Does a small wedding look bad?

[kourts]

Were young and can't really afford a big wedding right now, and aside from that we don't really want a big one, we're just doing it with us and 2 witnesses, does that look bad?

 

[lXlXero]

I'd like to know the answer as well, my wife and I had a very small wedding, just 4 witnesses at my brother's house.

 

[lonely_wife]

I wouldn't think so.... now I never seen someone get refused because they had a small wedding... As long as you can prove the mariage is genuine I would think that you would be ok... maybe a senior could confirm this...

 

[Baloo]

Were young and can't really afford a big wedding right now, and aside from that we don't really want a big one, we're just doing it with us and 2 witnesses, does that look bad?

Provide reasons to CIC as to why the wedding was small, bigger is not always better, but I guess there are limits.
I assume that they are usually concerned about why family are not in attendance, the thought may be, are you hiding the wedding for some reason?

 

[lonely_wife]

good point baloo never thought of that but ur right

 

[chelley]

i think it depends on the VO and even more so, the cultural norm for the immigrating area... in some cultures a small wedding might be near unheard of and is a huge red flag, even in poorer communities... in others it's completely acceptable to "elope" ...

my husband and i had a private (just us) ceremony and it wasn't an issue whatsoever, others have been interviewed and grilled (and even declined) based on the size of wedding (and/or lack of pictures) so it really can depend...

 

[kourts]

We are not hiding it, we just can't afford a big one. Plus I live in the states and she lives up In Canada about 14 hours away. A trip my family can not make. And I'm not sure if her family is really in support or not.

 

[canda]

I think as long as your relaionship is genuine and you have lots of proof (pics, letters, emails, phone records)etc that it won't be a problem. They ask you in the application if your family or your partners family and friends attented and if not why. Just tell them the truth, my husbands family did not attend cause they all needed visas to come to Canada and they are not well off. Show them all the proof and how long you have been together and it should be alright.
Good luck

 

[coldgirl]

I don't think it would be a problem as long as you can show proof that both of your families no about your wedding(they dont even have to support it). You can send in pictures with them and/or letters from them that they know about your marriage.

 

[Baloo]

We are not hiding it, we just can't afford a big one. Plus I live in the states and she lives up In Canada about 14 hours away. A trip my family can not make. And I'm not sure if her family is really in support or not.

You could always send out invitations (by email if you want to) keep a list to show who you invited, use it as part of the proof.

 

[canadianwoman]

Were young and can't really afford a big wedding right now, and aside from that we don't really want a big one, we're just doing it with us and 2 witnesses, does that look bad?

It is OK if it is normal in your culture - so in a relationship between an American and a Canadian it will be OK. If it is normal in your culture to have huge wedding parties, though, a small wedding is a red flag and will make the visa officer suspicious. I've seen cases where a small wedding was listed as one of the reasons for a refusal. This applies mostly to arranged marriages in India - it is normal there to have 400 guests, so a small, private ceremony will raise suspicions.
In any case a small wedding is less convincing than a large one, but can still be accepted. With a small ceremony I would include an explanation of why you wanted a small wedding, proof that your families know about the marriage and approve of it, and more proof that my relationship is genuine than others might need. If family doesn't know or approve of the marriage, explain why - you can still be approved; CIC knows that not everyone is on good terms with their relatives.
Include lots of photos of the wedding, and make sure it looks like a special occasion. I have also seen cases where the visa officer questioned the bona fides of the marriage because the bride and groom were casually dressed at their civil ceremony. It makes it look like you don't care. So a small ceremony with just a few witnesses can be OK, but still get dressed up, have photos taken, make sure it looks romantic. The bride and groom and the 2 witnesses all casually dressed at the court house just doesn't look as good as the bride and groom and 2 witnesses dressed up on the beach at sunset, even though in both cases it is a small wedding.

 

[kourts]

I'll try my best to make it look special,even though it is special to the two of us making it look that way to others can be hard. as far as proof we are both getting are names tattooed on one another. I know many people are against this but I truly do love her and wouldn't get just anyones name tattooed on me. I hope that is good proof that the marriage and relationship is genuine. =/

 

[quakingaspen]

Hi Kourts! I wish you and your future wife the best. My husband and I were in a similar situation and got married very casually. (It was just us, the officiator, and two witnesses - and yes, we were wearing jeans.) Just be sure to include a lot of evidence that your relationship is genuine, and any and all pictures ro receipts. Explain the situation, and it probably wouldn't hurt to let them know how seriously you take your marriage, and how much you love your wife.

Best of luck!

 

[canadianwoman]

I'll try my best to make it look special,even though it is special to the two of us making it look that way to others can be hard. as far as proof we are both getting are names tattooed on one another. I know many people are against this but I truly do love her and wouldn't get just anyones name tattooed on me. I hope that is good proof that the marriage and relationship is genuine. =/

Include photos of these tattoos and the receipt from the tattoo shop in your application. It's good evidence.

 

[Poetic]

Speaking from experience, we got married at our apartment with just 2 witnessess, and we were both dressed in jeans. We only took 1 picture of us, and we just explained that we cut off all ties with family and just wanted something small.

I'm sure it will be fine as long as you have sufficient proof of everything else.