US-Irish marriage in Scotland; settle in US - possible?

[rhubbie]

Hi all - does anyone have any guidance on this potentially complex situation?

My fiance (a Republic of Ireland citizen currently residing in Scotland) and I (American citizen, living in US) would like to get married where we met - in Scotland. After we are married we would like to settle in the US, specifically in Washington, DC, where I am living now.

Is this even possible, or is it better to marry in the US or Ireland? We would rather not deal with the US fiance visa for him, as we hear it is a long and arduous process to obtain a work permit, and will perhaps be easier to obtain a work permit if we are already married when he immigrates to the US.

Also, a friend suggested speaking to our respective embassies (the Irish embassy in DC and the American embassy in Dublin) for guidance - would they even sit down with us to discuss this? I expect they probably have other things to worry about than someone's wedding questions.

Thanks for any help you can give!

[ElenaW]

Hey rhubbie,

I don't see a problem with getting married in a third country as long as the marriage is legal. I married my husband in Barbados even though neither of us were from there (I'm american, he's english).