Does anyone know if marrying in a Polish consulate abroad changes anything? Like if we went to Germany...married in the consulate there...would it be a way to circumvent the waiting in Poland?
I think you can get married wherever it is legal to get married. As for the consulate, not sure about the Polish one, but you could try the American one too. Heck, you could try if they have some kind of European Las Vegas, perhaps in Switzerland.
If you get married then it looks like karta pobytu is just a formality, albeit one that may take time.
There is some association for Poles married/intending to marry foreigners
see this link (in Polish): obcokrajowcy.republika.pl/karty_pobytu.html