Nick Mladenoff - Best Man
I have known Nick now for 29 years. He is my Brother. Although we live 12 hours apart, we never miss a beat. I was his Best Man back in 2016 and now he gets to return the favor.
Ashton Parmley - Maid of Honor
Ashton and I have been friends since we were the weird girls playing "horse" on the elementary school playground (even though we rode our real horses every day after school). We went to different colleges, but still made sure to visit each other often to make memories that we don't necessarily remember. Ashton is a brilliant dentist who can be found hunting for the biggest buck or hiking when she's not cleaning pearly whites. Fun fact: Ashton is a certified scuba diver.
Vinny D'Agnolo - Groomsman
Vinny and I have known each other since kindergarten. He has been one of my closest friends since high school (fun fact - I hated him in grade school). He keeps a cardboard cutout of me in his house so I am always close by. I consider him my other brother.
Maddie Moree - Bridesmaid
Maddie is my mom - not like a regular mom, like a sorority mom. We have been friends since the first day she picked me up on campus after formal recruitment, and bonded over our loves of horses, the Vikings and all things glitter. We spent a summer working together in Louisiana and only got lost for 2 hours in the backwoods of Mississippi driving down, where we were saddened to not see gators prowling the side of the road. And, if you know us, it's surprising we only got lost for 2 hours. Fun fact: when she was growing up, Maddie wanted to be a "cowgirl" and break broncs! (Flash forward to today where she occasionally rides a bucking "bronc" for work).
Mike "Burma" Land - Groomsman
Burma and I (nicknamed Burma because Burma is a war zone) have known each other since High School. We grew close over the past decade mainly by talking trash to Bruce about the Jaguars and sports
Emily Berntson - Bridesmaid
Emily is my child - sorority child, that is. We first met at a social event and immediately bonded over our love of the Vikings (see a theme here?). Once she became my little, we were basically inseparable and lived together for a few semesters in Theta where we shared everything - including bras. Emily can literally and figuratively drink me under a table and currently spends her time running half marathons when she's not splicing plant genomes. Fun fact: Emily won a belly flop contest when she was a kid. Impressed? You should be.
Bruce "aka Brucie B, aka Bruise" Eshelman - Groomsman
Brucie and I have know each other for quite some time. We met in 3rd grade when he came to my grade school. I taught him to read. I picked him to be on my team for football at recess. We haven't looked back since.
Rachel Defnet - Bridesmaid
Rachel and I met in chiropractic school where we suffered through countless lectures, exams and practicals together. We coped with the stress of school by bonding over 2 for 1s at Willie McCoy's, happy hour at Jacks and "hustling" pool. When not healing people with her magical hands, Rachel can be found at the lake with a Miller Lite in a Packer koozie, or wherever the nearest brewery is. Fun fact: Rachel has traveled to 6 countries and 22 states. World traveler in the making.
Kasper Musteikis - Groomsman
Kasper and I met in college, when we rushed and joined Sigma Chi together as pledge brothers. We have been like actual brothers ever since. Please do not try to get between us and our Pita Pit sandwiches.
Michele Ries - Bridesmaid
Michele and I met through Theta and became immediate friends through our mutual nerdiness. We dressed as hobbits more times than I care to admit, and could regularly be found dancing on tables and drinking tekilla. In her spare time, you can probably find her hiking mountains or exploring new places (i.e., she hiked 25 mountains before her 25th birthday). Michele is the happiest person I have ever met and I can almost guarantee she will hug you or measure your neck at the wedding when she's not showing off her killer dance moves. Fun fact: Michele can solve one side of a Rubik's cube and has ridden a cow.
Natalie Sell - Bridesmaid
Natdaddy was my rush crush when she went through recruitment, and thankfully she joined Theta because we became instant friends as I (and Sara) were the devils on her shoulder during college. And we're also both pretty weird - as in, we hung our legs out the window of our room with the blinds closed and kicked them to weird out the people walking on the street. Needless to say, Natalie and I always have a good time, so you will probably find her on the dance floor with a shot in hand. Fun Fact: Natalie used to be a black belt in karate.
Mike "G" Gonzalez - Groomsman
G and I have known each other since the 5th grade. Shortly after that, his parents parents built a house next to my parents and it was game over from there. We have been best friends since.
Sam Kirchner - Groomsman
Sam and I met through Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was a member already when I pledged, but through the years of college and after, we became close friends by rooming together, strolling along Welch Ave, tailgating in Ames, and enjoying delicious Kosher meals together.
Sara Carroll - Bridesmaid
Sara is my Theta grandbaby. We met on Bid Day and the rest is, to be cliche, history. From falling in trash cans, chocolate chile tequila shots and clothing swaps at tailgates, to our current rooftop bar excursions and virtual Office trivia, we've bonded for life. Sara can often be found tearing up the dance floor - especially when Timber is played. Fun Fact: Sara spent 2 weeks gallivanting around Europe after graduating from college. Another world traveler in the making.
Ryan Lamoureux - Groomsman
Lamoureux and I became friends in High School. He went to Loras for college for a year and then followed me to Iowa State and joined Sigma Chi. We consider ourselves Brotherly Bros. We roomed together almost all of our college career and have been connected through our love for "Grumpy Old Men" ever since.
Jill Krygowski - Bridesmaid
Jill is also a Theta, and we became besties pretty much immediately after joining. We were basically inseparable for 4 years during college - through drinking in (parked) cars with fake mustaches, sorority and fraternity formals, tailgates, VEISHEA... We've stayed besties since college and I keep telling Jill to pack me in her suitcase on her next trip. Fun Fact: Jill is a certified scuba diver and regularly travels the world on awesome adventures.
Mike Pigatti - Usher
Pigatti and I have known each other for what seems like our entire lives. People think we are actually brothers. We grew up together by spending late nights playing "Twisted Metal" and eating Wintergreen Altoids.
Jarred Bernard - Usher
Jarred and I have been close friends since kindergarten. We grew up together playing baseball and constantly being at each other's house.
Blake Thielen - Officiant
Blake is Cass' brother. They grew up the best of friends, then worst enemies, and finally best friends again after living less than a block from each other in college. Both die hard LOTR fans, many a voicemail were exchanged singing "The Last Goodbye" and "Into the West" after a few too many drinks. After competing against each other in basketball and horseback riding growing up, they keep their competition and trash talking to the cribbage board now. Mike and Blake really became friends while Cass lived in Minnesota, and bonded over baseball, fishing and the fact that they have the same personality. We are thrilled to have Blake marrying us, and would like to apologize in advance for the theatrics and costumes that will most likely occur.