please define

[joemc]

Hi,
 Please could someone define visa process.And their meaning,like
 want is k1 k2 k3 visa.and I would like to know what else is in volve.
 what is the cost of marriage to a filipina.The time when I got
 married it was less confusing.Back then my plane ticket cost more
 then my marriage. This information might be formal for the newbie.
 
 

[Ray]

... in response to please define, posted by joemc on Mar 29, 2002

Joe,

The K-1/K-2 is for fiancé/children and the K-3/K-4 is for spouse/children. If you want to know all the details, click on ‘Immigration’ at the left of your screen. The ‘The K Visa FAQ’ & ‘Marriage Visa Pages’ has all kinds of good info. Also, see the INS site at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/index.htm.

If you are asking about the cost of a wedding in the Philippines, then I think this is a good topic for discussion. I am amazed at how little some of the guys here know about the cost of a traditional Filipino wedding. When a guy on another forum recently asked about the his fiancée’s estimate of US $6,000 for a large wedding, he got the usual flames like “Dump her” & “Gold digger”. Even some of the Filipina posters were totally unaware of what a wedding costs over there.

I was recently married twice in the Philippines and one ceremony (civil) cost $10 including the license and the other (church) cost around $4,000. You can get a simple civil ceremony for about $20 and a large traditional kasalan for anywhere from $2,000 to $6,000 or more. If you are imaginative and resourceful, you could have a nice church wedding and reception for under $1,000. It all depends on what you want and what you can afford to spend. For a comparable wedding here in the States, I would say that the cost would be about 6 to 8 times what you would pay in the Phils. So it’s really a bargain to have it over there if you want to go all out.

Many Filipino families will mortgage the farm for a big wedding because it is such an important event. I have been to Filipino weddings where families of modest means spent over $5,000. Traditionally, the groom’s side pays for the wedding in the Phils. IMO, if you can afford it, give her a nice wedding that she will remember for the rest of her life. If you’re just a tightwad and want to get off as cheap as you can, have a civil wedding with 2 witnesses and a spaghetti dinner at Jollibee’s.

What was your wedding like Joe?

Ray

[joemc]

... in response to Wedding Costs, posted by Ray on Mar 30, 2002

Hi Ray,
     Thanks for the reply post. I thought my post might of
     been a smart remark. Which was not my intenison.
     First, congradulations on your recent wedding.
     I asked about the visa process, because it seems very
     long and differcult process from reading other posts.
     When I got married it was a interview at the U.S.emb.
     and the rest my wife handle. It took a total of five
     months. from marriage to her arrival to Seattle.
     Ray,just call me cheap charly. When I got married
     it was civil with 2 witnesses and a bucket of K.F.C.
     I'm not too proud of that. But over the years I have
     made up for it.  When I was in the P.I. the dollar
     was eight pesos to the dollar back in 82. And the money I had
     at the time went to good use. I guess the flamers
     are right to say that filipinas are gold diggers.
          Thanks again, joemc