Wedding Plans - update

Well, on Monday when the UPS office opened I called them to check where our parcel was... they hadn't colleced it for some technical reason.

PANIC SETS IN

I then call the Legalisation Office in the UK and they then told me that the documents had actually been sent back to Alicante on Thursday and so even if UPS had managed to go there, there were no documents!!!!!!

I then called the Consulate and they said they THOUGHT they had them all, but weren't sure and they would call me back. Time was ticking away and it was now almost 1pm. The Consulate called to say, good news, they had all the documents and we could come and collect them. The problem is that it would take more than 30 minutes to get there and they close to the public at 1.30. They said that the would re-open just for us (bloody-well think so as they'd screwed up), and I politely showed my gratitude.

Off we dash. They were true to their word and re-opened just for us. We knew we still needed one more document - proof of where we had lived for the last two years. Well, of course, the Consulate can do this, while we wait, provided we may almost 300 euros. We bit the bullet and coughed up, collected the documents and went home. Opened the wine and beer and collapsed.

We then had to organise our translator and two witnesses to come to Formentera with us on Tuesday, so we went to our local bar and confirmed with our two friends (one owns the bar and the other is a waitress) that they would be ready to come with us for 1pm the next day.

I don't know why, but I decided that I'd go down to the Ayuntamiento this morning around half past ten, just to check that the person who would receive the documents was going to be there. He ALWAYS works from 1pm to 3pm ... except today when he was working from 9.30 until noon. I did a lightening dash back home, grabbed the other half and the paperwork, then off to the bar to collect our witnesses. We got there at 11.00am only to find he'd gone.

Luckily our Spanish witnesses, being local, did some fast-talking and got someone else to check and accept the documentation.

We are now waiting for the Judge to approve it, but I really do believe we are oh so close to completing the paperwork.

So, to recap, all the documentation so far has cost us just over 1000 euros. Yes, we could have got married in Gib or the UK for a lot less, but our hearts are set on marrying in the village we've chosen as our home for the rest of our lives... and the other half says I'm not romantic - what on earth do I have to do to prove it?

Well it will be no surprise to most of you that the Brits are just as beaurocratic as the rest. The paperwork promised in 21 days in now a week overdue.

On Friday I called the Consulate in Alicante (again) and they said that the delay was due to Easter - that means two days public holiday puts everything behind by 5 days. I asked if I could do anything to chase up this stuff and they gave me a number in the UK which I called - the Legalisation Office. They said they had nothing under our names, but that the documents could have been filed under the name of the person who signed the letter at Alicante Consulate. So, back to the Consulate... I called and explained what they had said in the UK and she promised to check and get back to me. This was 10.00am on Friday morning. By midday I was sweating because I know the Consulate shuts at 1.30 and I'd be stewing the whole weekend if I didn't get an explanation.

At 12.15 I got a call back to say that the documents were in the UK; they had been translated and were being posted that day and with luck should be in Alicante by... Wednesday. That was when I freaked out because we plan to return to the UK for a month ... you guessed it ... on Wednesday morning.

Just a quick recap - before we go back to the UK we've got to collect the documents from Alicante, take them back to Formentera (hopefully they won't find anything wrong with them) and then they go off to the local courts for approval. This process doesn't sound too bad, but for the Formentera Ayuntamiento visit we need our translator (I have some Spanish, but it's not good enough to follow a rapid discussion) and two witnesses and these three people need to be notified they day before they are needed.

Back to the Alicante Consulate bit...

I asked them if the documents could be couriered. They said I'd have to call the Legalisaton Office to find out, which I did. They said I could do this but I'd have to arrange it. By this time it was 1pm. So I hit the web and made some calls. UPS could do it for Monday midday delivery, so I paid my money and I've now got my fingers crossed that they'll live up to their promises.

So, today (Monday) we'll be tracking our parcel and hopefully dashing off to Alicante to collect these documents.

I have a feeling of impending doom and I'm now thinking I'll have to send my OH back to the UK on his own and I'll have to stay here to cut through the red tape.

So I'm sharing this with you at the crack of dawn because, surprise, surprise, I can't sleep.