I want to offer my perspective as a woman that got married two months after being diagnosed with PTSD. I was not a sexual assault survivor but rather had PTSD triggered by living for a year in dangerous circumstances in a dangerous country, including being a victim of crimes a few times while there. My husband and I planned our wedding completely before I left, so I didn't have the same potential triggers as your partner (in addition, of course, to the very different circumstances surrounding our PTSD diagnoses) but I had a lot of small details left to sort out in the two months between when I got home from this country and our wedding.

I was suffering from frequent panic attacks, was told by my then-fiance I was like a different person, and was stressed and exhausted and on edge in the months leading up to, and for a few months after, our wedding. But despite all of that, and the stress the final stages of wedding planning caused, I am so happy that I had the wedding when I did, and I believe it helped me on my road to recovery. I say this because some of the few times I felt normal and safe during this period were when I was attending a wedding related event like my shower, or arguing with my mom about dumb stuff like favors, or having everyone that I loved in one room watching me marry my husband. In other words, it was a very good distraction and also helped to remind me that I could feel "normal." The wedding itself ended up feeling like a marker for the bad period in my life coming to an end and the new period beginning.

In therapy, my psych talked a lot about the importance of framing events to help yourself understand and cope with them. It was very powerful to frame my wedding as the start of my recovery and the end of the horrible year I had to spend without my husband and family. I also can't overstate how powerful it was to feel safe and surrounded by love in a room full of family and friends. All of that being said, I know this may be very different for Katie, especially if she doesn't have a great relationship with her family. But I would encourage you to start gently broaching the subject of some kind of ceremony with her. I like the other ideas of a small courthouse ceremony. It could be a powerful event for helping her frame her experiences, in addition to being a wonderful moment for the two of you. With PTSD, you want to do whatever will help you feel safest, in control, least likely to have a panic attack. But you have to keep gently pushing out of that comfort zone or you'll stagnate. A small wedding (and maybe an amazing honeymoon trip?) could be really wonderful ways to keep life moving forward, not letting her horrible experience continue to hold sway over her by affecting important life events, and possibly be part of her recovery.

This is already way too long, but I'll close by suggesting she look into EFT/tapping therapy if she hasn't already. It is a widely-accepted tool for helping to overcome PTSD. It can supplement the rest of her treatments. I wish you both the best.