Question asked on Jan. 26, 2021
Q: My partner and I (secretly) got married in the UK in 2019 but we didn’t count it as our ‘wedding’. We now live in CA and would like to have a wedding and celebration here in the US (Vegas) this year, is this legally allowed? We are both on US work visas and wouldn’t want to do anything illegal that would jeopardize our visa.
A: The U.S. does not have a national “registration” system. Entering into a Nevada wedding should not have any effect on your visas. It is a bit unclear what you are trying to do and why. If you are lawfully married in the UK, you are considered married here. If not, not. You can have a ceremonial marriage here, and celebrate it any way you wish — just call the chapel/venue where you wish to have your Vegas marriage and explain the legal situation, and they should be able to accommodate you. People do “commitment ceremonies” and other “weddings” that do not formally have a legal effect all the time — the fact that you are already legally married should not be an impediment to the ceremony you plan.
