From Idea to “I Do”: How I Pulled Off My Dream Civil Wedding in Just 30 Days!

Whenever friends inquire about how long they should wait between their engagement and their wedding, I always suggest that if they wish to maintain their composure, it’s advisable to have at least a year to organize. As someone who has documented weddings since 2015, I am all too familiar with the span of time required to secure a fantastic venue, assemble a vendor team, adjust a dress, and prepare guests for travel. However, to my astonishment, I found myself disregarding all my guidelines—and unwittingly inducing a stress-related teeth-grinding issue—by planning and executing my own wedding in just a month.

Naturally, I didn’t initially aim for a rapid wedding schedule. My fiancé Olivia and I first became engaged in June 2024 and have been (and still are) intending to organize a large celebration in November 2025. But on November 6, the election outcomes unfolded differently than we anticipated—and we concluded that getting legally married before the new administration took office could be a safer choice for us as a queer couple. Although we briefly considered the notion of a swift NYC courthouse wedding, we concurred that hosting a proper ceremony with a few family members present would render this occasion feel significant instead of hurried.

Fortunately, our parents agreed it was an excellent idea as well. My parents, my brother, and his girlfriend were ready to arrange flights from California. Liv’s mom Kerri informed her friend and boss Mark Jacobsen, and he kindly let us know he was ordained and offered to officiate for us. After penning an article about my concerns for the queer community following the election, numerous friends within the wedding community extended their support to Liv and me—including wedding photographer Corbin Gurkin, who graciously offered to capture our moments once we settled on a date and venue.

With our family, photographer, and officiant ready to go, it was time to commence planning. While Liv was engaged in all the decision-making, she permitted me to take charge. We desired the wedding to feel genuine to both of us, yet as someone whose regular life revolves around weddings anyway and doesn’t have a typical nine-to-five, it felt logical for me to oversee the logistics. Given such a brief timeline, I would likely need to dedicate a substantial amount of time to research and running around for last-minute tasks. Liv and I had always been fond of the idea of a stylish urban dinner party wedding with wine and bowls of pasta flowing, so we considered exploring private spaces in restaurants for 15.