After two years of long-distance dating, followed by three years of living together, my fiancee and I finally became Mr. and Mrs. Sublight.
We went down to the local city office with all our paperwork (passports, signatures of two witnesses, statement from the U.S. embassy that I’m not already married, application to create a new family register in my name, etc.), handed everything over to the clerk sitting behind the counter and waited. After about half an hour, the clerk gave us back our passports and said, “ok, you’re all set.”
No photos, no congratulations, not even a piece of paper saying we’re married. Kind of an anticlimax, really.
So now it’s my wedding night and I’m sitting in front of the computer posting to a message board. Why? Partly because we both have to go to work tomorrow morning, but mostly because of the mother-in-law who has her futon spread out next to our bedroom until next week.
Hey, that’s great! Where did you tie the knot? I got married at the Toshima-ku Kuyakusho in Tokyo at lunch time. Don’t know if it is still the same, but 8 years ago, there was only one form for both marriage and divorce, you just ticked the appropriate box.
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Man I loved that.
Anyhoo, all the best for your married life together.
12hazel, It’s not so much that the in-laws affect my behavior, but my wife’s. Oh well, this is what love hotels were made for.
China Guy, our local office was the Setagaya-ku kuyakusho. I think in our case as well, it wasn’t so much a marrige application but just a general “change of family register” form. I suppose if we waited, we could have taken care of it like a shopping list. “Marriage? check. Birth? check. Death? Yep, two of those, check. Disownment? Hmm, that’s a new one, have to give a try some time.”
ratty, it took me a few minutes to figure out what you meant, but yes, thanks to all the support from the other Doper standers, she’s agreed to overlook my aberrant behavior.
