Post dating license

That wouldn't be possible in my state. A marriage license is issued and must be used within 20 days from issue. The officiant has 10 days to submit the completed license or a marriage cert is not issued and the marriage is not legalized.

Post dating a legal document is generally against the law. You can have the ceremony and reception on the 10th, but not complete the license until the 25th. Your officiant would need to sign it on the 25th to solemnize the marriage along with the signatures of your witnesses. Don't just fudge the date though.

@Reggie: nope. In the real world, the marriage is when two people are actually considered married. Here in reality, that's done through a ceremony and the finalization of the marriage license. That's how it works. You can have all the symbolic ceremonies you want, but I want to see you try to use that as grounds to make final decisions for your SO should they become incapacitated, file taxes jointly, or collect social security benefits in the tragic event of a death. I think then you'll be pretty damn glad that you didn't just have a ceremony, but also signed that "piece of paper."

If you TRULY view the marriage license that way, you're saying you see marriage as disposable.

Eta: I would like to add, the RELATIONSHIP makes the marriage, but the license makes it real. What you're saying is akin to pretending you're a cat all your life and insisting others playing along. It's all good and well for you, but it still doesn't mean that you're actually a cat when it comes down to it. Reality has its place. Visit it sometime.

Hardly. Just because I don't think that the moment of filling out the paperwork is the moment of getting married I don't think that had anything to do with marriage being disposable. I think the paperwork needs to be done I just don't think it really is that critical that is happens at the exact same time as the ceremony. The paperwork is the legal marriage. It's not the spiritual marriage, the religious marriage, etc. These can coincide but they don't for everyone. Honestly thinking it has to be done at once is typically a pretty American POV (though also exists elsewhere). In many countries the legal portion is often or always done separately. When people are "considered" married as you put it really varies. It isn't always just when the paperwork is filed, that's just your criteria.

I also think it's funny that we both agree that OP's idea probably wasn't the best and yet you took it as a chance to start an argument. We have different opinions here and that's ok. I'm never going to think the way you do and v/v. Considering that our opinions don't affect each other I think that's ok and will choose not to hassle you over something we have already discussed and clearly don't agree on.

I don't know where you live but where we are in Ontario your marriage license has the date that you get it on it, you then have 90 days to get married. On your wedding day your officiant, you, your spouse and 2 witnesses sign and date the certificate. All the dates must match. I've been a witness twice. Talk to your officiant, legally this most likely cannot be done.

OP - use the 25th as your dating anniversary. The overwhelming majority of people don't remember or celebrate that, but my first date with DH was almost 25 years ago and he takes me out to dinner every year on that date. He has it on his radar before it hits mine. Our 20th wedding anniversary is in October. I have NO problem whatsoever celebrating how much we love each other a little extra.

Our dating anniversary is October 6th but we are getting married on October 1st. I would never consider committing fraud because of a silly date. Your wedding anniversary will be way more important and worth celebrating than a dating anniversary.

I'm just jumping to say that from the title, I thought this was some sort of promise ring/commitment ceremony scenario. "We're more than dating, but we're not ready to get married yet. Is there some way to commemorate that during our ceremony like a "post dating" license of sorts?" When I saw it was about federal fraud for the sake of a dating anniversary, it was almost a sigh of relief.

@nikki always go with your gut instinct. You had a feeling it was a bad idea and it is. Now you have two special days to celebrate if you want to

It's not just silly, it's probably illegal. You don't alter or lie on official documents.

You don't need to plan your wedding on a special date, the date of your wedding becomes special because it's the date of your wedding. It totally trumps the date of your first date/engagement.

@Reggie regardless of people's religious beliefs, marriage is a civil union. That's a fact. Yes, there are some who want the government out of the marriage market, but for the time being, in the United States, marriage is a civil union. As @mna said, try using religious belief to take advantage of marriage laws sometime -- it won't happen. That's because without the piece of paper, you are not married in the United States. Again, that's a fact, not an opinion.

No officant worth their black pens is going to do a fake marriage for you. You either have to be married already (i do plenty of these, for various reasons, but that's another thread) or get married on the day.

Just get married on the 10th already. Don't screw with legalities and don't even consider an officiant who would go along with it.

This is no different the destination brides who get married in the states before or after!!!

Let me understand. You want to marry your best-friend on the date you guys started dating? That cute. We wanted to do that too. Are you able to have the "celebration" after you get the "marriage license".

NO Ebonie, it is not the same. She wants to get married on the 10th and get the documents changed to say the 25. Not cool.

@Ebonie this IS different. People who have DWs get legally married before they leave or after they come back and the dates on their licenses reflect the day the legal part happens. You can't fudge a legal document. You have to take an OATH to get it issued to you. Altering the date means you run the risk of being charged with perjury.

I'm gonna go with your family and friends and say it's a stupid idea.

If it's that Important to have that date on your marriage license, either have a court house wedding then and have a reception later, or move the wedding to be after that date. Seriously, don't lie on a legal document. If you ever got caught, it would have serious implications.

If the 25th is so important, why not just get married by a JOP???

Thats kinda crazy...forge a legal document...I think not!

I don't understand when people have this overwhelming need to maintain their dating anniversary as their married anniversary. For one, it's just a day on the calendar. Two, why not add a new anniversary into the mix! If your dating anniversary is so important, you can still celebrate it if you want. Not only is forging the date on the license a horrible idea, but it also won't matter because everyone that you know and attends your wedding is going to refer to your anniversary as the 10th. And you know that your actual wedding anniversary will be the 10th. It doesn't matter what the license says.

I get why you want to do this but I agree that its probably not a good idea. Depending on the laws of the state doing this could render the document null and void and then you really have problems. They both will be within the same month so you can still celebrate both together. I know very few couples who every year celebrate anniversaries on the actual date, except for maybe milestone years.