Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt attend Autism Speaks Hosts 6th Annual 'Acts of Love' Celebration... 
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Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline "Heidi & Spencer Elope!"
But the couple acknowledged Wednesday that their wedding ceremony near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — featured in a photo spread in the magazine — was symbolic, and not legally binding. At least not yet.
"We had a beautiful ceremony here ... officiated by a minister and photographed by the hotel photographer. We've never been happier," said the couple in a statement provided by Us Weekly. "And, like other elopements that happen outside the country, we'll take care of the legal details when we get home."
They did not say specifically when where they would seek to make their marriage official, which would likely require a separate ceremony in the U.S.
The public pair provided photos to the magazine for its issue on newsstands Wednesday showing their ceremony at a chapel near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Nov. 20. The accompanying story features an interview with Montag and Pratt, as well as details about the rings, Montag's dress, and the content of their handwritten vows.
The story doesn't note that they had neither obtained a marriage license nor taken part in a separate civil ceremony, which is required by Mexican law to make the union binding.
A couple can register their marriage up to 10 days after a ceremony, but California does not recognize marriage ceremonies outside the United States, according to the state's Department of Public Health. A couple can petition a court later to have their marriage legally recognized.
Us Weekly's report, which was picked up by numerous celebrity magazines and blogs, said that none of the couple's friends or relatives was in attendance. Some people close to the couple said they were caught off-guard.
"Everybody's pretty upset," Montag's sister, Holly Montag, told MTV on Monday. Montag's father, Bill Montag, told People magazine that he'd be dismayed if his daughter got married and didn't invite him.
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