Does a small wedding look bad?

[missinghim]

For ppl together 5 yrs - surely they want to see a lot more proof of this..proof of how relationship developed n how its continuing- more than just wedding proof. They could of had a big wedding 5 yrs ago LOTS of proof but their relationship is dead now, has been for last few yrs - not much proof of it continuing etc How do u think VO will look at this. Each case is unique.

But for ppl who get married then sponsor immediately n live apart during this whole time then i think the wedding proof is big.it could b the only thing they have or the biggest evidence of a genuine marriage.

Small weddings can b grand just like big weddings..You just have to make it special!

i think it does matter who the person is; are they religious, adhere to their cultural norms, where they live, their personality,,etc on whether they will have big or small wedding. U just have to explain all of this in ur app. And they do ask if family attended and if not, why.

 

[whoopsydaisy]

But for ppl who get married then sponsor immediately n live apart during this whole time then i think the wedding proof is big.it could b the only thing they have or the biggest evidence of a genuine marriage.

You've got an extremely good point here, missinghim! Thank you for that.

 

[missinghim]

np =)

 

[Hello121]

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?

I had a large wedding in Cambodia to my wife but my family from Canada could not make it. My mother is 62 and doesnt like to fly anymore and my brother had just started a new job(was still in his 1st 3 months).

Would it be a good idea to send a letter from my mom in our application with her explaining that she is happy we were married and looks forward to meeting my wife as well?

 

[Baloo]

Would it be a good idea to send a letter from my mom in our application with her explaining that she is happy we were married and looks forward to meeting my wife as well?

It would be extra information (proof), I would include it.

 

[canadianwoman]

I had a large wedding in Cambodia to my wife but my family from Canada could not make it. My mother is 62 and doesnt like to fly anymore and my brother had just started a new job(was still in his 1st 3 months).

Would it be a good idea to send a letter from my mom in our application with her explaining that she is happy we were married and looks forward to meeting my wife as well?

Just explain why your relatives couldn't come to the wedding. A letter from your mother is very good evidence, so I also think you should include it.

 

[clubcanada]

basically the size of the wedding does not really matter - even in cultural environments that have large weddings. it's the overall picture that counts. If you have a sound and convincing story, noone cares about the size of the wedding nor the reception. In other words, the size of the wedding is not going to be the show stopper nor will it help to prove your case.
My wife and I didn't even have a ceremony nor any kind of reception or party - it was a simple informal civil marriage registration in my wife's country even without any relatives or friends - as it had to be in the provincial captial as I am foreigner in my wife's country a couple of thousand kms away from friends and family. The reason was simply because my parents live in Europe hers in Asia (1,000 km away from where she currently resides) and I live in Canada. We want to do the plan together how and where the wedding/party is going to be. No questions asked and no doubts raised. My wife just got her visa.
But keep in mind every story is different...

 

[missinghim]

I like what clubcanada said: "it's the overall picture that counts. If you have a sound and convincing story, noone cares about the size of the wedding nor the reception. In other words, the size of the wedding is not going to be the show stopper nor will it help to prove your case".

It can be a scam if someone puts together a large wedding too. More so i think because everyone knows thats what immigration wants..a large wedding,

I read a refusal and marriage fraud case where the VO noticed as hes looking at wedding pics frm different files, that guests were the same. It turns out 5 or 6 apps were scams,someone was paying off someone ele to supply "guests" and fake relatives to make "nice pics".

Anyways i think u should have the wedding u want an dforget immigration. Its ur special day. And the wedding is only 1 day more in certain cultures butmore importantly show how ur relationship was continued. 1 day of wedding proof wont get u a visa!! Like i said maybe if u met online one day n then married one month later when u first visited the person then the wedding proof will need to be substantial. But so will that 1 mth before n any time after before u submitted ur app.

U can have civil wedding n make it special too. Dont ask should i ahve a small or big wedding..what do u want to have? Are u getting married for the visa then if u r then think abot what immigration will want lol.

 

[chelley]

I think that for some offices/ cultures a small or private wedding wouldn't be an issue, but there are still cultures that would consider this unlucky, improper and all sorts of other negative connotations.. Many areas of india come to mind...

I have a Canadian friend who married an Indian girl (who I believe is a Canadian citizen, lived here most her life) and they had a traditional (Hindu I think) ceremony and a Christian ceremony, their wedding took a week and a half lol and was the most elaborate thing I've ever experienced... She said that her family would not look at her as married if all the traditions and rituals were not followed... It didn't happen...

I work for an Indian owned company and have many friend/ coworkers who are Indian and whenever they show wedding pictures it's always of very large/long events (2-3 or more days, many many different aspects to the ceremony)... Even those who say "it was a small wedding" the events still looked huge (and complicated! ) to me... For those of lesser status (it's still very much a status thing there...) the outfits are less flashy, the food may not be as gourmet, but all of the rituals are still followed and the guest list is high for some of these elements..

In this case, a small (short) private ceremony within the culture is really not the norm at all and would likely warrant an interview from a VOs standpoint to see why the norm has been deviated from... This would also be true from other middle eastern cultures and areas of Africa (esp Muslim areas, where again weddings are large/long events involving many details)... This would also of course be looked at in the case of "arranged marriages" which are acceptable to CIC providing the applicant can demonstrate that it is the norm within their family...

Things get into a grayer area when mixing cultures and such... Some VOs will look at the overall picture, where others actually may be more skeptical about the relationship because of the differences.. I imagine the age of technology we live in that has made it possible to meet and connect (for love or more sinister reasons, known or not to both parties), has made the VOs job increasingly more difficult!!! Things must have been so much easier for them 20-30 years ago!!!

That aside, to those with simple, cross border (US) relationships or the like, a small wedding, with all other relationship documentation in line, should yield positive results... With my wedding we didn't even know the witnesses... Since we were married in his country, i thought they might inquire as to why his family was not in attendance, but they did not, we were processed quite quickly without issue.

Good luck

 

[fox82]

i dont think it is problem ,,,as u can prove it is genuin marriage ,, send pics with families letters between both u emils , phone bills shows ur calls etc

 

[clubcanada]

again, every couple has their own story to tell. if you have a sound explaination why you had a small wedding, that should be fine. It must be plausible and the context must be convincing. My wife and I have had only a civil registration in her country so far (only the two of us) even though in her culture it's common to have a large wedding and in mine the size tends to be medium - at least a small ceremony is a must. But we pro-actively brought this up and provided plausible reasons for our situation. this was no problem at all.

 

[rjessome]

again, every couple has their own story to tell. if you have a sound explaination why you had a small wedding, that should be fine. It must be plausible and the context must be convincing. My wife and I have had only a civil registration in her country so far (only the two of us) even though in her culture it's common to have a large wedding and in mine the size tends to be medium - at least a small ceremony is a must. But we pro-actively brought this up and provided plausible reasons for our situation. this was no problem at all.

Excellent advice! The key to overcoming a potential red flag is to address it at the outset of the application and provide answers to any questions or concerns a visa officer may have. Don't leave them guessing as it will potentially lead to delays and/or an interview.