Have marriage license in North Carolina but ceremony was in Virginia is that illegal?

Answer 1

It's not illegal (you're not going to go to jail for it), but it's also not legal (you might technically not be married).

You know the part where the minister says "by the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina"? Turns out that actually means something.

However, most states have a law under which most technical defects in the solemnization (the ceremony) do not automatically invalidate the marriage as long as at least one of the participants believed at the time that it was valid. So, for example, if a man gets a friend of his to pretend to be a minister, thinking that that way he can trick a woman into "marrying" him without having any of the legal responsibilities, then the state will consider that a valid marriage even though the friend was not really a legitimate officiant. This same law may apply in your case.

You might want to consult a lawyer as to how to rectify this.

Now: if it hasn't happened yet, there's no problem. You just get a North Carolina minister and two witnesses, explain the situation, and have him conduct a quick "do you, do you, you are" ceremony in addition to the large and formal one you want to have in Virginia.