A Nice Day for a Skype Wedding
Recently, my best high school friend Justin got married in South Carolina to his lovely bride Anya. (Congratulations again!).
In order to manage the least number of immigration hassles before their big wedding in the Philippines, they decided to go this route with a small, beach-side ceremony, and I absolutely understand.
Gaby and I were married eight years ago today in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, according to the Catholic Church, but we did the official legal ceremony here in good ol’ MO on July 1st of the same year, followed by a renewal ceremony thing (read: excuse to have a reception in WashMO and party) in August, right around when the Town and Country Fair was going on.
I’m not sure which anniversary Justin and Anya will celebrate. Gaby and I always celebrate the first one, the big church wedding with the big reception complete with a band and Gaby’s whole family…well, most everyone made it. I think a few cousins couldn’t make the trip.
I totally love this photo of Anya and Justin chatting with their parents in the Philippines and in WashMO right after they gave their vows.
They look as happy as can be. I know the decision came sort of last-minute to go this route to avoid immigration issues as they plan to travel to the Philippines for another celebration with Anya’s family. I was in strong support of it because I think getting married officially by a judge in MO saved us hassles on Gaby’s path to citizenship. I think this will help in their efforts to sort of expedite residency status.
Most Americans are ignorant of the immigration process. TV sitcoms make it look like a civics test and a marriage license are all it takes. For us, residency took a couple of years. Then, a conditional status had to be removed after a couple more years. Since then we were saving up the money to pay the fees for the citizenship application (not that that actually worked…in a way, student loans helped pay for this latest round of fees).
We have also moved three times since we were married, and we’ve both been through about a career and a half, so I guess we put it off for about two years. Permanent residency is really the key to working and traveling relatively comfortably, but if Gaby ever needed to spend an extended period of time in Mexico, she needs to be a citizen. Also, soon she’ll be able to vote.
Gaby will finally take her vows to become a citizen on July 15th of this year, right in the middle of the “Three Anniversaries”.
It’s great that Justin and Anya’s parents could “attend” their (first) ceremony, and it kind of makes me wish Gaby and I would have had something like this eight years ago. We might have forgone the three weddings and just brought our laptops with us to Hawaii.
We’re still hoping to get a honeymoon. Maybe we’ll go next year after I finish my dissertation. (Mind you, we do travel to Mexico, but it’s always to visit family, and we have been to a couple of journalism conferences.)
I’m so lucky to have had eight years with Gaby. It’s reassuring in this age when everything moves so quickly to know that we will always be together.
Congratulations to Anya and Justin, safe travels, and keep sharing the pictures!
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I’ve seen multiple weddings that were attended via the internet, the two that most readily come to mind did involve citizenship although neither planned a ceremony abroad. Having helped one bride to be attempt to follow the rules regarding vaccinations (I drove her to appointments) I know the hassle and legal crap she had to go through in a system that is not always all that clear or forthcoming. Congrats to Gaby for keeping her eye on the prize. I can’t believe all that was 8 years ago.
Who was it you were driving around, if you don’t mind my asking? That’s a very kind thing to do!
Also, thanks for taking the photos at our wedding. We still owe you for that!
It was the fiance of a coworker of Todd’s when we lived in Texas. They also lived right down the street from us. The men when out of town right after I had Gabe and since she couldn’t drive we packed up the kids and hauled all over Austin trying to get her legal to marry. She had her shot records translated into three different languages, Ukranian, Latin and English. I remember pacing all around Wal-Mart while she sat for hours at this special clinic waiting to get a shot. Then there was the immigration lawyer that screwed them over. I didn’t personally go through it, but I was feeling her pain. She used to walk for miles with me when I was trying to loose the baby weight, so in turn, she was feeling my pain. Good times…
Latin?!