My fiancé and I have never been married before, and this is something we’ve both dreamed about for a long time. Unfortunately, neither of us has family who can help with the costs—my parents and grandparents are gone, and my fiancé only has his mother, who is struggling herself. We’ve been engaged for almost a year, but with everything we’ve been through, we just haven’t been able to afford the kind of wedding we truly want. The idea of just signing a piece of paper at the courthouse doesn’t feel right to us. We want a ceremony that’s meaningful, whether it’s outside in nature or in a church, with a real aisle to walk down and a moment to remember forever.

We’re not asking for extravagance—just the basics to make our day special. We would love to have a wedding dress and suit that fit, matching wedding bands, a bouquet, an officiant, and the marriage license. If we’re able, we’d also like to have a little left over for a small wedding gift we can both enjoy. Things have been really rough for us this past year, and we just want to have something wonderful come out of it all.

This will be the first time either of us has ever been married, and we know in our hearts that this is what we want. We want to start our life together with a day that’s filled with love and hope, and we’re asking for your help to make that possible. Your support would mean the world to us and would help us show that, no matter what we’ve faced, we’re still standing strong and ready to move forward together.