Wedding Day Was Not Spoiled

I attended a wedding this weekend and it was quite unusual. The bride and groom got married and had a big party for family and friends, but they will not be legally married until a week or two down the road. It was a beautiful wedding with just a bridesmaid and a best man. Family from out of town and friends all gathered to watch the couple say, 'I do."

It was not your typical wedding because the man doing the wedding was just performing a commitment ceremony because the bride still has not received a copy of her divorce papers in the mail. She was divorced in 1996 and lost her divorce papers somewhere along the line. Since she needed to prove she was divorced and could legally marry, she needed the papers.

She spent two months prior to the wedding date trying to get the divorce papers from California. It might be easy to get married there, but don't try to get a copy of your divorce papers if you are in a hurry. I would suggest keeping your papers safe somewhere or plan to ask a year ahead of time to get a copy.

Anyway, the wedding went off without a hitch and only a few people knew what was happening. They did not want to cancel since the invitations were sent out and her family was traveling to see her get married. In a couple of weeks or whenever the papers arrive, they will just head down to the judge's office and have a quick exchange of vows and finally have the piece of paper that says they are legally husband and wife.