How to get married out of state?

[viktor77]

Hello, I've been relentlessly searching Google for guides on how to get married out of state but I cannot find anything comprehensive, so I thought I'd ask to see if anyone has firsthand experience.

My partner and I want to plan for a 2015 summer wedding. We currently have legal residence in Michigan, but there is no possibility that the courts will have gay marriage legal in Michigan by then (there is an appeal right now but it will be appealed to the Supreme Court which always takes its sweet time and we don't want to wait til 2016). There are 4 states around us where marriage equality is legal, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Pennsylvania. I read online that we should hire an attorney before deciding on a state? Then the thought is, have my partner and I and our witnesses go to that state, to a county within that state, hire an officiant and legally marry. Then come back to Michigan and hold a ceremony with a purely ceremonial officiant. Does that seem like the general course of events for these sorts of things? Thank you!

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Well a lawyer type person will know the individual state laws, or know how to look and read those as to how they apply to out of staters.

Until Michigan at the very least recognizes out of state gay marriages, your marriage will not have any legal impact unless Michigan state law gives it such.

Hiring an attorney is a good idea if we are talking about prenuptials and such. About the only good one will do you beyond that is explaining how your out of state marriage is viewed by Michigan and how your legal rights are applied.

I have no idea how up to date the wikipedia is on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_ma...ted_States

From what I have seen via a quick google, right now you may be legally married in one of those states, but as soon as you cross into Michigan you lose those rights as Michigan appears to not recognize gay marriages via other states currently.

That may have changed - again this is all moving hella fast and changing all the time so a lawyer type may be able to give you more accurate up to date information.

[Adam]

OK, what you need to do is google same sex marriage by specific state to find out their requirements. For instance, my state, Massachusetts, allows non-residents to marry, and there's no waiting period. Go to city hall, get your license, and you can be married immediately. New Hampshire is the same. So get a list of the states that allow gay marriage and check out each one individually.

That being said, your marriage will not to recognized as valid in Michigan.

Good luck and Congratulations!!

[viktor77]

Thank you. At some point in the future I will end up changing my address to Illinois so I will be legally married. My partner who is currently in Wisconsin will only be half married until he joins me in Illinois. That'll be another mess, as it is cheaper tax-wise to stay a resident of Michigan while I am in Illinois for school, but we will not be fully legally married staying Michigan residents....

[50Plus]

Don't overlook crossing the border and coming north to Canada.

Gay marriage is legal from coast to coast to coast in our fair land.

[Adam]

Thank you. At some point in the future I will end up changing my address to Illinois so I will be legally married. My partner who is currently in Wisconsin will only be half married until he joins me in Illinois. That'll be another mess, as it is cheaper tax-wise to stay a resident of Michigan while I am in Illinois for school, but we will not be fully legally married staying Michigan residents....

The laws are ridiculous. My best friends husband has to transfer from Boston to Washington DC for work. They wanted to relocate in Virginia, just outside DC, but same sex marriage is banned there. They have 2 kids and don't want to face all the complications, so are looking to move to Maryland instead. DC has same sex marriage, but they hated it when they lived there before.

It just seems wrong that people can't live where they want because of these stupid laws.