the right fit for you. I intend to write a long and detailed review of our entire experience soon which would explain better what I mean.

 

In either case, planning and coordinating all this information; and a party of 30 passengers was a lot of work. BUT, all completely worth it. It was simply awesome!

 

This paperwork mess is a small detail in the grand scheme of things.

 

If you have any questions that we can help with from our experience just yell. Since a wedding is a one time thing you don't get the luxury of knowing how to do it better 'next' time. =)

 

Anyway, what I gather is anyone considering a foreign marriage of 'any' kind should call their local county clerk and ask what the local laws are in their specific area. That will ultimately be the final word; everything else is simply speculation.

[big_duck]

Hello Everyone:

 

I've been married five days and my wife is already puttin' words in my mouth. =)

 

This is the not-so-upset husband.

 

For those message board legal experts out there who doubt Texas law feel free to call our local county clerk:

 

512-854-9188

 

They can clear up your doubt. One of the posters was correct in that each state has different laws. We were 'legally' married in GC. I was lucky enough to join the priest as he went to get all the paper work. We have certified originals of all the paperwork sealed by the GC Governor. All of this is rather pointless in Texas.

 

IF you are going to get married in GC and you live in Texas; follow the advice of others and do the JP thing a week or two prior. Less hassle.

 

NOW, with that said, don't tell the GC people about your arrangement or they will make a big stink about not allowing you to marry again and forcing you into renewing your vows. Our laws conflict with their laws.

 

Basically, do the paperwork before you leave. Go through with everything in GC as if it's the real deal. Then keep the copy of the certificate they give you as a souvenir; that's all it will be good for.

 

I wish you soon-to-be-married folks out there much less frustration than we had. In the end, it's awesome in every way!

 

Ahhh vindicated.

 

We will now discuss the recent New York court decision ruling that the state must recognize same sex marriages performed in Canada. :D

[buddyjo143]

Moving from state to state (or country to country) and having your marriage recogonized is one thing. For a resident of a state to have an out of state marriage recognized is a different matter. Based on the 15 minutes of Google research I did it would appear that based on Texas law, they were required to get a Texas marriage license issued, then have it signed by the officient.

 

Massachusetts caused a whole lot of hoopla (like that word?) when it made gay marriage legal. Apparently it is legal in Mass. but no other state has to accept it as legal. Just makes me mad!

 

So if I move to Texas I might not legally be married? I love this country:confused:

[big_duck]

Massachusetts caused a whole lot of hoopla (like that word?) when it made gay marriage legal. Apparently it is legal in Mass. but no other state has to accept it as legal. Just makes me mad!

 

So if I move to Texas I might not legally be married? I love this country:confused:

 

FTLOG, once again with feeling. We are not talking about legally married people moving to the state we are talking about residents temporarily leaving to get married. These are two completly different sets of circumstances.

 

*shakes head and walks away sadly*

[buddyjo143]

Moving from state to state (or country to country) and having your marriage recogonized is one thing. For a resident of a state to have an out of state marriage recognized is a different matter. Based on the 15 minutes of Google research I did it would appear that based on Texas law, they were required to get a Texas marriage license issued, then have it signed by the officient.

FTLOG, once again with feeling. We are not talking about legally married people moving to the state we are talking about residents temporarily leaving to get married. These are two completly different sets of circumstances.

 

*shakes head and walks away sadly*

 

In all seriousness Don, if you can clarify this because I must be having a dumb moment. Moving from state to state is one thing you say....but why would a state say:For a resident of a state to have an out of state marriage recognized is a different matter.

 

And who has to recognize the marriage? I understand that a registrar of records would not record my marriage in a new state. Seems redundant if it was recorded in the originating state.

 

So the only agencies that might have to "recognize" a marriage would be a department of motor vehicles for name change or a bank for a name change.

 

Am I totally missing something?:confused:

[big_duck]

In all seriousness Don, if you can clarify this because I must be having a dumb moment. Moving from state to state is one thing you say....but why would a state say:For a resident of a state to have an out of state marriage recognized is a different matter.

 

And who has to recognize the marriage? I understand that a registrar of records would not record my marriage in a new state. Seems redundant if it was recorded in the originating state.

 

So the only agencies that might have to "recognize" a marriage would be a department of motor vehicles for name change or a bank for a name change.

 

Am I totally missing something?:confused:

 

If you are a married MA resident who moves to TX, the state would recognize the marriage.

 

If you are a TX resident go to MA and get married and come back (without minimum residency time in MA) for arguments sake over a weekend they may not.

 

There are lots of reasons for this. Say state x has a minumim marrying age of 18 but state y has 21. If a couple from state y runs off to x just to get married, state y will not recognize it.

[buddyjo143]

If you are a married MA resident who moves to TX, the state would recognize the marriage.

 

If you are a TX resident go to MA and get married and come back (without minimum residency time in MA) for arguments sake over a weekend they may not.

 

There are lots of reasons for this. Say state x has a minumim marrying age of 18 but state y has 21. If a couple from state y runs off to x just to get married, state y will not recognize it.

 

I got it now..... and thank you.

 

I just wonder if people know that. It seems like a number of people get married while on cruises and vacations and may not know this.