Planning Our Wedding in Just Over a Month

From the moment my husband asked me to marry him, we knew exactly what we wanted—an intimate wedding, just the two of us, somewhere beautiful. Neither of us desired the elaborate, traditional wedding with hundreds of guests. Simplicity and meaning were our priorities. We wanted something small, somewhere scenic and breathtaking. We wanted it to feel like "us."

It wasn’t long after the proposal that I found myself typing into Google, "How to elope in South Dakota!" To my surprise, it didn’t seem too complicated. Right at the top of the search results, I found Cactus Collective Weddings, and I was instantly captivated. I clicked through their website, impressed with their attention to detail and experience in planning small, meaningful weddings. Their team was AMAZING. I contacted them right away, telling them about our vision and how we wanted to get married this year. To my delight, they were completely on board and ready to help make it happen.

I just had to give them a few potential dates.

This is where things got tricky. We weren’t going to move in together until after we were married, and we both wanted a summer wedding. It felt like everything was perfectly lining up. I sent Cactus Collective a list of 3-4 different dates, thinking surely one of them would work. But when they came back and said none of those dates were available, my heart sank. Was this really happening? Were we going to have to push our wedding into next year? I didn’t want to wait, and the thought of more months apart was tough.

Then, a few days later, I received an email that made my heart skip a beat. They had found an opening for July 20th, 2024. That was just a little over a month away. Could we pull it off? My mind was racing. Was it even possible to plan a wedding that fast?

I didn’t hesitate. I called him right away and asked, “Do you want to get married on July 20th?” In true “man fashion,” he simply said, “Sure.” And that was that. Things just got real! We were officially committed to the date, and now the whirlwind of planning began. We had just over a month to make everything come together.

At that point, the reality of what needed to be done started to sink in, and it wasn't just wedding planning. I had to leave my job, and that was one of the hardest decisions I’d ever had to make. It wasn’t just a workplace to me; it had become my second home. Yes, the job stressed me out more times than I can count, but the relationships I had built there were some of the strongest and most meaningful I’d ever known. Saying goodbye to my colleagues and the preschoolers I’d grown so attached to was heart-wrenching.

In those moments of doubt, I looked to God for guidance. I prayed for clarity and direction, trusting that He would guide me through the right choices. I asked Him to open the doors that needed to be opened and to close those that weren’t meant for me. And as hard as it was, I felt peace knowing that I was walking in His plan.

With so many things to figure out, one thing I knew for sure—I needed to find a dress! Now, I didn’t want anything flashy or extravagant. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to buy a wedding dress. But one thing I was absolutely certain about was that I wanted to share that experience with my mom. Even though she wouldn’t be at the actual wedding, I knew she needed to be there for that special moment. The story of how I found my dress is one for another post, and trust me—it’s a good one!

By the grace of God, we managed to pull off the wedding of our dreams in just over a month. Every last detail fell into place, and before we knew it, we were packing up the truck and heading to our stunning location. I can’t wait to share more about how our wedding day unfolded—it might surprise you!

Stay tuned for the next post, and remember, God’s timing is always perfect.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." – Ecclesiastes 3:1

God was guiding us every step of the way, and I’m so grateful for His timing, even when it felt impossible.