Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	We Brits are also accused of being too polite. Nay, I say, Americans are just rude. But then you don't call a toilet a toilet. What is up with that?! Edited by Alex & Rachel, 29 April 2008 - 12:08 PM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-29 12:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Blake - True, very true! QUOTE (aravis227 @ Apr 29 2008, 05:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I HATE that!! I also hate the "Well...you need to make sure that he isn't just marrying you to get a green card." He's from Canada...do they even measure visa fraud numbers for immigrants from Canada? Fortunately I've not had the green card line; but it would be equally idiotic to say that to a Brit, too. What do you usually say?! Edited by Alex & Rachel, 29 April 2008 - 12:01 PM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-29 12:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (aravis227 @ Apr 29 2008, 05:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (BlakeandOlha @ Apr 29 2008, 10:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (aravis227 @ Apr 29 2008, 10:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You just need to stop putting yourself under so much stress and you'll feel better." I'm always like "ok, mom...how would you suggest I reduce my stress levels?" This thread is in danger of crossing into unchartered territory that's what webcams are for! Don't I know it! I think my pet peeve is not being considered to be in a 'real' relationship. Or people expressing concern over my marrying because despite having dated for nearly two years we've only physically been together three times. You know, because moving in with your boyfriend after a couple of weeks or getting to shag your girlfriend on Fridays when your parents are out of the house constitutes a more 'valid' relationship. QUOTE (BlakeandOlha @ Apr 29 2008, 05:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Cecile and Bryan @ Apr 29 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does anyone know a witch? Maybe a spell or two would help them go back to work! I actually do - an old girlfriend of mine announced to me that she comes from a long line of witches and would frequently cast spells and perform other such activities. I didn't mind the witch part too much, but when I realized that for her the letters "w" and "b" were freely interchangable, that relationship didn't last long. Blake you're definitely on top form today EDIT: Eek, just noticed my predicted NoA2 date is back in July. Noo! Edited by Alex & Rachel, 29 April 2008 - 11:53 AM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-29 11:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	I'm actually feeling okay. Is that bad to admit to? Of course I miss Alex but by now I've really forgotten what regular physical contact is like so I'm not missing that so much. I still talk to him every day, naturally! I've been so busy with work/family/friends lately that I'm not minding the wait so much any more. Plus Sim houses have been occupying a lot of my time. Ah, if only real-life architecture was so simple!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-28 17:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Of course you may! This thread is open to all, and since you can never guarantee the service centres to go in chronological order you may well expect to receive your NoA2 at the same time as us anyway.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-28 11:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	We've already had two snowfalls this month; normally the UK is lucky to get one, and that's usually in February/early March! sunnybear - oh, I know, I love Lush...but this subdivision of their company I'd not heard of before. Ah! I foresee some make-up being bought at the weekend (and I'm not even a big make-up wearer). Blake - I fully support you working extra slow this week.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-04-28 10:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (JeroenAndMichelle @ Jun 12 2008, 10:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Cecile and Bryan @ Jun 12 2008, 09:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Jeroen, even though that dress doesn't look like a wedding gown, it is just beautiful! And wearing that Hawaii style shirt will complement it very well. Thanks And yeah, it's a bit why we choose for that option (well basically it was my fiance's idea in the first place hehe), its not expensive and looks very nice, especially for the area where we're marrying Michelle is very sensible! Lovely dress, cheap price, and entirely suited to the occasion. Now I have our location, I think my dress will be similar - I wouldn't want to wear anything too big or flouncy. QUOTE (sunnybear @ Jun 12 2008, 10:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> CONGRATS to a 1/31 filer that got approval! Come on CSC get the rest of us January people PUHLEASEEEEE I agree! Dear CSC, please don't forget about sunny! QUOTE (Cecile and Bryan @ Jun 12 2008, 12:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I just received packet 3! and I agree with you Rachel, they certainly don't look very professional. They even crossed out I-864 and manually wrote I-134. Congratulations, though! I expect you'll return yours before I return mine...Alex says 'end of month'. Oh well, I couldn't afford to have the medical or interview this month anyway.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-12 07:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	I do occasionally miss the sea! Congratulations, Ken! Sorry I didn't say so before - I must've missed it. Good luck with the next stages!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 16:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Thanks Blake - my thoughts are the same as yours. I'm also hoping it'll kick me into gear! Aah, I looked at my books and I'm going to have to be quite firm with myself - there are many I'd prefer not to get rid of, but which at the same time I probably won't want to read again. Ken - that sounds like it was pretty awesome! Those prices are amazing, especially for the food! I bet the guests had a fabulous time, too. Sorry to hear the marriage wasn't quite as awesome.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 15:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Two positive points to end the day on: Alex has managed to hire a cabana belonging to a friend of his mother's that can hold 200 people, so it's not only cheap, but we don't have to exclude anyone. I might be moving out of this house! The current situation is: I'm renting a room off housemate whose boyfriend has recently moved in. I've mentioned him before. Anyway, it's been slightly awkward as he's not paying anything towards rent or bills whereas when we initially discussed his moving in my housemate promised we'd split the bills, if not the rent, three ways. Obviously I could do with the money. Now, boyfriend is a permanent house guest but still needs a place to store his belongings, so asked friend if he could rent her room. She's not entirely comfortable with the idea as she's housemate's friend, not his, and it could be awkward if anything happened. Also, it seems a bit needless to rent a room elsewhere that you're not planning to live in and then live in a house where you're unable to contribute towards the bills because you're already paying for a room! The friend is away for six weeks over the summer and would prefer if someone could house-sit for her. So I'm thinking the best solution would be for me to rent off friend, for cheaper (the room is smaller), sell/move my belongings, and clear the room in this house so boyfriend has somewhere to store his stuff. Hopefully a win-win situation all round!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 14:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	That sounds ideal, Blake. A lovely wedding for her, but not too intimidating. Right...I'd best head home. Maybe it's time to look at my belongings and work out what can be sold!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 12:43:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Ah, oh hell - after I've paid for the police certificate and vaccinations that's all my money gone for this month! After that I'll be dipping into my overdraft again. I thought I had a little more...I'm not even counting my phone bill. Have to love this process! The cost of the vaccinations would've at least covered all of my food bills for the rest of this month.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 11:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Jun 11 2008, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> this one place we looked into in Maine required... a $3,000 non-refundable deposit at the time of booking minimum food & beverage purchase for a reception in 2008 is $15,000 (not including tax and gratuity) Room rental fee of $2,500 Ceremony fee of $1,000 and all this with min/max guest requirements Unbelievable! Yet many people will pay those prices without thinking twice about it. I've been to three weddings. I was a bridesmaid for one - my aunt and uncle's. They are both highly-paid professionals and married late in life so they went all out. Everything for me was paid for - tailored dress, shoes, jewellery; I was too young to be made up but my aunt did have a hairdresser and a make-up artists for all of the bridal party. Cars were hired, the venue was a large city cathedral, and I cannot remember much about the reception except that there was plenty of food and that it was a full sit-down dinner. I imagine that did cost quite a bit, but it had all the trimmings and was very well done. QUOTE (dbears @ Jun 11 2008, 04:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess the big chunk of the budget goes to the wedding gown worth $$$$ then to reception and food including cake, then photographer/videographer, etc.... here's an article on wedding budget percentages: http://www.onewed.co...et-percentages/ But if one will do most of the wedding stuff I think you could really cut expenses. Actually from what I've read, at least in the UK, the average price of a wedding dress is really quite modest compared to the other expenses - just £950 (only $1,900!).	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 10:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Welcome back Blake! I (we) miss you! Okay, I know you posted yesterday, but you've still not been online as often. QUOTE (BlakeandOlha @ Jun 11 2008, 03:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Anyway Rachel, I've actually read that it's actually a good idea not to have the honeymoon right after the wedding, but rather at some point later. So much of the focus of the wedding week is placed on the wedding, and certainly by the time the blessed event comes around everyone is probably a little exhausted and frazzled. For these reasons the honeymoon often falls short of the "romantic" expectations and become more of an occasion for sleeping and recouperating rather than on getting the full enjoyment of starting a life off together (it's no longer about introducing one's partner to the joys of devil.gif is it now.... biggrin.gif ). So don't fret if you can't take a "moon" right away, because when you and Alex do so, you will be well rested and ready to have a wonderful time! Very true! Plus my family will still be in the area for a week after the wedding, so I can spend more time with them, instead. Not to mention I am sure there will be parties or dinners to attend (Alex's grandpa's birthday is on the 31st December and his dad's is 1st January). QUOTE (Cecile and Bryan @ Jun 11 2008, 03:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kim, I agree with everything you said QUOTE (BlakeandOlha @ Jun 11 2008, 04:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Good Morning All! Personally, I think the huge mega weddings that cost $30- $45k are kinda rediculous and not about the importance of making a committment to one another - at that level it's more about keeping up with the Jones' rather than making a committment before God and family. Just me though. Good morning Blake! it's good to see you again. Actually, I was wondering how people can spend that much on a wedding. I mean, unless there are some plane tickets involved, or the location is in a very highly expensive castle (or something on these lines), what can make the budget so high? I, too, agree with Kim, and with Blake. I think it is part keeping up with the Joneses, part brainwashing by the media, and part pressure by family/friends. It's not always what the couple themselves want but what they feel they're expected to have, or sometimes they may fall in love with a venue/dress/etc. that's more expensive than they had expected. Cecile - I guess these things just build up! And don't forget that vendors themselves are also cashing in on the wedding business and automatically hike up their costs as soon as they hear that magic word. A small community hall can cost $1,000 easily - go for a larger venue with hired waiters/cleaners and that can reach several thousand. My dad recently rented large sea-front room with a bar attached for his 50th birthday; I believe he paid £900 ($1,800). A guest fell in love with the venue and asked about having a wedding reception there - and they quoted her £5,000 ($10,000)! Many weddings have between 150-300 guests - at, say, $40 a head the food alone can come to $12,000. Cakes cost several hundred. A photographer a couple of thousand. Flowers can cost a couple of thousand too depending on what type you have and how elaborate the arrangements are. Unfortunately it's all too easy to see how the expenses mount up.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 10:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	December 27th! October is feasible - for Alex and me, that is. Not for our family/guests, though. They'd prefer to come at Christmas and I believe my dad is already in the process of booking a place to stay. I may very well fly out on the 2nd or 3rd of October, however. And yes - flight prices drop dramatically once September comes around!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 04:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	The honeymoon is unfortunately not so much a question of money as Alex not being able to have any time off work. He only has 10 days off a year, and they make him book a year in advance, so when he originally thought that the wedding might be in October he booked a week off then. He also had a week off at Easter, so that is all of his holiday time used up! Cecile, I shall definitely have a later honeymoon, although I'm not sure if I'd be able to wait until I had my ten year greencard! dbears - I know! Yet it still feels very far away! Maybe once I've had my interview it will feel closer. I'm still not entirely sure what will happen, whether I'll be able to ship all of my belongings yet or whether I'll have to keep things in storage at my parents'. I'm considering moving out of my current house early (as my housemate's boyfriend is now a permanent guest, yet my bills haven't gone down ) and living more cheaply with another friend (it'd have to be out of my suitcase as she has no space for any of my things).	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 03:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Count me in with the 'budget is under $5,000' people. Well, actually ours is more like $1,000. And we can't have a honeymoon.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-11 03:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (sunnybear @ Jun 10 2008, 11:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok getting a bit bummed and Gareth even more so now that we are seeing February approvals!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I really hope that it is as Cecile says and that you'll receive your approval this week! QUOTE (dbears @ Jun 10 2008, 11:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I can relate to 'plan changes from one day to the next... last month Ricky and I already agreed not to have best man, maid of honor and all that fuzz. We agreed that it will be a very intimate wedding with just me and him and our 3 kids plus his mom and sister and family of his sister..... today, he was talking about getting the measurement of his daughter's bf for the barong (a filipino formal wear for men) and he will be sending it to me so i could go ahead and have it done here.. I was like: "wait, i thought we wouldn't be having all those fuss?" I just want to have an outdoor wedding with a bbq reception and just a licensed Christian minister to perform the ceremony and that's it... now I don't know what he will pop up again next time we talk... I told him we should set the budget and then plan around it and stick with it NOT plan ahead and then have the budget later. sunny, hope you could share ideas for a wedding by the lake (it is actually a park)... but first, I hope you will get that NOA2 soonest. I'm rooting for you!!!! rachel, I am with you.. when the medical and interview seems so close, it will be hard to think of other things... especially big things such as wedding. Sticking to a budget is good! I can fully understand your concerns...fuss isn't me, either! Good luck sorting everything out; I hope it doesn't cause too much stress. sunny - I have NO idea what it is like! But I shall let you know when I do know. Cecile - if it is anything like last December, it will be chilly but bearable outdoors in California if people wear jackets/long sleeves. The temperatures can drop quite sharply after the sun sets, but while the sun is out it is not too cold. It doesn't really rain in December, but later, in January/February, so hopefully it will be sunny. And it won't be as brown or desolate as England gets; this is the park near Alex's house last Christmas:	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-10 06:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Not yet, mostly because at the moment the plans change from one day to the next - it might be better to talk when we both have a more concrete idea of what to do! One week we can't find anywhere and we're going to need to cut down on the number of guests, the next someone has offered us their garden and we can have as many people as we'd like. We still don't even have a firm date, yet, so that's also complicating the planning somewhat. That, and I've been worrying about Packet 3 and vaccinations these past few days.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-10 04:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (sunnybear @ Jun 9 2008, 10:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Blah a slow Monday at CSC it is looking like.....hope some approvals start popping up tonight and tomorrow!!! Went and did more wedding planning today and measured tables for tablecloths etc....fun fun! So much to think about when planning a wedding! Something like that wouldn't even occur to me...	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-10 04:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	RagSwat - more copies of the birth certificate are always a good idea! You never know when you may need them. I've personally got three copies of my birth certificate and I'm going to order three copies of the police certificate, but then I do always like to be extra-safe. Cecile and Kat - hehe, thanks. At least now I know I can pass an American English class! Edited by Alex & Rachel, 09 June 2008 - 08:36 AM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-09 08:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	dbears - sunny - my fingers and toes are most definitely crossed! And you're definitely doing the right thing preparing the affidavit of support now - I only wish I had asked Alex to sort it out earlier. I spent quite a bit of money on printer and photo paper this weekend intending to appropriate my housemate's printer for visa purposes only to discover, after asking her, that her printer hasn't been working properly ever since she got a pen stuck in it. I knew I should've asked her about it before buying the paper! Oh well. I can print out the forms at work but I can't do photos as we have no colour printers here. Apart from that the nurse at my doctors' surgery is most helpful and I should be getting the HPV vaccine and TDaP/polio next week no problem. I also get to send off for the police certificate today! By the way - Alex got a B on the essay I helped write - his highest mark of the course so far. Not bad for 3 hours' rushed work!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-09 07:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (RagSwat @ Jun 9 2008, 06:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rachel, what is your fiance gonna fill for question 10. and 11. on the I134 affidavit of support? He's going to copy what is on the example form here. QUOTE had a problem with my birth certificate, I have only copies. I guess the registarar in India only provide copies. I am trying again to get an original. Well, no one ever actually has their 'original' birth certificate as this is the birth certificate that is kept by the government. What you are thinking of in terms of 'original' and 'certified copy' mean the same thing - i.e. a copy obtained from the registrar should be automatically a certified copy. A normal copy would just be a photocopy you yourself made of the certified copy. Does that make sense? QUOTE One more problem is my fiance is working part time and paid hourly basis, though she earns around 30000$ annually, her employers say they can ony quote per hour rate on her employment letter. Though she has her time sheets from the company, we are really confused what to write for annual salary . Anyways her dad is co sponsoring and filling out for sme 100K$ annually which should help us out. He runs a consultancy firm, so another question is whether it is enough to show 3 yrs of tax return for him. Hmm, I would probably work out how much she earns per annum, then write that figure down and perhaps include your working out in brackets? So '$29,120 (35 hours per week at $16 per hour)', for example.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-09 03:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Happy Birthday sunny! Aw, sounds like you are having fun. And a digital camera - what a great present! And not entirely without use for your man. Alex can't get the affidavit of support to me for at least another week. However, I can finally send off for the police certificate tomorrow (managed to corner my teacher friend to sign the photos and form for me) and I bought printer paper and photo paper so that I can download and print off the forms and also print out passport-sized photos (since I'm sure I can do a better job than the ones I had done 'professionally' )	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-08 10:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Herolmounia - yes. E_Dude had an RFE on the 7th May and was approved the 29th May. Sorry to hear that you have not heard back from VSC yet.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 16:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Yes! And about three and a half weeks from NVC receiving my petition. It was exciting to see the envelope stamped with 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' and 'Official Business' underneath. Until now I'd not seen any of the letters (NoA2, NVC letter) or e-mails that have been sent by USCIS and getting the information second-hand from Alex just isn't quite the same! Opening the packet was less exciting. Geez, they could at least print on good-quality paper and refrain from using Comic Sans (! It was used for 'where to have American-size passport photos taken), don't you think? Edited by Alex & Rachel, 06 June 2008 - 01:50 PM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 13:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	I received Packet 3. It's good to see how cheap and unprofessional it looks. The letters are addressed 'Dear SURNAME, FIRST NAMES' and aren't signed, and I didn't realise that they didn't send the forms to you - you have to print them out yourself. Good to see it reached the London embassy safely, though!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 13:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (rachbel @ Jun 6 2008, 10:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hello evrybody, Congartulations to all the new approvals from CSC:) our case was touched 05/06/2008 , aww,hope it's a sign of approval...we filed since December, NOA1 issued only on the 1st February, so we are lost between decemeber january and februday filers.... I hope it's a sign of approval too! My touch was. At the very least you know that your petition isn't lost. And that just means you can post in all three December, January and February filer threads!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 04:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Haha - whoops! How embarrassing, I've been spelling it wrong all this time. I'm usually really careful to try and get names right, too! I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall last night and it's filmed almost entirely in Hawaii and so I was thinking of you! I must admit I was feeling a little envious! Alex has switched from an evening/night shift to a day shift. This means I get to talk to him less often, but hopefully if the schedule sticks it'll be a lot better for when I'm actually in the US. Edited by Alex & Rachel, 06 June 2008 - 04:41 AM.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 04:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	HUUUUGE congratulations to Alet & Cesar, Jereon and Michelle and Thomas & Michelle! sunny - now that Jereon has been approved all of my good wishes can be concentrated on you next! QUOTE (KimandRuss @ Jun 5 2008, 12:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rachel, we went from that intimate beachside wedding to the big 'to-do' with hundreds of people because Russell's family decided they would fly up from NZ to see us married. It actually weighed pretty heavily on us because it's not what either of us wanted but we were willing to adjust our plans to accomodate them. BUT, after a long talk with his family this weekend, we've decided on the intimate ceremony now and promised a big blow out next spring when airfare is cheaper for them (it's extremely expensive to fly to/from nz) and after we have more time to plan/save..etc. We are quite happy about this as you can imagine! Even though it was a tad frustrating to me, the way I saw it at the time was how much they must love him to want to be there! I'm sure Alex's family feels the same. They want to share in his/your joy and celebrate your new lives together. Still, I couldn't help but worry about when, where and how we'd pay for it so soon after his arrival. I hope it all sorts itself out for you and that you find the day magical regardless of how it's done. Thanks Kim! Yes; that's how I was viewing it, as a compliment that his family would want to be there. As it is we may be going back to the intimate ceremony anyway - Alex couldn't book the venue after all. I think we just haven't given enough notice. His family get together every Christmas anyway so they can always wish us well then. QUOTE (Cecile and Bryan @ Jun 5 2008, 01:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Even though I agree with the bolded sentence, I don't think you should let them decide everything for you. This is your wedding, not Alex's parents' wedding. Of course, don't tell them: "No, it's not what we want, we want the informal backyard wedding and you can't change that". But you should tell them that you don't feel comfortable with this big formal wedding. If you talk together, you can try to compromise. ok for inviting that many people but not ok to have the big dancing thing. You just can't let them plan everything. You are going to feel like a doll that can't say anything, placed in the middle of a ceremony orchestrated by somebody else. Talk with them. You are right; I have been e-mailing his mother but could still probably be a little more proactive. Sometimes I do want to help and sort things out and other times I feel like I just don't care and want to leave it all up to them - but then I can't complain when things aren't what I'd like.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-06 03:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	I'm sorry that I can't go over there personally and prod them into working faster. What I can do is point out that very, very, very few petitions ever get lost (and the only cases I've seen of them being lost have been in the very beginning, in the post or when it is accidentally sent to another service centre) and that CSC in particular tends not to touch a file until the day it is going to be approved. So please don't worry in that regard; I am positive that your petitions have not been lost! I know it's tough but they are officially working on November still and we are certainly still seeing November filers being approved. For example. Unfortunately we have to view January approvals as still being a 'bonus' at this stage. *hugs* I can't imagine how hard it is for you, and I really hope that your approvals come any day now.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-05 06:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Uuuugh so the quiet, informal backyard wedding has been upped to a sit-down occasion at a local community hall, and now Alex's parents are suggesting we should have dancing.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-05 05:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Congratulations Blake! I am so, so happy for you!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-04 15:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Congratulations Heather! I did wonder if that touch signified an approval! CSC touches usually seem to mean something...it's VSC's that don't. I'm crossing my fingers that estadia's recent touch was also a good sign.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-04 10:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	I'd say end of June. A lot can happen in two months! I'm sorry you're so stressed, sunny. Big, big hugs. I wish I could give you my NoA2! Ugh, wedding plans...I don't even really want to hear the word 'wedding' at the moment.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-03 19:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (estadia @ Jun 3 2008, 11:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I know im not a jan filer but i got a touch today too man i hope they approve it pretty soon I hope so too!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-03 17:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	QUOTE (dbears @ Jun 3 2008, 10:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You are soo right about the stress of leaving your home country and your family and friends... I still have 3 months here and I am starting to have mix feelings.. I am happy that I will be with the man I love and be with him for the rest of my life and yet I am sad to be leaving my family and friends here.. I also have the fear that once I leave, I won't be able to see my father alive ever again which add to my torn feelings. Well, at least he is showing health progress since his last hospitalization compared to a few months back. I just have to think that my father is a fighter, always been a fighter so I guess he still have years and decades to live. Re new letter of intent, I do not know if it is a requirement in the US embassy in your country but in the Philippines it is not, though I did bring a new letter of intent from Ricky addressed to the US embassy in Manila during my interview but they never asked for it.. i have not encountered anybody who was asked for a letter of intent here.. but of course it might be different in your home country. If the new letter of intent will make you feel more comfortable and confident for the interview then I would say, go ask for a new one specifically addressed to the USembssy in france. Loads of luck and God's blessings always. I am sure that your father will live to see you again! I think quite a few of us have either elderly or ill parents or grandparents that we are having to leave behind, but hopefully we will all receive our AP in due time and will be able to visit our homes soon. I've heard mixed views on the letter of intent for the London embassy. Usually a renewed one is only required if your NoA2 has expired (an interview more than four months after receiving the NoA2) but recently someone was required to submit a letter of intent that was less than a month old even though their NoA2 had not expired! So I'm requesting that Alex post-date one to send to me, and now I'm wondering what address I should use, too. Good morning! Let's hope this week brings more approvals than last week; although CSC did not perform too badly last week I like to think they can always do better.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-03 10:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Poor Pam! And that seems to be the problem with most things these days - bureaucracy. Reminds me of when my boss accidentally cancelled our internet/fax line. My boss was sent back and forth between companies, then between different departments in the same company, each time having to explain the situation all over again, and it was only six months and many, many expensive bills later that he finally managed to sort everything out. Argh! I am so sorry no one could help you. I think we'll just have to give our embassies another week or so; I don't think anyone else has received Packet 3 yet, either. It is just one long wait after another! At least it's not just me whose hormones are all screwy, then.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-02 12:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	No, I've been off the pill since January. I'll probably put it down to stress, but usually when I'm stressed it ends up being late!	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-02 09:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?	Well I guess it's good for those people who have to get 5 or 6 shots! It's a shame that you couldn't get the HPV vaccine included, though! 27 years of age seems such an arbitrary cut-off point. And thank you for the well-wishes! There are filers approved before us who I also hope get their interview date very soon. Really, any January CSC filer receiving an interview date will be a milestone for this thread! Ugh...my period just started and I only had one two weeks ago. I'm used to 5-6 weeks between periods; it's often late, but never early. Never been less than 4 weeks. Plus I feel a little woozy. I've checked and neither of those things is listed as a side effect of the MMR so, uh, maybe I'll blame the visa process on playing havoc with my hormones.	Alex & Rachel	Female	England	2008-06-02 09:00:00