Kara & Blaine
Wedding Party
Rev. Dustin Thomas
Officiant
Dustin is Kara's older brother. He has graciously agreed to be the officiant for the wedding ceremony! Dustin is 9 years older than Kara, but he never seemed to mind having a younger sister. When she was little, she loved going to see Dustin play in the marching band and watch him earn his Eagle Scout award. While Kara was at WMU, she loved visiting Dustin and his family. It was wonderful spending time with family, trying new food, and exploring Kalamazoo. Dustin lives in Portage, MI with his son Riley and his wife Montora. He works at Stryker as an enterprise architect!
Riley Thomas
Junior Groomsman
Riley is Kara's amazing nephew! He loves video games, Harry Potter, and hanging out with his friends. He is our junior groomsman and will be serving as ring security for the wedding. Riley helped Kara move to TN and also came to visit her a couple of times! They had a great time hiking the nearby mountains, swimming in the pool, and trying all the tasty restaurants in Johnson City. Riley is a 5th grader and lives with his family (including his two dogs, Chloe & Seamus) in Portage, MI. Kara couldn't have asked for a better nephew!
Kelly Psotka
Maid of Honor
Kelly and Kara met during their first year at WMU! They were roommates all through college and have remained great friends ever since. Kelly was Kara's study buddy in college, and they spent hundreds of hours studying together in the library or at the local bagel shop. They have shared many laughs, board games, road trips, and late night karaoke sessions! They even drove to Pennsylvania for the weekend just to go to a concert! The best memories with Kelly include all of the laughs they have shared. They would stay up until early in the morning talking and laughing. Those became some of the best memories from college. Kelly is now living in Macomb, MI and is working as a Psychotherapist!
Derek Simpson
Best Man
Derek and Blaine met during school while studying Chemical Engineering at WMU. Derek introduced Blaine to many of his other friends in Kalamazoo. He is often credited for making Kara and Blaine's relationship come to fruition. It was a long process, but successful. Derek now lives in South Bend, Indiana working for American Electric Power and is engaged to a beautiful woman named Ali. The two will be getting married in October of 2019.
Kayla Wizinsky
Bridesmaid
Kayla and Kara have known each other for 21 years! They met in Kindergarten when they were in girl scouts together. They have had many fun times over the years, including high school marching band, visiting each other at college, celebrating each other's half-birthdays, and even raising puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind. Kara has always felt like a part of Kayla's family and was often called "second daughter" by Kayla's parents! It's hard to pick a favorite memory when you've known someone for 21 years! One special memory for Kara is when she and Kayla went on a girls trip with their moms to the Bahamas. They went parasailing, snorkeling, and spent many hours relaxing on the beach. Kayla currently lives in California and is working as an Aerospace Engineer!
Ian McGregor
Groomsman
Ian is Kara's younger brother. He is Scottish and should therefore wear a kilt as a groomsman. Blaine and Ian have become good friends over the years and look to become best of friends for years to come. Ian is a carpenter living in Shelby Township, MI and is dating an amazing woman named Shelby Thornton.
Abigail Cameron
Bridesmaid
Abigail and Kara met during their first week on WMU's campus. They were roommates throughout college and have had many fun adventures together! Blaine and Abigail were also in the same Chemical Engineering program at WMU - which is how Blaine and Kara ended up meeting! One of Kara's favorite memories with Abigail is from a camping trip they took together! They wanted to go kayaking, but couldn't find a rental company. Their solution? Buy an inflatable kayak, put a dog who doesn't like water in the kayak, and go kayaking! It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but it ended up being very fun! Abigail currently lives in Kentucky and is working as a Paper Engineer!
Daniel Dexter
Groomsman
Dan and Blaine are step-brothers. These two have had a lot of fun together since they were kids, riding dirt bikes, playing video games and watching scenes from Ace Ventura over and over again. Blaine's favorite memory growing up with Dan was their first family trip on a cruise. The two had a riot. Blaine even sleep-walked half naked into a hallway and locked himself out of his room. What a site that was.. Dan is happily married to Erin Dexter. The two live in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Dana Evey
Bridesmaid
Dana is Kara's cousin! Dana and her sister Holly have always felt like sisters to Kara. The three of them spent many hours taking silly pictures, laughing, and watching movies together. Dana and Kara got to see each other often while Kara was attending WMU. Dana is an amazing equestrian rider and Kara loved to go see Dana train out at the barn. Dana now lives in Portage, MI with her horse Banjo and her two fish. She works as a preschool ministry coordinator (meaning she's basically a ninja).
Kody Kotecki
Groomsman
Kody and Blaine are step-brothers (brother's from another.. you get it). The two have had a lot of fun growing up. Kody has always been a family first kind of guy and is willing to help anyone in need. One of Blaine's favorite memories with Kody was the night he and Kody boxed each other. Kody kicked his rear, but Blaine hopes to someday get his revenge. Kody is in a relationship with a bright and beautiful woman names Breanna Rodgers. They own two gorgeous but crazy German Shephards and a cat.
Holly McCarthy
Bridesmaid
Holly is Kara's cousin! It was nice having someone so close in age to grow up with. Holly and her sister Dana have always felt like sisters to Kara. The three of them would spend hours talking and laughing together. Holly and Kara attended WMU together. They would often meet up on campus to get lunch or just hang out! Holly recently convinced Kara (who is not a runner) to run a half marathon with her at Walt Disney World. This might be interesting folks. Holly claims she’s a resident of all the states given her frequent travel with her job in marketing. When not traveling, she enjoys running and updating her planner!
Sean Hennen
Groomsman
Sean and Derek are best friends who grew up together most of their lives. Blaine met Sean shortly after meeting Derek in Kalamazoo. Sean, Derek and Blaine spent a lot of time at Western playing disc golf, video games, drinking beer, etc... lots of etcetera. Sean has a talent of surrounding himself with amazing people.. he has no other talents. He is horrible at disc golf, he can't run, he's a Notre Dame fan.. However, Sean has been one of Blaine's best friends for the last 4 years. He is happily married to the lovely Courtney Hennen. Blaine was lucky enough to be a groomsman during their wedding. Sean and Courtney now own a beautiful house in St. Joseph, MI.