NorCal to Hertfordshire

Hi There

I'm Alli from Northern California, though I travel a lot for my job in technical theatre and am rarely home. I've worked pretty regularly in the UK for the last few years and have been a total lurker on this forum for help with all sorts of things on those trips. Who knew it would be so hard to find plain old white vinegar in Edinburgh?

On a semi-recent trip to England, I met up with an old co-worker and we really hit it off. I've since been back there for a 5 week visit and we decided to make a go of things, with me moving to his Hertfordshire canal town. I hope to get back over at Christmas and we're looking to marry early next summer before applying for my visa. It will mean lots of changes for both, and possibly a total career shift for me. Exciting and scary all at the same time. We worked for the same company for 9 years, so much of the "getting to know you" stage happened as co-workers and good friends.

Looking forward to chatting with you all as I begin this new adventure. Will definitely be reading and re-reading all the Mexican food threads

Hi Alli, welcome! 
 

How exciting! Best of luck to you in everything. Are you planning to marry in the US or UK?

Thanks for the kind welcome! Plan is to marry in the US. Seems easier paperwork-wise, plus my brother has 4 daughters and that makes overseas travel prohibitively expensive right now.

Thanks for the kind welcome! Plan is to marry in the US. Seems easier paperwork-wise, plus my brother has 4 daughters and that makes overseas travel prohibitively expensive right now.

Smart move! It's much easier getting married in the US. 

Thanks for the kind welcome! Plan is to marry in the US. Seems easier paperwork-wise, plus my brother has 4 daughters and that makes overseas travel prohibitively expensive right now.

Welcome to the group

Yeah we chose to get married in the US mainly because we knew we'd be living in the UK so we thought that was a fair trade. It meant, unfortunately, that barely any of his family and none of his friends would be able to attend. We eventually (maybe for our 5 year anniversary) will do a party for our loved ones in the UK where we renew vows and stuff. I will say, comparing the two, the US is definitely easier with more options for you to personalise it and make it your own day

Welcome to the group

Yeah we chose to get married in the US mainly because we knew we'd be living in the UK so we thought that was a fair trade. It meant, unfortunately, that barely any of his family and none of his friends would be able to attend. We eventually (maybe for our 5 year anniversary) will do a party for our loved ones in the UK where we renew vows and stuff. I will say, comparing the two, the US is definitely easier with more options for you to personalise it and make it your own day

Same reason here for choosing a US wedding, and it saved us a fortune. Even with a flight to the US, we still saved a lot of money by not having to apply for the fiancee visa.

Good luck to you! Has your fiance applied for the ESTA? It's quick and cheap and valid for two years.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

Hope you do get to visit for Christmas and have a great time.

An anniversary party for the UK folks sounds great! Will hang onto that idea for the future.

He did apply for his ESTA. Must remember to ask if it's all been approved


Thanks for the tips, you guys!

An anniversary party for the UK folks sounds great! Will hang onto that idea for the future.

He did apply for his ESTA. Must remember to ask if it's all been approved


Thanks for the tips, you guys!

It started off that we planned to do it fairly soon after coming back over...but we just lost track of time and there were a million other things happening so I decided to leave it for a milestone anniversary! It just means you don't have to pick a specific spot designated for a wedding like you would if it were your legal marriage ceremony You could literally just throw a party when you come back (like a big hog roast or something if that's up your alley) if you feel he'll want to celebrate with his family sooner rather than later).

ESTA usually comes back quite quick I think (unless I misunderstood my husband when he's sorted his) so wouldn't be surprised if it was all ready for him

Again, best of luck!

ESTA usually comes back quite quick I think (unless I misunderstood my husband when he's sorted his) so wouldn't be surprised if it was all ready for him

According to Wiki, 99% of ESTA applications are approved in 5 seconds.

It's just a case of filling in the online form, paying the $14, pressing 'submit' and then it tells you on the next page whether it has been approved or not. The whole process only takes a few minutes.


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According to Wiki, 99% of ESTA applications are approved in 5 seconds.

It's just a case of filling in the online form, paying the $14, pressing 'submit' and then it tells you on the next page whether it has been approved or not. The whole process only takes a few minutes.


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That was my understanding of it but wasn't sure if maybe things had changed since the last time my husband applied for one (as he didn't need to do it this year because it was valid from the last time).

According to Wiki, 99% of ESTA applications are approved in 5 seconds.

It's just a case of filling in the online form, paying the $14, pressing 'submit' and then it tells you on the next page whether it has been approved or not. The whole process only takes a few minutes.


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Took a few hours last time my husband did his.  Made me a bit nervous as the previous one was instant!  Seems to be the norm now unfortunately.

Super easy! If only the spouse visa was that easy. My wife's ESTA took overnight for approval.

Oh, we were a bit obsessive, so my wife brought her birth certificate for the marriage license application. Didn't need it, but the courthouse advised us it "could" be requested. And my wife brought financial, employment, house mortgage, etc. papers when entering the US to prove she would return after the wedding. Overkill and unnecessary, but it was worth our peace of mind. At that time, a certain person had just taken office in the US and we were extremely worried.

Took a few hours last time my husband did his.  Made me a bit nervous as the previous one was instant!  Seems to be the norm now unfortunately.

Ah, okay - my mum has to re-apply for her ESTA before we fly to the US in 2 weeks, so I'll ask her how long it takes for hers to come through.

I haven't ever used ESTA myself because I've needed a visitor visa to enter the US since before the ESTA was introduced.

Super easy! If only the spouse visa was that easy. My wife's ESTA took overnight for approval.

Oh, we were a bit obsessive, so my wife brought her birth certificate for the marriage license application. Didn't need it, but the courthouse advised us it "could" be requested. And my wife brought financial, employment, house mortgage, etc. papers when entering the US to prove she would return after the wedding. Overkill and unnecessary, but it was worth our peace of mind. At that time, a certain person had just taken office in the US and we were extremely worried.

I don't think you can necessarily be too careful in those situations. A bit of extra paperwork could save you a f*ckton of hassle!