The American Dream

The American Dream, for some of us this is little more than a set of ideals; freedom, prosperity, success, certainly pretty words and an ethos that attracted no shortage of people from all around the world and encouraged them to lay down their roots in the USA. Regardless of whether or not you’re American, you have to admit that there is something very romantic about the notion of a country build on such ideals that would allow the highest of goals and aspirations to be accomplished.

Visiting or even moving to America is a fantastic idea; the number of states and climates means that regardless of what sort of environment you love there is likely to be an area of the USA that will appeal to you. One of the first things you will notice is the diversity, not only of people but of ideas and interests, the selection of strange shops and products that you have never seen anywhere else. Getting around, finding work, finding food and just about anything else is very simple, thanks to this diversity, and people aren’t as begrudging about offering you help as some of the movies would have you believe.

However, when it comes to getting married things in America are not always straight-forward and simple, America is (as we all know) split into different states, and each is governed by its own laws. These laws extend to marriage. When you do find your American Dream Mate and you agree it is time to be married, you’re going to have to do a bit of work before the big day can arrive.

First of all, you will both need to present ID and purchase the marriage license, this can cost anywhere from $20 to $300, depending on which state you are in and even the age of the person you want to marry. While you can, in some states, marry someone who is not yet 18 they will need a parent or guardian present to provide authorisation. Once you have the license you’re not married; you just have permission to get married. In most states, after the acquisition of the license, you have around a month to perform the ceremony and or get a marriage certificate before you have to apply for a new license.

There are of course restrictions in certain areas on more specific matters. Same sex marriage is legal only in a few states, common law marriages are also only acknowledged in a few states. Some states allow cousins to be married, however many do not. Some states even have a restriction on how soon you can get married after getting divorced.

Should you feel concerned about whether or not you will encounter any problems it is always a good idea to do a little research into marriage laws specific to your state.