The Minnestoa Zoo

The Proposal

Queen of Peace Catholic Church

Wedding Day

Wedding

Blacks Sky Room - 8th Floor

Reception

Our Wedding

Our Story

Details

The bride &amp; Karissa met while working together in the children's department of Von Maur. They became fast friends, &amp; eventually became roommate's! There are literally endless stories that could be shared involving their friendship that could probably make you laugh to the point of tears. Karissa is from Clinton, Iowa &amp; currently lives in Waterloo, Iowa. She is attending UNI for psychology. 

Karissa Fullerton

Nick &amp; the groom have known one another since they were in 8th grade and have been the best of friends ever since. In his spare time Nick enjoys watching movies, ordering Chinese food from East China where they know him by name, and probably his order.Nick grew up in Waterloo, Iowa where he currently still resides. 

Nick Ratchford

Cara &amp; the bride met through mutual friends, although did not immediately connect. After some time, the brides wit &amp; charm won Cara over, and they became the best of friends. There were endless BWW &amp; movie dates, as well as lots of nights in Dysart. Cara is from Grundy Center, Iowa &amp; currently resides in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She attends UNI, &amp; will be graduating soon with a Doctorate in English. 

Cara Doak

Kyle is the grooms older brother. As one would expect they had the typical brotherly relationship growing up. The groom always wanted to tag along &amp; hang out with the cool older brother growing up, &amp; still to this day looks to him as a role model. Kyle is a teacher, &amp; a head wrestling coach at Clear Creek Amana, &amp; is very passionate about his sports! 

Kyle Forness

Madison is the brides half sister on her fathers side. She resides in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with her family. Madison is starting her first year at SEMO this fall; majoring in biomedical sciences in pursuit of becoming a pediatrician. 

Madison Arbuckle

Ben is the grooms step-brother. He &amp; the groom enjoy hanging out when the groom is back in town. Ben loves his black labs Millie &amp; Bane. He is also a huge fan of the rapper Pretty Ricky, &amp; can recite most lyrics. Ben is from Waterloo, Iowa and is currently a teacher/coach at West High School. 

Ben Thoma

Brandon is the grooms step-brother. Brandon lives outside of Cedar Falls, Iowa with his best friend Tyson &amp; sister Shannon. He has 2 dogs, Rucca &amp; Haze, that he loves very much. He is currently working towards finishing his apprenticeship to become a plumber.  

Brandon Thoma

Lexi is the sister of the groom! Though Lexi &amp; the bride don't see much of one another, they clicked very well, &amp; the time spent together is always unforgettable! Lexi is from &amp; currently lives in Waterloo, Iowa. She is a full time student, as well as works full time at a school in Waterloo. If there is one very important thing to know about Lexi, it is that sheLOVES food.

Lexi Forness

Taylor is married to Ben Thoma, the grooms step-brother. Taylor &amp; the bride really click, and talk almost every day. Taylor is from Iowa City, Iowa &amp; now lives in Waterloo, Iowa. She graduated from UNI, &amp; currently works in marketing at a bank in Waterloo, Iowa. 

Taylor Thoma

Ryan is the grooms step-brother. He grew up in Waterloo, Iowa and although was living in Ohio for some time, just moved back to the state to pursue a new job opportunity. Ryan is a HUGE sports fan, and loves to attend any game he can. 

Ryan Finger

Shannon is the step-sister of the groom. Shannon &amp; the bride have grown closer recently &amp; enjoy spending time together when they are in the same zip code. Shannon recently just moved back to her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa from California where she has lived the past several years. She currently attends the excelled program at Allen College in hopes of becoming a P.A.  

Shannon Thoma

Brett and the groom went to school together, and have continued to remain great friends. Brett loves sports of all kinds, especially baseball! He is also a fan of reading, and indie films. He grew up in, and currently lives in Waterloo, Iowa

Brett Watkins

Dan and the groom went to high school together. This small &amp; mighty man can strike up a conversation with anyone without hesitation.Dan currently lives in Colorado, but grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. 

Dan Luce

Caitlin is married to the grooms brother Kyle. Caitlin &amp; the bride don't see a lot of one another, as Caitlin is currently finishing her residency in Massachusetts, but the time they do get to spend together is always fun! Caitlin is from Waterloo, Iowa and upon finishing her residency hopes to find a position in Iowa as well. 

Caitlin Forness

Brie is the grooms step-sister. Brie &amp; the bride don't get to see each other much, as she lives with her husband Anthony in Kansas City. But, when they get together for the holidays they are guaranteed to have a good time! She will keep you on your toes with her sass, &amp; she is a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan! 

Brie Weekley

Dustin and the Groom met during high school while participating in sporting events. They lived together for 3 years after graduating. He currently lives in Dubuque, IA and works at Gigantic Design as a visual director/producer. 

Dustin McLaughlin

Natalie is the brides half sister on her fathers side. She resides in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with her family. Natalie is very smart, and will give you run for your money in ANY subject. Literally take your pick. 

Natalie Arbuckle

JJ and the groom have known one another since kindergarten, and were great friends throughout high school. Although life has taken them in different directions, their friendship can pick up right where it left off.JJ grew up in Waterloo, Iowa but now lives with his wife in Fort Collins, Colorado

JJ Krutsinger

Jacob and the Groom have  known each other since grade school and became close in high school. They also lived together for a year before the groom moved to Minnesota. Jacob loves sports, especially the Chicago Cubs and the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

Jacob Fredrick

Kaylene Wright is the brides mother who remarried Greg Wright when the bride was very young. The bride grew up living with them in La Porte City, Iowa. Kaylene loves to spend time outdoors, &amp; since her little babies have left the nest....has replaced us with 2 mean cats. Greg has a passion for dirt bikes &amp; racing, spending most weekends winning the races he enters. 

Kaylene & Greg Wright

Anthony is married to the Grooms step-sister Brie. Don't let his quiet tendencies fool you, he thinks he's quiet the comedian. He is a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, and currently resides there, although originally from Waterloo, Iowa. 

Anthony Weekley

Randy Arbuckle is the brides father who married Carie Arbuckle. They currently reside in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with their daughters Madison &amp; Natalie. You can find Randy playing golf, fishing when he is not busy at work or spending time with his kids. Carie is an administrator at a school in Illinois, and is also very involved with her own children's lives. 

Randy & Carie Arbuckle

Laurie is the grooms mother, who remarried John Thoma early in the grooms life. Laurie and John have a passion for their family unlike any other. They also enjoy traveling, and sandy beaches. You can be sure there is always something fun going on at the Thoma farm, and there is never a lack of food or wine! 

Laurie & John Thoma

Tom is the grooms father that remarried Toni early in the grooms life. Tom and Toni love traveling to visit their children when they can. They also are fierce pickle ball players, so if you are up for the challenge you know who to see. Tom can fix most anything that is broken, and probably stuff you did not even know needed fixed. Toni is sure to keep you in line with her sass and wit. With herthere is never a dull moment!  

Tom & Toni Forness

Wedding Party

Photos

Registry

Q + A

Queen of Peace &amp; the Blacks Sky room are located less than a mile from one another in downtown Waterloo. This will make travel from the ceremony to the reception favorable, given that it is a winter wedding in the Midwest. Cocktail hour at the reception will start promptly after the ceremony ends, so you can go straight away.

For Your Convenience

The blocks have been placed!! Please book sooner than later, as we have a lot of out of town guests coming. I have blocked 80 rooms for Friday, and 140 rooms for Saturday. Half of the rooms have king bed, half have double. Please be sure to acknowledge our block name "Arbuckle-Forness Wedding" to get the discounted rate. The cut off date for the blocks is 12/28/2016.Also note, this hotel has a free shuttle service to and from the reception hall. This ONLY applies if you have booked at the Ramada.

Ramada Waterloo Hotel and Convention Center

Attached to the Blacks Building is the Park Avenue Parking Ramp (599) spaces. The ramp is located behind the Blacks Building located on Park Avenue and Sycamore Streets. The ramp entrance is on Park Avenue. Parking in the ramp is free from 5:00pm to 8:00am weekdays, &amp; free on weekends. The ramp is well lit &amp; has an elevator. To get to the Sky Room where the reception is being held from the parking ramp go to the 2nd floor of the ramp (F level) &amp; through the covered walkway connecting you on the 2nd floor of the Blacks Building. There are arrows/directions inside from there on how to get to the 8th floor.

Nicole & Mitchell

Nicole & Mitchell

Photos