Getting married is a beautiful thing. It is the recognition of finding your one true love, it is the moment you commit your life to someone else, it is that moment when you say to your partner we have made it, you can trust me completely, I am yours forever. It is kind of a big deal basically. Marriage is also fantastic from an administrative point of you. Being legally married entitles you and your partner to a number of tax breaks that would be foolish to miss out on. There are only two “downsides” to marriage. One is the associated cost, which although incredibly expensive is one of the most special moments of your life and should be celebrated as such. The second is that the marriage is officially recognized. While this may not matter to most people, to others it is a reason not to get married.
Once you get married it will become official in government documents. This means that your marriage is on file in the government system. Anyone who requests the information will be able to access it. For those people who enjoy privacy in their lives, this can be an obstacle. There are some celebrities who shy away from the limelight when it comes to their personal lives and although they can keep a lot hidden they usually struggle to hide this fact. Reporters are great investigators and will always find out about a marriage that is being kept quiet.
Some people don’t want to be found. Whether someone has had a tough past that they are trying to escape or simply prefers to stay off government records, not everyone is delighted to be in a publicly accessible document. Marriage is an unavoidable one.
The reasons are clear. When you get married it may be simply as a symbol of your partnership but there are legal benefits too. Insurance companies have pricing available for married couples that offer benefits other relationships can’t get. If someone has to go to a hospital often only a legal family can visit, if you are not married you may not be allowed to enter. If one of the couple dies and does not have a will made, the other person will not automatically get the belongings. Clearly a marriage license is important for technical reasons as well as romance.
There are some options available to people who want to get married but would not like it to appear on public records. You could choose to enter a civil partnership. Before gay marriage was legalized this was one of the only options available to same sex couples. While it doesn’t offer all of the same rights as marriage, it does offer many. If you really need to keep your name out of the public records then this could be a good option.
Another option is to get married overseas. The majority of countries will recognize the marriage of another country but not enter it in public records. This is a relatively easy option to ensure you reap the benefits of marriage but not the negative consequences. Just be careful to check that your marriage is legally recognized. Many people get married overseas now and find out much later that they are not recognized as a legal couple in their home country.
Clearly marriage is a beautiful and important thing. For many people, the marriage license and public record is just another positive record of a very special day. Signing that legal document is more meaningful to some couples than taking vows in a church. For others, however, the public record is something that is putting them off. Luckily there are some options available.
