Marriage on tourist visa: an American citizen engaged to a non-US citizen

I am an American citizen engaged to a non-US citizen. I have been living and working in Nicaragua for a couple years, and we would like to get married in the US. We do not intend to live in the US right now, at least for a few years. My fiance is studying in Nicaragua, and my job is here as well. We would like to go the the US for maybe a month, get married and have the wedding there, and then return to Nicaragua to continue living here. If we apply for a fiance visa, it requires him to stay and begin residency paperwork, which he does not need yet. We have also heard, though, that a tourist visa would almost surely be denied, since he is engaged to me, and American. So, does anyone have experience dealing with visas in similar situations? If applying for a tourist visa and we tell the consulate at the visa interview that our intent is to marry in the US and return to Nicaragua, will they surely deny the visa?

They often will yes. It is simplest to either marry in the US and remain, or marry there but you need not come here, marry and leave immediately. You can marry abroad and have a celebration here if you wish--that is normally not any complication.

But also note that you dont have to complete the residency papers if you apply for the finace visa.