Laramie Plains Museum

Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

We met on August 31st, 2018 at the Buckhorn Bar and Parlor in Laramie, WY. Cody saw Desa from across the bar and asked a a mutual friend to introduce them. Desa was reluctant to meet anyone and said no, since this was supposed to be a girls party year for the last year of college. However, Cody could not take no for an answer and proceeded to introduce himself on the third floor. Desa thought that Cody was underage and using a fake ID and was insistent about carding Cody. We later learned that we have birthdays four days apart on May 18th and May 22nd. We spent the rest of the night talking, walking to the Ranger, and visiting with Zairyk at his place on Little Moon Trail. We started officially dating on November 18th, 2018 and were inseparable for our senior year of college and Cody's fifth year. We now reside in Laramie, with careers and our dog, Scout. We enjoy travelling, camping, tailgating, skiing, and socializing during our free time.

Our Story

Photos

Kaleigh is from Breckenridge, CO and Naples, FL and is one of my favorite people to spend time with. We initially met in Kappa, but didn’t start hanging out together until the boys took us on a double-date to Chili’s—I am so grateful that Zairyk and Cody helped facilitate our friendship. The four of us love doing group activities together and we have maintained our long-distance friendship by going on trips together. Some of our recent trips include: Nashville (TN), Park City (UT), Fort Lauderdale (FL), and Novi (MI). We love hanging out with the boys, but it has been really nice to spend time with just Kaleigh. Our favorite things include: traveling, getting our nails done, visiting Kendra Scott, and making fun of  Zairyk and Cody’s bromance. A fun fact about Kaleigh is that she loves to travel and has been to all fifty states—she is also training to run a marathon. Zairyk and Kaleigh currently reside in Laramie, WY and their dog, Lala is one of Scout’s best friends.

Kaleigh Schilousky

Kaitlyn is from Limon, CO and has been a part of the Bennett Family since 2013. In my first encounters with the Bennett family, I was immediately impressed by Kaitlyn—she has always been so warm and welcoming toward me. Since then, I have grown to admire and appreciate Kaitlyn even more after every chance we’ve had to spend time together. Kaitlyn and Chris are always willing to try new things with us, eat sushi, play board games, and they offer the best older sibling advice. I have never had an older sibling to turn to for advice but I know if I could choose an older sibling, I couldn’t make one better than Chris and Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is not only someone that I look up to, but a great friend, wife, and wonderful mom. On top of that, Kaitlyn is really good at baking and always makes beautiful cakes and delicious snacks. Kaitlyn currently works as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and lives in Denver with Chris and Lyra; the three of them recently moved into an incredible new home.

Kaitlyn Bennett

Sami is from Westminster, CO and has been a special part of my life since the spring of 2017 when she joined Kappa. She has always been one of my favorite people to spend time with and is even responsible for introducing Cody and I at the Buck. Anyone who knows Sami knows that she is an incredible friend—she is kind, caring, easygoing, and always fun person to spend time with. In fact, I don’t know many girls who can shotgun a beer as fast as the two of us. Sami currently resides in Westminster and works as a Distribution Coordinator at Kong. She is engaged to her fiancé, Jason, and they are currently preparing for their wedding in June of 2023. We are so excited to spend more time with Sami and Jason and are looking forward to celebrating with them!

Sami Smith

Avery is from Yuma, Colorado and has been dating Cannan Bennett since May 2nd, 2020. The two met at Chadron State College while playing intramural sports. Cody and I first met Avery at the Byers Ranch during a family shed hunt. Since then, we have loved getting to know Avery and the opportunity to spend more time with her. Some of my favorite memories with Avery include playing golf with the boys and spending time together at family gatherings. A fun fact about Avery is that she has some great dance moves and we’re so excited to see her special routine at the wedding. Avery and Cannan currently reside in Limon with their golden retriever, Murphy, who loves to play with Scout whenever we visit the ranch. Avery graduated with a degree in Marketing earlier this year and works at Farm Credit as an Operational Specialist.

Avery Whitehead

Scout was born in Hugo, CO and spent her early puppy days on the eastern plains of Colorado. Some of her best tricks include: “lay down”, “shake”, “high-five”, “hold paws”, and “roll over”. She has a sweet-tooth and enjoys: oreos, danishes, cupcakes, and cookies. She snuggles on her own terms but always provides love and comfort when we need it the most.

Scout Bennett

Lyra is two years old has been a special part of our lives since January 11, 2020. She is the daughter of Chris and Kaitlyn Bennett and soon to be OUR NIECE! She is the first grandchild of Shawn and Carrie Bennett—as well as the first great-grandchild of Ray and Debbie Thieman. When we first called to tell Chris and Kaitlyn about our engagement in November, Lyra showed her congratulations by addressing me as “aunt Des”—and I was overjoyed with excitement! Some of our favorite times with Lyra include visiting her when she was a newborn, attending her first and second birthday parties, and visiting the pumpkin patch in Denver. She loves animals and spending time at the buffalo ranch with her family. We are so excited to have her be our flower girl and even more excited to watch her personality continue to bloom throughout the years.

Lyra Bennett

Zairyk Schilousky

Joel Moline

Matt Thieman

Chris Bennett

Cannan Bennett

Cale Bennett

Wedding Party

We are so excited to celebrate with everyone and do not want anyone to be put in a position to drive back to their lodging accommodations after consuming alcohol. If you’d like to leave your vehicle at your hotel or Airbnb, please consider the following transportation options:

SafeRide

SafeRide is an on-call public transportation service that operates late nights on the weekends to offer nonjudgmental safe rides home. Rides are offered to UW students, faculty, staff, community members and visitors. SafeRide's service areas include the Laramie city limits from 9:00 pm - 2 am. There is no on-board fare for utilizing SafeRide—it is a free service.     307-766-7433     https://www.uwyo.edu/tps/transit/saferide.html

Uber and Lyft

Uber and Lyft are available in Laramie. Service is limited based on the number of drivers available and the time of the day.

Bird - Electric Scooters

If you’d like to ride an electric scooter to and from the wedding venue, please download the Bird app. The app will show scooters available in proximity to you and you’ll be able to upload a payment method and scan a QR code to start a ride.

Transportation

For guests flying in, we would recommend Denver International Airport. The service is more robust than our rural Wyoming Airports and there is a better selection of rental vehicles.

Denver International Airport

For guests flying in, we have a small regional airport located outside of town. However, the rates are more expensive than Denver International Airport (DIA) and the service is much more limited.

Laramie Regional Airport

Room rates and availability are limited due to the Wyoming vs. Airforce home football game. The Hilton is the best hotel in Laramie; however, they would not let us block any rooms due to contractual obligations with the University for home football games.

Hilton Garden Inn Laramie

Room rates and availability are limited due to the Wyoming vs. Airforce home football game. We have blocked twenty rooms at the Fairfield (10 King; 10 Double Queen) and will replenish the block as rooms are reserved.

Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Laramie

Room rates and availability are limited due to the Wyoming vs. Airforce home football game. We have blocked ten rooms at the Hampton from 9/16/2022-9/18/2022.

Hampton Inn Laramie

Travel

Wyoming is hosting Air Force on Friday, September 16th at 6 pm. For guests that want to make a weekend trip out of their visit, we would recommend tailgating and attending the game at War Memorial Stadium.

Wyoming vs. Airforce Football Game

For guests arriving on Friday, we would recommend checking out the Farmers Market. The Farmers Market takes place in downtown Laramie near the Train Depot on Fridays from 3pm until 7pm.

Farmers Market

Born in Barn is the best place to grab a burger in Laramie; they also have delicious sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo.

Born In A Barn

Crowbar's Pad Thai Fries are one of our favorite snacks in town.

Crowbar & Grill

The Sugar Mouse is one of our favorite local establishments to enjoy a delicious cupcake or afternoon tea.

The Sugar Mouse Cupcake House

The Big Dipper is a great place to enjoy homemade ice cream in downtown Laramie.