Cat & Scott's low-class high-rise wedding

Her Offbeat Partner: Scott Kubie, media consultant, man-child

Location & date of wedding: Tallest skyscraper in the state, Des Moines, IA — April 18, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: As an artist with a bunch of artist friends, we made everything that we could. The wedding posse made hairpieces, signs, bouquets, corsages, center pieces, favors, jewelry, invites and cakes, and decorated the ceremony and reception sites. We didn't have colors, just a loose theme of, "bright colors, round things, industrial and vintage."

Our friend wrote and officiated the ceremony, which was at the top of the tallest skyscraper in the city. We hosted the reception at our coffin-factory-turned-studio space which featured Jimmy Johns sandwiches, PBR in a can, and a Nannerpuss cake.

I was in a serious accident two months before the wedding, and our friends came through for us in a big way. We had already just wanted a big enjoyable party-wedding, and their hard work and love for us made the goal even stronger.

In the end, our wedding was about our love for our friends as much as it was about our love for each other. We are only children who have gotten as far as we have because we've found sincere, hard-working, lovely people to spend our lives with.

Our biggest challenge: The accident was the first challenge, but I remember when I was still in the hospital and someone asked if we would postpone the wedding. We hadn't talked about it, but looked at each other and said, "No."

Still, until the end of March we weren't sure whether I would be walking without crutches or a cane by wedding day, and all the hobbling made it a pain to sweep an old factory floor and hang 30 strings of lights and a bolt of tulle. BUT the hard work of our friends and the wedding posse kept us on track and on time.

My mom had a hard time grasping the vision of the wedding, and understanding that essentially Scott and I are low class people who drink low class beers and eat low class food … and that we really only cared about having a fun evening. She was worried about how the food and decor would come together to an enjoyable event, but in the end she seemed to realize that we know how to throw a good party, and that everyone enjoyed themselves.

My favorite moment: I didn't get nervous until a few minutes before the ceremony. Hanging out in the classy bathroom with my ladies and holding back my nervous stomach was fun.

My other favorite part dealt with our getaway car. In high school I drove a 1951 Chevy truck, which hasn't really been functional since I left home.

My dad had her fixed up and hauled her five hours over here. Scott and I rode in the back together on our way to photos, and together in front with my dad to kill time before heading back to the ceremony. It was fun private time between the two of us, and a nice moment for us to spend with my dad, as well. Lots of people hollered at us from the street about the truck.

My advice for other offbeat brides: Weddings don't need to be a stress-fest. I hate to say, "If I can do it with a broken leg and a jaw that's wired shut, you can." But… that's what I'm saying. It took a lot of long nights and hard work, but we didn't have to get too stressed about the wedding.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?: My invites and programs were designed by my maid of honor (quickly becoming a professional maid of honor), Dani Ausen. She's a freelance graphic designer who has a soft spot for wedding invitations. She can be reached at dani.ausen@gmail.com

The photography was done by Joe and Libby Crimmings. You can see his work (and covet his skills) at http://joecrimmings.com.

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn!: