Advice about marrying UK citizen in the US?

[Mell]

My UK boyfriend is coming over to the US to marry me in September. He doesn't have a fiance visa, he'll be coming into the country as a regular visitor. We'll then be filing an application for a UK spouse visa (for me) and he'll then be returning to the UK, where we plan to live. I'll follow him over there as soon as my UK spouse visa comes through.

I know it would be illegal for my boyfriend to come into the US as a visitor and then marry me if he was intending to immigrate to the US (he'd have to apply for a fiance visa in that circumstance), but a US Immigration brochure on the subject says it is lawful for him to do so if his intent is to marry me and then leave the country again. Which is what he's planning to do.

(Here's the exact wording: "It is not appropriate for your fiancé(e) to enter the U.S. as a visitor with the intent to marry you and remain to try to become a permanent resident. It is appropriate, however, to enter as a visitor to have the wedding in the U.S. and then return to a foreign
residence for further processing for U.S. immigration as a spouse.
You should come prepared with proof of your clear intentions in
this regard.)

I'm writing to ask if anyone here has done this, and what kind of proof he needs to bring with him? His mother and daughter will be coming over for the wedding too. Does anyone know if they'll need to carry some kind of proof as well -- and if so, what kind? His mother is elderly, and I'd like to try to avoid any unpleasantness with Immigration officials for her sake by having all our papers in proper order.

[yankeegirl]

I did this in 2007. I'm the US citizen and my husband is Irish. He had all the paperwork I was going to need for the visa application (bank statements, letter from employer, house rental agreement and so on) which also served as proof of his ties to the UK. The IO he got when he entered never even asked for any of it, but make sure your boyfriend has the proof of planning to return to the UK in case they do want to see it.

[Marco 72]

I did that in 2005 (I'm the non-USC). I had the paperwork which my soon-to-be wife was going to use for her visa application after the wedding. Bringing a letter from your employer is also a good idea. He shouldn't show any of this to the immigration officer unless they ask him, and he shouldn't volunteer any information (e.g. if they ask him about the purpose of his visit, it's ok to say "pleasure").

[Mell]

Thank you!!!