Hi Everyone,
We figured out how to get the domain active (almost immediately) and the instructions do it (link to instructions below). I had to pay the $24 first, then when I revisited the wedding website edit page, I re-clicked on the custom domain option, entered my domain name that I paid for and then it activated it.
Hopefully this reduces confusion for others in the future!
https://engagedsupport.weddingwire.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020808332-Creating-a-Custom-URL