Top Law Schools

Hello, I'm in my 3L year and just got engaged. We're looking at wedding dates and for next year and I was wondering if anyone else has gotten married a few weeks after taking the Bar? I'll be taking the Bar July 29th and 30th and am considering an August 16th or an August 23rd wedding date. Is this crazy to consider?

Luckily, my spring semester schedule is looking fairly light, so I anticipate having time to plan most of the wedding during that time, and my fiance and family will also be very involved and willing to help out a lot. I thought about getting married right after graduation (in early May), but figured that Bar prep would start fairly quickly after graduation, not leaving much time for a wedding. I have a federal clerkship after graduation, which will start in September, so I would prefer to get married before I start work.

If anyone has any thoughts I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

I know someone who did this. I don't think it's crazy. Studying for the bar doesn't need to be an around the clock thing.

Personally I think it makes more sense to do it in May, because you can start studying for the bar on June 1st or even a touch later and have no problems at all. But if you'd rather do it after the bar and then go on a honeymoon/bar trip right after the wedding, that's totally possible too. Just try and plan/book everything pre-July and delegate as much as you can. Plus leave at least a week between the bar and the wedding so you can do last minute stuff.

Spring break would be even better IMO, unless that's too soon. But no, getting married 2 or 3 weeks after the bar will not be problematic at all.

HBOO1026 wrote:my fiance

indicates you are female? (don't want to make assumptions). most fiances will basically go along with you but I imagine you have the lion's share of work.

I have friends that did this, and it was fine. However, they were both males, and their now-wives were not in law school, and so were able to do all the planning. From what i hear, wedding planning takes a lot out of you, and so does bar studying. It's possible - but my concern would be that you'll be wedding planning when you should be studying, and it'll just be too much stress.

If you frontload the planning before you start studying for the bar, there shouldn't be any problem. But you never know if something will go wrong ... or you procrastinate ... and you end up scrambling to do wedding-planning stuff during the summer.

I got married in between 2L & 3L. It's fine to get married a few weeks after the bar as long as you do your planning etc. beforehand.

I got married about a month after my wife and I each took two bars. IMO this is actually the ideal time to get married and planning for the wedding while studying for the bar is perfectly doable. As someone pointed out, studying for the bar is not a full time commitment (at least it shouldn't be) and you're less busy, with less responsibility, than you will be during law school or during work.

I got married shortly after Fall 2L finals. My grades dipped significantly for that one semester. If you can plan in a way that avoids the inevitable inability to focus (either due to last minute planning or just a mental state), I don't see why you couldn't do it.

I did it (as a male) no problems at all. My bar trip and honeymoon were combined. May be more difficult if you are female, as it seems there is a greater expectation of involvement with the planning and more pre-wedding activities.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have thoughts about getting married during Bar Prep (say June or July)? I guess this question is really how much planning does a wedding take? I'm totally ignorant on this.

Is getting married between 1L and 2L, which is summer vacation, an ideal time to start a family? As 1L students intern for usually non-paid jobs, I thought starting a family during 1L summer is better than 2L summer. Any idea? Thank you in advance.

lovejopd wrote:Is getting married between 1L and 2L, which is summer vacation, an ideal time to start a family? As 1L students intern for usually non-paid jobs, I thought starting a family during 1L summer is better than 2L summer. Any idea? Thank you in advance.

Not saying it couldn't be done, but that is about the worst time to start a family. You should spend all your time during that summer looking for a 2L job. Actually working the 2L job the next summer is pretty easy.

salvage wrote:Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone have thoughts about getting married during Bar Prep (say June or July)? I guess this question is really how much planning does a wedding take? I'm totally ignorant on this.

I did it. Middle of June. Took a brief 3 day mini-honeymoon after as well. Most people were horrified that I was even considering it. Worked out for me.

My friend did this and it turned out just fine. They did not study as much as they would've liked for the bar, however. They both passed the bar.

I just took (and passed) the Virginia bar. Studying for the bar, especially in the end of June and July, is worse than a full-time job. I would not have wanted to plan my wedding while studying. The only person I know who did this failed the bar.

Don't do it if you're taking CA. Otherwise, ask yourself the honest question of how involved/not involved you are comfortable being. Studying for the bar is at least a full-time job type commitment. Many people at the outset of wedding planning insist that they are just fine with keeping hands off, but when things get closer they freak out because every little thing isn't going to be perfect. If you are going to freak out if every little thing is not perfect, then you want the wedding nowhere near your bar exam prep.