Getting married to Russian lady

Hi, I hope I am doing this correctly. I am a born and bred South African and stay in Vereeniging, Gauteng. I am flying to Krasnodar on the 17th of December and to spend Christmas with my fiance and were hoping to get married in December. It now seems unlikely that this could happen since our marriage has to be registered first and there is a 30 day waiting period after registration and I must leave Russia again on the 8th of January. We were under the impression the 30 day period could be shortened drastically by paying an additional fee that we now find out is not really true. We wanted to get married over December, then my wife would apply for her visa to come to South Africa and come to me once it's ready and she had a few other matters taken care of. She's in tears already with worry and we've tried to see what can be done to get married in December still but to me honest, it seems unlikely. What would be the best option? Should I fly back once the registration for our marriage is eligible and then get married? Will she then have to stay behind to prepare her visa and come when its done? What type of visa should she apply for? She doesn't really need a working permit since she is going to be a housewife at first giving her time to adjust and to improve on her English, which is very poor at this stage. I would really appreciate if somebody could just advise us of the best option  to take. Thanks, Lenny