Prenuptial Agreements in the State of WI
The transition from single to married affects both the bride and the groom and it can be a bit of a daunting task even for those who have already been married before. Each state and county has it’s own little idiosyncrasies, so research in your state and counties of residence will be vital to making sure you have all your documents in order before applying for any legal papers.
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These pieces of wedding preparation can be confusing and overwhelming, so Veil Magazine has corralled all of the information, leaving you a clear path to understanding what needs to be done, where, when and by whom.
For those who wish to have a premarital agreement in place before marriage, the good news is that the state of Wisconsin does not have any mandates for filing procedures. State law considers the agreement to be legally binding in the case of divorce if both the bride and groom enter into the wording and creation of the document without being forced into the signing. The state also does not require a lawyer to make the agreement, but the document must be signed by two witnesses. Keep in mind that a self-authored prenup will hold less weight in a court of law if one side decides to dispute it during divorce.
Happily, there is no waiting period between the time the prenup is signed and the wedding date. It could be signed the minutes before you walk down the aisle! It is possible to include a myriad of details in a prenuptial agreement, including both monetary and non-financial requirements, and Wisconsin does not dictate any particulars about what is allowed. For instance, number of children, pet custody and division of household chores are all elements that couples can choose to include in the agreement, beyond just the division of property, inheritances and joint savings accounts. The non-financial portion of the agreements are not usually legally binding but do give courts and judges a view into the initial intent of the couple’s frame of mind.
