I've heard stories about Mormons (mainly BYU students) who to go Las Vegas and get married just so they can have "approved" sex, who then have the marriage annulled. Is there any truth to this? If so, does it affect their standing in the church?

Urban Legend say I.

I think there's legit history to this. Googling it a bit seems to provide enough personal experience with these sorts of things, including: http://utefans.net/basketball/2000/moral_sex_at_byu.html.

Even if this is an urban legend, there's so much sexual deviancy at BYU. From "hovering" to anal-sex-isn't-sex, it's crazy. I am always amazed at what I find out from other 20-somethings about the sex scene at BYU.

...and then this, from BabyCenter (which I've come to realize is a site that holds some bit of fascination to members of this board).

http://community.babycenter.com/post/a19473765/so_byu_students_who_go_to_vegas_to_get_married_and_then_annul_after_the_honeymoon?cpg=6&csi=2088812396&pd=0

I'm not so sure that Baby Center is a site that carries a lot of credibility, however.

I just recently had this conversation. Did we meet each other at a park?

Right. Like you can walk into a 7-11, plunk down $5, and have your marriage annulled.

It is a court proceeding, much like a divorce. It is expensive and time consuming, and there is a public record. Plus the public record of the marriage.

Show me the public records of anyone who has done this. Otherwise, I consider it an urban legend.

An annulment is not an expensive legal proceeding in Vegas. There are drive through wedding chapels that will provide a free annulment within 24 hours...they basically just cancel the wedding and don't even complete the marriage license application.

I would bet that this has been done by BYU students.

I have a cousin that attended BYU. He told me that three people in his ward were excommunicated for running to Vegas,marrying,doing the deed then getting it annulled. He was joking about it telling me that he was a little hurt that no one invited him.

I think there is some truth to it and that it at least has happened several times. From the bizarre stories about sex that I have heard coming from BYU it isn't the weirdest I have heard.This leads me to believe that there is some truth to it.

To me the more interesting question would be which came first, the act, or the urban legend?

I could easily see someone making this up, then as it spreads someone thinks it's actually pretty clever and goes through with it.

And from the looks of things, it'll cost you no more than the expense of a notary to get the quicky annullment: http://www.clarkcountycourts.us/shc/Annulment/self_help_annulment.htm

Hmmm, maybe it is easier than I thought. Still, anyone who makes the claim, you should be able to check the paper trail. This still seems like the weird sort of thing a certain type of BYU student would lie/brag about.

Besides, if they got caught, do you think this would really stop the Honor Code Office of the Inquisition?

You have to have lived in Nevada for six weeks prior the the annulment. You have to file documents. You have to prove the spouse was served. You have to have a judge rule. You have to prove a cause for the annulment. This all seems too complicated for a weekend or even a summer of love.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2013 11:28AM by Devoted Exmo.

You missed the second half of the condition:

"or the spouses must have been married in the state of Nevada"

And proof of serving can be as simple as the spouse signing the forms.

That said, it is a $269 filing fee.

At the end of the day it comes down to this: To do this is silly, it's all letter of the law stuff. It lets you say with a straight face that you have not had sex except with your spouse to whom you are legally and lawfully married. If you're willing to go through all this, it's far easier to just lie. Heck, that $269 in Vegas would get you laid anyway.

Ah . . you're right. I read it as an "and" rather than an or.

When I was at BYU a letter was read in sacrament meeting saying that anyone going to Las Vegas and getting married to have sex would be excommunicated. Don't know if such marriages ever happened or not. But there was enough concern about it that an official statement was made.

It is true.

Joseph McConkie, teaching a New Testament class at BYU, said that some girl had done it twice. He also said that while driving back from Vegas, whoever was driving fell asleep at the wheel and was killed. And he said that this happened twice, to the same girl, and the guy was killed both times. Of course, now that I'm typing it, it does sound rather unbelievable... maybe he was just repeating an urban legend.

Anyway, is there any possibility that they could have gotten the marriage certificate, had the ceremony, but then called back before the minister filed the paperwork with the state and asked him not to file the paperwork? Because then, even though the marriage ceremony was legal like any other marriage ceremony, the marriage could be canceled before it even became official... just a thought. Funny how the lines get blurred when all you're doing is negotiating with your own conscience.

I attended YBU after my good ole mish in 1978 through 1980. While I was there I got conned into one of those damn chain letter deals where you send so many people some money and put your name at the bottom of the list...you know the type. Anyway, this was back when those things were just becoming popular and I got screwed out of $500 bucks by this chick I was dating. Anyway, I lived in the King Henry apartments, I think they are still there too. One of my room mates did this very thing.

One Friday he was all excited because he was going to have "legal" sex. He knew of several students who had done it and it worked like a charm for them so he decided he was going to do it. He went down Friday, they got the certificate and got married at some cheap little chappel. Then they went to the hotel and did the wild funky monkey dance all weekend and came home. Monday morning they called the court house in Vegas and somehow took care of the divorce and all he had to do was send $50 bucks to the court and two weeks later his annulment papers came in the mail.

I knew several people personally who did this. I actually saw the marriage certificate and the annulment papers with my own eyes.

Good ol' King Henry apartments!! I didn't live there, but my gf and I snuck into their hot tub late at night a few times.

Did EVERYONE live at King Henry at some time or other?

Well--I didn't, but my sister did. She got married in 1977 (she met her husband at home, not at BYU). So, she wasn't there when "Craig" was--but she LOVED King Henry apartments.

Yes, everyone lived at King Henry. Or at the very least near enough to King Henry to use the pool hot tub and ms. Pacman machine.

My favorite thing to do at KH was to tell people I was going to swim from the hot tub to the pool via a secret underground tunnel, then go down to the bottom of the hot tub and breathe off the air jets for a few minutes. Meanwhile my friends would be telling everyone else in the hot tub that they saw me in the pool, "I think he's coming back now."

I still can't believe people bought that.

With your real eyes or your spiritual eyes?

It's called the BYU super date. IMO it's an urban legend.


Edit: I've created a thread about this topic a month ago. I may be relevant to those interested.
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,982995,983418



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2013 01:01PM by johngaltspeaking.

This is no legend. I was once in a singles ward for the over-30's, and people did this all the time.

I've posted before about the Orem attorney I was dating in the early 90s sort of advising some BYU kids to do this, mostly advising them to go to Vegas and secretly get married because there was no way they were going to make it much longer without sucumbing to the temptations of the devil.

He told them that he couldn't guarantee they could get an annulment, but that he'd take care of them and only charge them court fees if they wanted to get a quickie divorce, but did let them know it would be public record. There was no way they wanted to give up the sex after one weekend. They went back to their respective apartments to take a couple of weeks to decide what they wanted to do. They finally admitted to their parents that they were married and I believe they then moved in to one of their parents' basement. Don't know what happened after that.

But still, it was easier on them and their family than if they had "done it" and then had to confess. It was back then they were still calling love courts for anyone who confessed. They probably would have been kicked out of BYU for pre-marital sex, but I don't think they were for getting married.

I married my ex-wife in Vegas and got divorced 7 years later, does that count?

I don't think it is true, but what I do believe is true, is that the church thinks that it was true.

Oh no, it's very true. It was true in the 60's when we lived in BYU Married Student Housing. Nothing much has changed.
I knew of people who did it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2013 02:23PM by SusieQ#1.

If tru, it amazes me the hoops that TBMs are willing to jump through just to maintain a negotiating position on their morality. Assuming that one believes in God, do they really think they will be able to negotiate this with him based on a "legal" definition that it is okay? FACEPALM! I don't believe that anyone has the right to judge my morals, even a magic sky daddy, but if you do, why would you think you can negotiate it? According to all the words of god I've ever read, it isn't negotiable. Maybe they secretly don't believe?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/23/2013 02:44PM by foundoubt.

Unless I am mistaken, if one does not execute the marriage license and return it to the country for recording, an annulment happens in two weeks anyway.

That is one reason they keep the license at the temple. The temple sends it to the country to ensure it is recorded.

Interesting!

It appears that this would be the easiest way. If the license is never turned in to be recorded the marriage is not legal.

I've heard this a million different ways. It probably started as a joke/legend and then people got the idea that maybe it would work so people started doing it.

The reality is it would be way cheaper to just stay in Provo and bone in the back of your car at the top of that mountain. Save on gas and the cost the marriage license/annulment.

It's more sad that TSCC has such control of these kid's sexual lives that they feel like they have to game the system.

It's too long of a story but I was accused of doing this by a bishop after I was already married with two children. Apparently I had to confess some unresolved sins from my past. I never even went to the before mentioned school in provo. The bishop thought it was very real and that was the first I had ever heard of it.

I seem to notice a trend of, "No this is totally real, because I know someone who knows someone who did this," and not a single, "yea me and this one girl had some fun on a super date back in 78."