Residency Period

Planning a destination wedding? You'll run into the term "residency period" in your research, whether you're planning a wedding outside the country or just in another state.

The residency period is the length of time the two of you will need to "reside" at the destination before you can be married. Some destinations have no residency period, allowing you to arrive and get married in the same day. Other destinations, such as France and the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, have very long residency periods, making it just about impossible to marry unless you are marrying a resident. (Those destinations can make great place for vow renewals, though. And some couples have a vow renewal just days after they've had a simple civil ceremony back home, considering the vow renewal their "real" wedding...sometimes keeping the fact that they're already married secret from their guests!)

Related terms: Destination weddings