Stokes Grill and Wine Bar

Rehearsal Dinner

Bella Terre Reception Hall & Vineyard

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Fall

Our Wedding

Max and I met in August of 2020 through music courses at UNO.  Obviously, that year was not one for socializing, so we were more so aware of each other existing.  In my observations, he appeared to be a stereotypical Bass II (derogatory lol) and I didn’t think much about him.  Once COVID restrictions began to lift, classes became much more collaborative and we found each other spending a lot of time sitting in the Strauss lobby doing homework and playing SpongeBob UNO.  We began to grow closer and he eventually asked me to go to a drive-in movie.  Naturally, I turned him down to do homework and laundry because I’m a nerd that’s afraid of social interaction (just as well, it got cancelled because of strong winds).  Luckily, we both needed to attend more concerts for AOW (now Convocation) and we made plans to see the Brass Pack.  After a fun night, we made plans to hang out the next day on Halloween because neither of us had plans.  After making some mini apple pies and watching the cult classic “So I Married An Axe Murderer”, Max asked me to be his girlfriend.  These years of having Max as my partner have been the best years of my life.  Every day, he finds a new way to show how much he loves me and drives me to be a better person.  I love you and I’m beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with you ❤️

McKenna’s POV

<p>McKenna&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;met&nbsp;in&nbsp;2020&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;famous&nbsp;Zoom&nbsp;University&nbsp;(UNO).&nbsp;Since&nbsp;all&nbsp;I&nbsp;ever&nbsp;saw&nbsp;of&nbsp;McKenna&nbsp;these&nbsp;first&nbsp;few&nbsp;months&nbsp;was&nbsp;her&nbsp;on&nbsp;a&nbsp;text&nbsp;box&nbsp;in&nbsp;her&nbsp;dorm&nbsp;room,&nbsp;we&nbsp;had&nbsp;very&nbsp;limited&nbsp;interaction&nbsp;in&nbsp;diction&nbsp;class.&nbsp;The&nbsp;next&nbsp;year,&nbsp;we&nbsp;had&nbsp;conducting,&nbsp;choir,&nbsp;and&nbsp;voice&nbsp;together&nbsp;in&nbsp;person.&nbsp;All&nbsp;of&nbsp;a&nbsp;sudden,&nbsp;we&nbsp;began&nbsp;spending&nbsp;a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;of&nbsp;time&nbsp;together&nbsp;with&nbsp;mutual&nbsp;friends.&nbsp;As&nbsp;the&nbsp;fall&nbsp;went&nbsp;along,&nbsp;I&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;learn&nbsp;more&nbsp;and&nbsp;more&nbsp;about&nbsp;McKenna&nbsp;and&nbsp;how&nbsp;goal-oriented,&nbsp;kind,&nbsp;and&nbsp;funny&nbsp;she&nbsp;really&nbsp;was.&nbsp;One&nbsp;day,&nbsp;I&nbsp;finally&nbsp;got&nbsp;the&nbsp;courage&nbsp;to&nbsp;ask&nbsp;her&nbsp;out&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;drive-in&nbsp;movie,&nbsp;and&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;shortly&nbsp;lived&nbsp;no&nbsp;(the&nbsp;movie&nbsp;was&nbsp;canceled&nbsp;anyway).&nbsp;We&nbsp;made&nbsp;plans&nbsp;to&nbsp;hang&nbsp;out&nbsp;together&nbsp;that&nbsp;next&nbsp;week.&nbsp;After&nbsp;seeing&nbsp;a&nbsp;couple&nbsp;of&nbsp;concerts&nbsp;at&nbsp;school&nbsp;and&nbsp;making&nbsp;mini&nbsp;apple&nbsp;pies&nbsp;while&nbsp;watching&nbsp;So&nbsp;I&nbsp;Married&nbsp;an&nbsp;Axe&nbsp;Murderer,&nbsp;Halloween&nbsp;turned&nbsp;into&nbsp;our&nbsp;anniversary.&nbsp;Since&nbsp;that&nbsp;day&nbsp;over&nbsp;3&nbsp;years&nbsp;ago,&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;continued&nbsp;to&nbsp;learn&nbsp;so&nbsp;much&nbsp;about&nbsp;each&nbsp;other&nbsp;and&nbsp;grow&nbsp;through&nbsp;the&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;college&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;start&nbsp;and&nbsp;beyond.&nbsp;I&nbsp;love&nbsp;you,&nbsp;I&nbsp;love&nbsp;loving&nbsp;you,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I&nbsp;can't&nbsp;wait&nbsp;to&nbsp;start&nbsp;forever&nbsp;with&nbsp;you!</p>

Max’s POV

Our Story

Photos

Sophie and McKenna met in 2021 through an ice cream social hosted by Kappa Kappa Psi instead of sitting through another boring AOW session.  Once NAfME started regular meetings, the friendship continued to grow and led to them living together after finishing out the school year.  After the arrival of Kassandra, it was no surprise that McKenna quickly became Auntie Ten.  Thus marks the origins of the iconic duo of overthinking oldest daughters.

Sophie Whitehill

McKenna had two whole friends that truly put up with her middle school self.  Grace is one of them.  From cringey hairstyles to a cringier dance club, these two stuck together like glue for some of the most awkward years of life.  After that, she tried a year of Duschene Academy and realized that going to school with McKenna was way more fun, so she came back to the dark side :) They remained close through a common love of show choir and continued to make visits through college on various weekends and during the annual NMEA conference.

Grace Carey

Alaina and McKenna were roommates for the first two years of McKenna’s undergraduate degree.  She is the only one that stayed for all four semesters (side eye Emma in good fun).  With her being an elementary education major, Star Wars fan, and hardcore Swiftie, it was no surprise that these two got along right off the bat.  Alaina was part of the Eras Tour Squad.  She is now teaching in Bellevue Public Schools with her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership, thanks to UNO’s CADRE program.

Alaina Pihlgren

Breanna was another one of the roommates in the ideal configuration.  She joined our bird-filled home in year two of McKenna’s undergraduate degree and completed the quartet.  Another Star Wars fan and Swiftie, she fit in as if it was always meant to be.  Upon graduation, Bre had the fantastic opportunity to work in the Disney College Program and used some Disney magic (luck bestowed on her from Mickey Mouse, no discounts) to acquire Eras Tour tickets for the squad.  After completing that stretch, she moved back to Omaha to live with McKenna.  Breanna currently works for Target as part of the Loss Prevention Team.

Breanna Krosch

Emma is another one of the roommates in the ideal configuration.  She was also a music major and the first person that McKenna matched with on the roommate matching app.  Emma is a hardcore gamer and bonded with McKenna over their love of various Nintendo games.  It was because of her that McKenna purchased a Switch, mainly to take their Mario Kart-ing to the next level.  Despite leaving a touch early, her new condo was right across the street from campus, so the configuration was still intact.  It was not long before her place became the spot for all of us to get together off campus and indulge in yummy dinners and Overcooked sessions.  Emma has recently adopted two cats and is a rug specialist at Nebraska Furniture Mart.

Emma Krehbiel

Harry is Max’s younger brother. Being only a year younger than Max meant that they did everything together, almost in the literal sense. This would all range from attending the same schools, sharing the same bedroom, and even the same clothes. As Harry and Max got older, they continue to experience new things together while being at most 5 minutes away.

Harry Heyden

Austin and Max had met at football conditioning during a scrimmage that was held between each of the levels of teams. Austin was/is also very into the rise of Fortnite, competitive gaming, and content creation. Austin balances all of his passions while holding other jobs that he has sustained over the years. Austin and Max have had their share of nonsense with the boys, but the shared motivation to accomplish whatever is in front of them is what truly brought these two together.

Austin Kochen

Justin is Max’s older brother. Being the older brother, he naturally took on the task of teaching Max about childhood and providing life advice, and he would grow up. Justin has always led by example as he is not known for being super vocal. It's where Max first learned the importance of hard work as it has become the foundation of where Max is today.

Justin Heyden

Brayden and Max met in high school during a football practice, but started becoming friends at the rise of everybody’s favorite game Fortnite. Brayden was always around when Max and the boys were out seemingly terrorizing the rest of town for entertainment. Fun fact, Brayden and Harry share a birthday.

Brayden King

Mason and Max have met at UNO through his wife and maid of honor Sophie. The two of them had a slow start due to studying vastly different things. However, through group hangouts and other spontaneous adventures, the two started to grow as friends celebrating each other’s marriages with more memories to be made in the future.

Mason Whitehill

This little cutie is the one that made the bride “Auntie Ten”. She has had a hold on our hearts since the day she was born. This will be Kassandra’s second round as a flower girl, so she’s basically an expert at the ripe age of two.

Kassandra Whitehill

Wedding Party

Q + A

<p style="text-align: left;">There are plenty of hotels and AirBNBs in the area.  If you are wanting to stay close to the venue, I would suggest a place to stay in Council Bluffs or Bellevue.</p>

Travel

#1 Zoo ever, I will not be taking questions.

Henry Doorly Zoo

The championship games will take place June 21st-23rd, with the games kicking off on June 13th.

College World Series

Nebraska is toasty during June, but at least there’s a good pool in the area!

Papio Bay Aquatic Center

Emma Hendricks would have fought me if I didn’t add this space…

Lauritzen Gardens

If you’re wanting to get outdoors and away from the Metro area, this is another slice of nature that Nebraska has to offer.

McKenna & Max

McKenna & Max

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