Kaitlyn & Joe’s cupcakes and courthouse jail tour wedding

This bride owns one of our most favorite dress design companies, KMKDesigns, so you won't be too surprised to see that her own dress is nothing less than magnificent. Read on for more about the dress and the rest of the shindig!

The Offbeat Bride: Kaitlyn, Clothing Designer

Her offbeat partner: Joe, Configuration specialist

Date and location of wedding: Stillwater Historic Courthouse, Stillwater, MN — September 20, 2013

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We didn't necessarily have a theme, but we were able to incorporate all of the mismatched things we think makes us who we are. We included a pianist who played some video game music, a rocking blue wedding gown, a jail tour, and a ridiculous amount of cupcakes and sweets. We also opted out of using vendors for several things, including my dress and the dresses and outfits of several members of the bridal party, and we had no flowers. We also created a playlist instead of hiring a DJ and created our own decorations.

We made each bridesmaid dress different, because each of them was so different it didn't make any sense to me to put them in all the same dress. My favorite part was when my maid of honor saw the dresses she said, “They are all so each of us!” While we didn't have time to make suits, we made ties for the groomsmen and a matching blue vest for the groom. It was originally the plan to make the groom a smashing tux, but nearer and nearer to the date Joe looked at me and let me know he'd still feel awesome in a rented or purchased tux. This made me more than grateful, although a little sad since I did really want to create his tux.

While I designed my dress, I asked my mom a year in advance if she would be okay creating my gown. We run the business together and she has a lot more knowledge than me, but also I knew if I spent that many hours on the dress of my dreams, probably by the end I would be totally sick of it. She said it had been her dream since I was a little girl to make my wedding gown, so she created me something we'll love forever. It was fully corseted down the back with steel boning, pleated silk, an 11-yard train, and hand-stitched lace and beaded details.

Tell us about the ceremony:
Nether of us wanted a really traditional ceremony, but we wanted it to still be personal and meaningful, and to really connect us to our family there, regardless of everyone's beliefs. We asked my grandmother, Dr. Lois Bristow, to be our officiant. She is a magician with words and has published several books in the past, so we knew she could create something lovely. Joe was a bit nervous about writing his own vows, so we we worked with my grandmother a few months before the wedding to create something we both felt represented the feeling we felt for each other.

In the end this was what we all came up with. I may have broken down a bit while saying them, something I was not expecting myself to do!

I, Joe, pledge to you, Kaitlyn,
my love and my respect,
my caring, my trust,
and my faithfulness.
Together we will weather the storms
and walk the rocky roads.
We will share and celebrate, too,
our togetherness and our happiness.

Our biggest challenge:
Even though our families were both more than supportive throughout the process, it was hard to not feel like we were letting some people down with certain choices that we made, or that we somehow were doing things wrong. It ended up all being fine and everyone had a great time, but while planning it's hard not to get caught up in the constant advice and concerns everyone brings up.

My favorite moment:
The speeches both meant a lot to both of us — we laughed and shed a few tears. It was wonderful to hear the stories and connect with our family and friends. Our first dance was also super meaningful and a little funny. Neither of us really know how to dance, so it felt a little “middle school prom date.” And my train had come undone from its bustle, so I had to kick it every time we turned! We were both laughing and dancing and it just emphasized all of the goofy ridiculousness that connects us as a couple.

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What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The most important lesson we learned was just to roll with it the day-of. The day of our wedding ended up being perfect, but not because it was super perfect. For example, there was a huge amount of traffic and some of our vendors and wedding party ended up being late, but we didn't let anything get to us. At this point we both agreed, no matter what, we are getting married today and dang it, no matter what, we are having a great time today! And that is what happened.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Bride's gown, bridesmaids' dresses, flower girl's dress, ring bearer's outfit, and accessories: KMKDesigns
• Photography: Photosynthetique
• Location: Historic Courthouse in Stillwater
• Catering: Lake Elmo Inn
• Cupcakes: Angel Food Bakery
• Photobooth: Fairshadow Photography

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