In this article, the author shares the experience of planning and executing a wedding in just one month due to unexpected circumstances. They detail the challenges and triumphs of navigating a tight timeline, finding a venue, securing vendors, and choosing attire, ultimately emphasizing the importance of adapting to change and celebrating love in any form.
Whenever friends ask me how long they should wait between their engagement and their wedding, I always say if they want to keep their sanity, it’s best to have a minimum of a year to plan. As someone who has written about weddings since 2015, I know all too well the length of time it takes to book a great venue, curate a vendor team, alter a dress, and prepare guests for travel.
But much to my surprise, I found myself throwing out all my rules—and self-inducing a stress-related teeth-clenching problem—by planning and throwing my own wedding in just a month. Of course, I didn’t originally intend to have a whirlwind wedding timeline. My fiancé Olivia and I first got engaged in June 2024 and have been (and still are) planning to host a large celebration in November 2025. But on November 6, the election results went differently than we hoped—and we decided that getting legally married before the new administration came into office might be a safer decision for us as a queer couple. While we briefly entertained the idea of a quick NYC courthouse marriage, we agreed that hosting a proper wedding with a few family members present would make this moment feel special rather than rushed. Luckily, our parents thought it was a great idea, too. My parents, my brother, and his girlfriend were on standby to book flights out from California. Liv’s mom Kerri told her friend and boss Mark Jacobsen, and he sweetly let us know he was ordained and offered to officiate for us. After writing an article about my fears for the queer community after the election, many friends in the wedding community offered their support to Liv and me—including wedding photographer Corbin Gurkin, who kindly offered to shoot for us once we decided on a time and place. With our family, photographer, and officiant on board, it was time to get planning. While Liv was involved in all the decision-making, she allowed me to take the reins. We wanted the wedding to feel authentic to both of us, yet as someone whose day-to-day life is centered around weddings anyway and doesn’t have a traditional nine-to-five, it made sense for me to handle logistics. With such a short timeline, I would likely need to dedicate a good amount of time to research and running around for last-minute errands. Liv and I had always loved the idea of a chic city dinner party wedding with wine and bowls of pasta flowing, so we thought about looking into private spaces at restaurants for 15. Soon, I was on a daily deep dive into every private dining room available in Manhattan. Finding a venue was my biggest worry, as I already knew that booking our larger wedding venue took months of research, recommendations, site visits, and spreadsheets. Making a reservation for a large birthday party in Manhattan a month out is already stressful—finding one for a wedding is even harder. It was tricky to find a balance of a space that would fit our party size and budget, allow room for a small ceremony, and have a built-in charm that wouldn’t require additional decorative touches. I decided that looking into a location on a weekday for lunch would be able to open up way more options at a better price—plus it would allow older members of our family to join in the festivities. Then, I came across Upland, a great brasserie restaurant in the NoMad neighborhood with both Italian and California influences I had visited once before. Down the stairs from the main dining room, the location had a beautiful private space complete with deep emerald tiles, a curved wood ceiling with globe lighting, and even a bar. I reached out and learned we could have a three-course family-style lunch complete with personalized menus and dedicated staff. We consulted with our parents and decided to book a date for December 27, allowing us to have a holiday feel to our celebration. While I was perfectly happy to keep the decor minimal, floral designer Kim Delgado of Mary Stuart Flowers reached out to me the very same day I booked Upland. She read my article about our change in wedding plans and wanted to see if we had flowers arranged for our celebration. I told her about our venue and aesthetic, and she quickly whipped up a design pitch for us including personal bouquets, small florals, and soft tulle runners for the table—and even boutonnières for our male guests. We decided to use a mix of white and neutral florals with textural details and wild greenery to bring a softness to the wintry display. (Top tip: Keeping florals small and seasonal is particularly helpful when working on a short timeline.) Naturally, even before beginning research on our wedding location, I was already thinking about what we would wear. On November 7, I texted my friend, bridal stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz, to let her know about our plans, she quickly began shooting over the most amazing ideas of looks and designers that could be a fit for the both of us
Wedding Planning Short Timeline Last-Minute Wedding Same-Sex Marriage Queer Couples Venue Search Wedding Vendors Bridal Styling
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Are Mariah & Caleb Still Together From The Ultimatum Season 3?Wedding or no wedding?
Read more »
Police arrest University Lake shooting suspect after month-long investigationPolice say Alex Manley, 21, was linked to the Nov. 25 injury shooting by both ballistic evidence and cellphone tracking data.
Read more »
December teacher of the Month: G.W. Long Elementary School’s Rhonda WatsonOur December Teacher of the Month is Rhonda Watson, a librarian who goes above and beyond to help students become lifelong readers.
Read more »
Missing Long Island teen Emmarae Gervasi, 14, found on boat nearly month after disappearing: 'Prayers answered'Today's Video Headlines: 1/3/25
Read more »
Missing Teen Found Safe in Islip After Month-Long SearchA 14-year-old girl from Patchogue, Emmarae Gervasi, who disappeared nearly a month ago, has been located safe in Islip, New York. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Read more »
Father Rescues Daughter From Boat After Month-Long DisappearanceEmmarae Gervasi, 14, went missing for a month before her father, Frank Gervasi, rescued her from a boat in a marina near Islip. He received an anonymous tip that led him to the boat where he found his daughter safe.
Read more »