Post
by Kitty » Mon May 10, 2010 9:46 am
John is right, danizinha: you can't make any formal bookings until your fiancé has arrived in the UK.
However, as well as a statement in your sponsorship letter, things you can use as evidence of your intention to marry would include:
Emails between you and the Register office: email your query about booking a ceremony when one partner is a foreign national, and ask about the availability of the dates when you want to hold the ceremony. this is good evidence that you are planning as far as the law allows you to.
Visit the web pages on direct.gov.uk that tell you about the law on getting married in the UK for foreign nationals, and what register offices are authorised for those ceremonies. Print them out and use them as evidence you have investigated the situation.
As John said, enquiries about reception venues: if you write to a selection venues and ask for availability dates and quotes then you should get a nice set of replies on headed paper from bona fide venues.
Correspondence between you and your fiancé discussing your proposed marriage (e.g. sending him details of the venues you have looked at and asking which he prefers, for example. But also draw the ECO's attention to any correspondence where you mention getting married, even if it's just something like, "oh, I can't wait!").
A guest list, if you have drawn one up. Needn't be formal: just an indication that you are planning something.
The ECO should know that you can't book a ceremony yet, and the guidance to them makes this clear. they are instructed to look out for "some tenantive plans".
Hopet his helps: not all the ideas will apply to your situation and I wouldn't recommend you shoehorn in something artificial, but remember to draw the ECO's attention to what you've got!
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