Introduction, a little late!

I’ve been lurking on this forum for several months now and told myself that I wouldn’t post until I had properly introduced myself.  I didn’t do a very good job of that, I have a big mouth!

I guess I should just give a bit of background.  I live in NYC and have for about 7 years now, but am originally from Maryland and New Jersey.  During college I had an internship in Dresden, Germany and just fell in love with travel.  The following year I had a six month internship in London and fell in love with the city.  It took me a long time, and some not so fun jobs to make the money to be able to travel again.  Eventually I just came to the conclusion that two weeks a year just wasn’t going to do it for me.  I then spent 3 years working two jobs and spending as little as possible so that I could travel around the world.

A little after a year on the road I found myself in Hong Kong.  I was feeling pretty low.  The culture shock between South East Asia/India and Hong Kong was really affecting me.  I had been very much ready to move on to easier travel grounds after India especially.  I sort of felt like I had escaped, and then I had a lot of accident of birth guilt for feeling that way.  I sort of puttered around Hong Kong for a few days while I worked on my Chinese and Russian visas.  My first weekend there also happened to be my  best friend’s wedding day, which I was missing.   I was feeling pretty down when I walked into an Irish pub for a few drinks.  That’s where I met E. 

I never in a million years thought that I would meet some random guy in a pub like that.  While I was still traveling we emailed back and forth and when he got home we started to skype.  After Russia I flew to London and stayed at a hostel.  The trip to London had been planned before I had met him as a breather before heading to Eastern Europe.  I spent every day with him.  He then met me in Hungary for a few days and then a month later I flew to the UK for 3 weeks and the conclusion of my trip.  Since then we’ve been doing the same back and forth that most people on this board have done, or are doing.

Yesterday, my 30th birthday, we went for a walk in Central Park and he proposed!  I knew it was coming, but it was no less wonderful!

Now we’re hurrying to find a location that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and that isn’t too far from Manhattan.  Any ideas?

Yesterday, my 30th birthday, we went for a walk in Central Park and he proposed!  I knew it was coming, but it was no less wonderful!

Congratulations! (And a belated welcome.)

WOW
Welcome to UKY
Congrats on the engagement!
&
Happy Birthday!

NYC - check the laws for court house and gather all the paperwork for the spouse visa ;-)

WOW
Welcome to UKY
Congrats on the engagement!
&
Happy Birthday!

NYC - check the laws for court house and gather all the paperwork for the spouse visa ;-)

Thanks!

Working on the marriage certificate stuff is going to come after I have a venue.  I'm in a real panic about that.  Is NY that different than the rest of the country?  We're planning on living in the UK after we get married, but if I did my research correctly I think that he can come here under the visa waiver program and then just go home.  I've been following everything on this board and I think I have a really good handle on what we will need to apply for my spousel visa (as long as the rules don't change too much!).  He knows what he needs to be gathering now and I'm a bit of a control freak and have random and sometimes needless panic attacks, so I'm sure I'll be asking loads of questions as it gets closer!

No but each state/county can be different on obtaining the marriage license.

If you are doing a wedding in a venue you may need to apply for your marriage certificate 72 hours in advance and that requires your soon to be with you...

After you marry you can submit the signed ceritifcate and SOME places will give you a certified copy right there, some will say you have to wait and will mail it.

Then you gather all docs and submit for your UK visa.

OBviosuly you cant go to the UK on a visitor visa while its processing b/c they will have your passport ;-)

If you want to go over once you are married as a visitor be careful b/c technically they could think you are trying to skip the visa process (going by what I have read here and other places).

Sit back and enjoy this time oh and eats lots of Mexican if you can! 

Congrats on your engagement!!!!!

ETA: Sorry, I forgot to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thanks!

We’ve tried to hash out a rough timeline and depending on what we need to do to get the certificate DF will come over as close to the actual wedding day as possible so that right afterwards we can fly to Japan (new for both of us) and Bali (new for him and one of my favorite places) for two weeks.  Hopefully I’ll have the marriage certificate by the time I get back to the states so that I can do biometrics and submit my visa asap.  I want to set it up so that while I will do biometrics in NYC, that my passport will be sent to my parents house in MD.  I’m  guessing that even expediting it will take longer during September with all the students applying.  Then I’ll move out of my apartment to my parents place in MD and start sorting thru all of my stuff for shipping over.  I really hope that by mid-October I’ll be there and we can just be!

Welcome, Congratulations and Happy Birthday!!   Sounds like you've had quite a journey already.  I hope everything goes smoothly for you both.

welcome! congratualtions!  I am confused.. you are going to  move to the UK  in the end?? best of luck.

Congrats!!!

Congrats! What a lovely story!

Wow, it sounds like you've had some exciting adventures! Congratulations on your engagement!

Hello, welcome, and congrats! 

How is everything going?