Wedding plans aren’t required for K-1 visas, but they may help with bona fide relationship evidence

I don’t care much for big weddings. In fact, my wedding to my fiance was a simple visit to the local courthouse on a Friday afternoon, signing in front of the judge, and walking out delighted.

We had a small reception party for my family and friends… but nothing to brag about.

But when we were preparing for the K visa interview, a few questions came to mind:

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● Do we HAVE to plan a big, grand wedding to show during our K-1 visa interview?

● If we don’t, could it be misinterpreted as a phony relationship and that we’re just doing the bare bone minimum to approved? (red flag)

● What if nothing’s planned and we just want to do it in the courthouse?

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Look… we’ve all got different preferences. My fiance and I liked a small wedding because we didn’t want to spend outrageous amounts of money on a big one.

That’s sort of how Cathy felt: she didn’t want to risk a red flag… but at the same time, she didn’t want to spend money on something she personally didn’t want to do.

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And like she says, the K visa process is unpredictable. So, EVEN if we wanted to, how could we pinpoint an exact date for a wedding?

Question is: should we go out of our way to plan –and pay for– a big wedding even if we don’t want it, just so we can convince the Embassy that we’re a genuine couple?

For most people, the answer is simple: no.

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Do I have to plan for a wedding as proof of relationship?

First things first, you don’t have to plan a wedding or show proof that you’ve got something lined up. By law, none of this is required for approval. Technically the only thing required is your “intent” to marry (remember the “letter of intent to marry”?).

However, the US Department of State does allow Consular Officers to request ANY PROOF they think is necessary in order to process your case.

So, if the officer feels wedding plans are necessary, they may ask for it during the interview according to Foreign Affairs Manual & Handbook 9 FAM 502.7-3(C)(5).

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But in reality, officers rarely ask because they know we can’t plan this stuff ahead of time. They’re aware of the unpredictability of the K-1 visa timeline and won’t force you to provide evidence.

Here’s a typical example: Joanne’s fiance wasn’t even asked about it…

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Which is great because we don’t want to end up having to cancel / postpone our wedding if things don’t work out in time, right?

On the other hand, some Consular officers have actually exercised this option and demanded to see proof. And this is more common for traditional countries where marriage is a huge deal.

In fact, if they don’t like your response OR if they’re otherwise bordering on disbelief, they may ask you specifically to come up with proof.

Here’s what Tiffany had to deal with…

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She provided proof BUT the officer STILL wanted to see more.

So — moral of the story, it’s up to the officer to request proof of a wedding, although it’s not common. (remember, proof of relationship is important for fiance visa interviews)

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Does it help if we DO plan a wedding?

Yes, if you go out of your way to plan a wedding, then it generally helps. It shows that you went above and beyond the basic requirements of proof of relationship.

It also shows you’re serious because you’ve got a stake in the game — you’ve actually deposited money and told your family and friends, which only genuine couples do.

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Here’s a small list of acceptable proof

● Wedding venues agreements

● DJ, caters, florists, etc.

● Religious ceremonies

● Picking out a wedding dress

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Or any other documented way to show you’ve prepared. For example, we can present a receipt of paying a deposit for the wedding hall. Or show a letter from the church where we’ve organized our religious ceremony. Really it’s anything that best suits your case.

For cases with red flags, wedding preparations can give a boost of credibility. So, if you’ve got an age gap, a different background, culture, or language, etc. It can be yet another proof that you use to support your case. (read age difference red flag).

For couples from traditional cultures, wedding preparations can dramatically help. In fact, this is one of the frequent situations when I’ve heard officers ask for marriage ceremony preparations. So, if your fiance is from a traditional society, you should take a serious look into this.

But, once again, there’s no way to predict it.

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I did plan something, when do I show it?

So, if you DID plan something, your options are either to

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● Submit evidence in your I-129F packet

● Bring proof with you to the K visa interview

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Generally, I think it’s best to front load proof within the I-129F because it forces officers to look at it whether or not they ask for it. Meanwhile if you bring it to the K visa interview, then officers aren’t obliged to look at it unless they really want to. (read “did I submit enough proof?“)

But of course, all this depends on whether you’ve even made preparations by the time you file the I-129F. If you haven’t, then your only option is to bring it to the interview.

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If we DO decide to plan, does it have to be big wedding? Or can it be a small event with family?

Generally, it doesn’t matter. Officers normally don’t get too deep into the details of how you plan to get married (unless of course, they’re suspicious for some reason).

So, if they DID ask you to present proof of future marriage, it’s normally acceptable to show anything you’ve got.

Big or small, it’s generally acceptable.

However, the beneficiary’s culture plays a big part in that question. Sometimes marriages are seen as a big part of different cultures and societies. So, officers may be curious and expecting something interesting.

Like I mentioned earlier, my wife and I didn’t want a big wedding. We felt perfectly fine going to the courthouse and saving money to go on our honeymoon. In other words, we chose a grand honeymoon over a grand wedding. That’s our reason. What about you?

And if you’re curious whether the officer actually asked my fiance about future wedding preparations…

Not, but he did ask her why she wanted to marry in the US rather than in her home country (with a traditional culture) and not surrounded by her family.

So, there’s no way to predict if officers will ask you to present this information OR whether it’ll make much of a difference. (read “tips for the K visa proof of relationship“).
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So, should I go out of my way to prepare this proof?

Now that we drilled that point to the ground, the final question is: all things considered, should you go out of your way to prepare wedding proof (if you haven’t already)?

Well, there’s no single answer to this… because there are three different ones:

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Solution # 1 – if you’ve already made plans

If you’ve already made plans for a wedding, then show proof. It will not hurt. You can put in within your I-129F packet OR take it along to the K-1 visa interview (depending on when you actually get this kind of proof).

IF they decide to look at it during the interview — then great.

If they don’t, well, then no harm done.

(remember, the K-1 visa interview is the most important part of the journey)

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Solution # 2 – with red flags

For those with red flags, wedding preparations are a good boost for proof of bona fide relationship. It shows you’ve gone above the call of duty and you’re serious about the relationship.

But if you haven’t done this yet then, should you go out of your way?

That’s a tough question. It depends on how aggressive you are with proving you’re a genuine couple. But even then, it’s impossible to tell if the officer will actually ask for this particular evidence or not. So, it’s a shot in the dark… it may help or it may end up being a waste. You have to make that decision.

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Solution # 3 – for the rest of us

If you have no red flags and haven’t yet planned for something, then you should only gather this proof IF the consulate asks for this proof directly. Usually that means during the K-1 visa interview, the officer may directly ask you to provide proof.

And if you don’t have it, they will place you in administrative processing, and give you plenty of time to come up with the proof before they resume processing the case. Yes… that does mean it will delay your case, but at least you won’t have to take unnecessary steps, right?

Again the types of proof for wedding preparations include: receipts of the wedding venue, caterers, florists, DJs, videographer, take photos in wedding dresses, and so on.

But, let’s step back, now. I don’t want you to forget the big picture here. You have to realize that proof of a future wedding is only one type of proof. Don’t place all your hopes on it.

There’s a lot more that goes into a successful interview besides a wedding preparation. For a complete list of my recommended proof of relationship, you can sign up for my free email list below. I will send you the free pdf report on the different ways you can show you’re a genuine couple.

After that, scroll down and to share your experience in the “comments” section below.

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