My Big Fat Chinese Wedding

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Hi Everyone,

 

Less than a month (Dec 12) until I board the plane to Beijing. I've got my ticket, my passport, and should have the visa in a few days. 3 or 4 days in Beijing with ShuPing and we're off to QiQiHar, her family and a Chinese wedding.

 

I know I need to get some documents to take with me (notorized, state sealed divorce decree w/copy, Certification of Marrigability). But with all that, I'm still worried that I may be forgetting something. Any advice from anyone who has gotten married in China would be more than greatly appreciated.

 

Also, what should I expect as far as wedding customs and such when the big day (Dec 24) arrives?

 

Thanks,

Mark

[tywy_99]

OK Mark.........you two look like a good couple so I'll be kind....

 

Have all your papers together to take to China. They consist of: any divorce certifictes, letter of employment, and a sigle-status certificate. All these have to be notarized and autenticated on the local/state level, federal (DOS) and Chinese Embassy or the Consulate in your area. Take these papers to China with you. Your gal will know how to handle the rest. She will know to take them to th civil affairs department in her city (minzhengju)

 

- have fun!...

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Thanks, I'll make sure I double check what I'm posting before I hit the button from now on.

 

Anyway, YIKES!, I have to get everything sent through DOS and the Chinese Embassy too?!!!! I see a lot of FedEx in my immediate future. This stuff isn't like the visa where they want you to show up in person is it? If so, are there services, like for visas, that you can use to handle it for you?

 

So many loose ends, so little time.

[tywy_99]

Thanks, I'll make sure I double check what I'm posting before I hit the button from now on.

 

Anyway, YIKES!, I have to get everything sent through DOS and the Chinese Embassy too?!!!!  I see a lot of FedEx in my immediate future.  This stuff isn't like the visa where they want you to show up in person is it?  If so, are there services, like for visas, that you can use to handle it for you?

 

So many loose ends, so little time.

You can handle it all thru the USPS. Get the documents you need; letter of empoyment, you can mail away to your department of vital records; look it up on the net. For 10 bucks they will notarize your documents for you. Thats state. have them send them back to you and then send them to DOS. Look at DOS web under autentication. Then they go to CHina Emabassy or local consulate.......get it done quick!, they are pretty fast.

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Thanks Tywy, I'll do that. Hopefully, I've given myself enough time (crossing my fingers).

 

When you were married, was there anything that took you by suprise or that you found unique?

[tywy_99]

Thanks Tywy, I'll do that.  Hopefully, I've given myself enough time (crossing my fingers).  

 

When you were married, was there anything that took you by suprise or that you found unique?

No, nothing took me by surprise. Just follow China Embassy instructions to get your papers together and do it quick and do it right. I feel that your gal will know how to handle it on China side just as my gal did a year ago.

China is strange. Again, your gal will know this and she will handle it accordingly. You just have to relax and go thru the physical!//.......lol. \

 

Again.....have fun and enjoy!

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Bribery in government, hmmmm, now there's a concept.

 

OK, I'll get the duckies all in a row and let's see how good they look.

[Dynasty]

Hey Mark,

Here is a good site for marriage documention and procedures in China.

www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html

When my fiance and I applied for our marriage license in shanghai they said it will take 3 weeks to come in, but for 800 rmb more they same do it in one week, so I extended my visit as long as I could. Fortunately I needed to return before our license arrived (2 days later). If we would have legeally married there the Texas Service Center is publishing 999 days to process a spousal visa, wooo. The fiance k-1 was 150 days, much much quicker. So if we did marry there she wouldn't be able to come here for nearly 3 years. But that's my service center, you may have a quicker one.

Here is a site that can obtain a China visa quickly for you.

www.visaobtainers.com/

[Dynasty]

Hey Mark,

 

Here is a good site for marriage documention and procedures in China.

www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html

Offically stamped, or sealed, documents is Everything to the chinese bureaucrats.

When my fiance and I applied for our marriage license in Shanghai they said it will take 3 weeks to come in, but for 800 rmb more they same do it in one week, so I extended my visit as long as I could. Fortunately I needed to return before our license arrived (2 days later), You are legally married as soon as you two pick up this registration together. If we would have legeally married there, the Texas Service Center is publishing 999 days to process a spousal visa, wooo. The fiance k-1 was 150 days, much much quicker. So if we did marry there she wouldn't be able to come here for nearly 3 years. But that's my service center, you may have a quicker one.

 

Here is a site that can obtain a China visa quickly for you.

www.visaobtainers.com/

I have used them a couple of times and they were reliable for me. Since the Chinese Consulate in Houston (which services my state) no longer accepts applications for visitor visas by mail (terrorists crap again).

 

As for some things you might want to know if your lady is from a very traditional family, as mine is, and want to appear favorable in their eyes.

It is customary for the grooms side to pay for the wedding ceremony, you, typically held at a nice restaurant, with many dishes to show your good fortune. Another, to show your respect to her parents and to show them your appreciation for raising and careing for your wife, a monitary gift to them is customary. The amount is what you can best afford.

 

The cheapest rates for hotels I could find and book on the internet is at this site.

www.chinats.com/hotel/in_hr.htm

Again, they were very reliable to me.

 

If I can be any more help, just ask.

 

Most of all: CONGRADULATIONS !!!

 

Pat

[chinadave2001]

Hi Mark,

I read somewhere - maybe here on CFL - that traditionally the son should present a boar's head to his future father in law.....

Chinadave

[bobmal99]

Here is the direct link, good luck

 

www.usembassy-china.org-cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Gee, do you think I can get a boar's head past customs?

 

YIKES!!!! 3 years!!! Do I want to get married? Holy cow!!! Does anyone know where I'll have to go to get processed living in Colorado? There could be a lynching (me) in China if we don't get married.

 

ShuPing seemed to think it would only take a few days to get the marriage license in Harbin. Of course she lives in Nanning (3000 miles away), but I think she's talking to her sister (family lives in QiQiHar) about it.

 

ShuPing did tell me I should buy the food and drink for the wedding and that I should give her mother (father has passed away) something. So I was aware of that custom.

 

Thanks for the link Bob.

[bobmal99]

The best gift is always cash..

[Dynasty]

Mark,

I do believe Colorado residence need to go through the Nebraska Service Center, unfortunately they arn't much faster than TSC. Some information shows NSC now processing I-130 spouse petitions received in early (MAY) 2002, I-129F fiance petitions are at June 2003.

Pat

[se_lang]

YIKES!!!!  3 years!!!  Do I want to get married?  Holy cow!!! Does anyone know where I'll have to go to get processed living in Colorado?  There could be a lynching (me) in China if we don't get married. 

 

I dont think it will take 3 years to get her here, It is almost the same for fiancee visa some of the married guys here can be better judges but either way it is not even close to fast figure 8-18 months give or take a few BCIS,NVC,FBI,GZ screw ups