German Thoroughness & Marriage

In case any of my friends or family have been sleeping under a rock - Fabian and I got married on May 3, 2014! We had a wonderful celebration in Neier, Missouri with tons of friends and family - 20 guests came over from Germany and we had about 100 more Americans. It was a bilingual ceremony followed by a really fun dinner and dance party. Thanks again to all who joined us! Here are a few photos:

I went to the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt to change my name on my passport yesterday, so we're almost all official on the American side of things. Unfortunately, there are a few steps we've got to take in order to get our marriage registered in Germany.

First of all, I need something called an "apostille," an internationally-organized document from the Missouri Secretary of State, certifying that the Franklin Country Recorder of Deeds is, in fact, legitimately qualified to issue and sign marriage licenses. Apparently we should have gotten this from Jeff City before we flew home. Woops! After that, we have to send the whole thing off to Stuttgart and get it translated by a government-approved translator from a specific list (which is not cheap). Then, finally, we can go back to the Steinheim city hall and prove that Fabi and I are married. Then they have to sit me down, give me short lecture on German name law, and have me sign extra separate documents for the name change, which I need in order to prove to my bank, my employers, and the German tax office that I'm no longer called "Eschbacher." And then around September, I have to apply for my first spouse visa, which should be valid for 3 years, and then.... FINALLY... I won't have to worry about documentation again for a while!