Kenzie & Alejandro
Wedding Party
Crystal Scott
Matron of Honor
Sis•ter [noun] A female sibling; Your first confidant and closest ally; A sharer of dreams and keeper of secrets; Your most loyal friend forever This magnificent human has been my best and favorite friend since day one. We have been on an absolute rollercoaster of life and loss together, but that’s made our bond stronger then ever. She has proved to be a great role model for me in both life and career and I couldn’t ask for a better person to call my sister & friend. She is also the wonderful mother of two of our other wedding party members (Collyn and McKinnley), making her the first to have given me one of my favorite titles of Aunt. She didn’t miss a beat when she started calling Alejandro her brother, so it seems only fitting that she sign the paperwork that makes it official. :)
Jamie Banzhaf
Matron of Honor
Now this woman is a miracle worker! She has not only partnered up with my brother for life, she’s also the ring leader of my favorite 5 ring circus, AND she can absolutely kick my buns in a half marathon! Jamie has been a wonderful role model and cheerleader from the moment I met her. She has been the best bonus sister a girl could ever ask for! She’s also the only person to get me to eat eggplant and a number of other veggies she sneaks into her delicious dishes and tells me about them later. Miracle worker! One last fun fact: She speaks Spanish! 💜
Natalia Casanova Vergaray
Bridesmaid
Did I mention I got another sister out of this deal? (And she rocks!) Natalia has been an amazing supporter of Alejandro and my relationship since the beginning. Our initial (and most) encounters are via FaceTime, as she, her husband and our nephew live in Lima, Peru. Despite the fact we haven’t gotten to spend near as much time together as I would like to, Natalia welcomed me into this family with open arms and continues to support and love us, no matter the distance between us. She and Alejandro have a beautiful relationship as brother and sister, and it is an honor to have her here with us, standing up with us as we start our new journey.
Katelyn Jelden
Bridesmaid
Sister-Cousin-Friend #1 of my bridal party is Miss Katelyn. Katelyn and I are one year and one week apart in age and grew up more like sisters than cousins. We are the best Barbie cosmetologists around, could’ve won championships if basement roller derby had been a sport, and would take 1st place in a 4-Wheeler safety competition. We lived together for a year in Lincoln, have taken a couple very memorable road trips, and have remained the best of Sister-Cousin-Friends all along the way. I’m so excited to have her, her sister and her brother all stand up with us on our big day!
Stacy Olson
Bridesmaid
Everyone needs a friend like this girl!! Stacy and I became super close in high school and have remained that way ever since. We have the definition of that friendship that doesn’t take into account the amount of time between visits, we pick up right where we left off! Although she’s younger than me, Stacy has always been an amazing role model to me. She has the kindest soul and would literally give you the shirt off her back if you needed it. She has been a prime example to me of what it means to keep your faith through any and all situations, and she has always been there to support me as well.
Tiffany Hoaglund
Bridesmaid
My Dear Fannikins. Tiffany and I started off as high school rivals in the booming Central Platte Conference before attending the same college and finding some reasons to set our rivalry aside and pursue an amazing friendship. Those reasons? A mutual love for Derek Morgan, Spencer Reed (all things related to Criminal Minds, really), all things Disney, and ice cream cake. Tiffany and I also lived together for a year and began a standing ice cream cake date tradition to celebrate our birthdays each year. When your best friend’s birthday is 3 days away from yours, that’s obvious cause for celebration! Tiffany has seen me through a few frogs, so it’s only fitting she get a front row seat to watch me (finally) tie down my prince.
Shayne Banzhaf
Bridesmaid
Shayne recently “officially” became a Banzhaf! Her anniversary will actually be just two days after our wedding. So, same time last year, I was standing up with her on her big day! Shayne married into the role of being my “sister” since she married one of the men walking me down the aisle. She has been an amazing addition to our family and I couldn’t be happier that she and Jerud found each other. I sometimes forget that I wouldn’t know her if it weren’t for Jerud, because I feel like we’ve been friends forever! I am so happy that she will be standing up with Alejandro and me on our big day, as she has quickly become someone who is very important to our lives.
Jennifer Bergstrom
Bridesmaid
Sister-Cousin-Friend #2 of my bridal party is Miss Jennifer I like to think of myself as Jennifer’s favorite 4th birthday present that arrived just one day late. :) In all seriousness though, Jennifer has always been like another big sister to me. She used to braid my hair (sometimes too tight, but no whining allowed) when we were younger and I thought it was the greatest thing ever! She also was my hairstylist for my senior pictures! One of my favorite memories of Jennifer and I was our trip to D.C. We strolled the streets of D.C. in Old Navy flip flops like it was nothing! (I’m pretty sure our feet would fall off if we tried that again).
McKinnley Scott
Bridesmaid
McKinnley is joining our wedding party as one of our Junior Bridesmaids! She was my very first niece and is also one of my Goddaughters. She is my ride-or-die partner in crime. We are both big fans of expressing our inner artist at The Rustic Patch, Pink, concerts (except for the openers - she thinks those are boring), picking on Alejandro, and Eileen’s cookies!
Jordan Banzhaf
Bridesmaid
Jordo McGordo is joining our wedding party as our second Junior Bridesmaid! Her ever joyous spirit and infectious smile is definitely going to bring a lot of light to our big day! She’s my night owl and dancing queen. Watch out dance floor! She’s about to tear you up! Jordan and I also share a passion for all things sports and competition related! She is also pretty interested in how many kids we plan to have, because that’s how many cousins she still gets! :) I cannot wait to have this big helper with me as I learn to navigate motherhood some day as well! :)
Shaden Banzhaf
Flower Girl
Shaden is proudly taking on the role of Lead Flower Girl! She is also my Goddaughter and my mini me! She frequently gets called my daughter, but we roll with it because she’s everything I hope to have in a daughter myself one day. We both love Tropical Sno, singing and dancing, sleepovers, Scooby Doo and making Alejandro work a little to get our love. The first thing Shaden said when she met Alejandro was, “Why’d you bring him here?” No worries everyone, he’s grown on us all, Shade just still makes him work a little to get through that bashful exterior before getting to the goofy, loving, sweet soul!
Callie Banzhaf
Flower Girl
Callie Bear is also a Flower Girl and she is excited!! Callie gave her stamp of approval on dress shopping day, by only saying “oooo you look pretty” to the dress I will be wearing on our wedding day. One of my favorite things this world has to offer is Callie’s hugs. They are moment, day and life altering hugs! She will literally throw herself at you and knock you over, that’s how powerful they are! If I ever need a pick me up, this girl is number one on my list of people to go see to lift my spirits.
Luis Rony Casanova
Best Man
Rony is Alejandro’s father. He and Alejandro have an amazing bond that is so fun to witness. He and Maritza welcomed me into their family with open arms and made me feel like I had been there forever. Rony also took us on a tour of Lima the first time we were there to visit and we had an absolute blast that day! He has always been one of Alejandro’s role models and one of his biggest supporters as well! We are extremely honored to have him standing up with us today and I can’t thank God enough for giving me an amazing man to call my father-in-law. I am so blessed!
Brendan Plante
Groomsman
Brendan and Alejandro met in nursing school at Kansas Wesleyan and quickly became friends. Brendan invited Alejandro into his family like a brother, and the Plante’s quickly became a second family for Alejandro. They were the first people I got to meet when we made a trip to Kansas and I’m so glad they are all a part of my life now too!
Fernando Morocho
Groomsman
Fernando is our brother-in-law and he is an amazing one! He and Natalia are such as amazing team to watch take on life together. We always have a great time when we get to see Fernando and cannot be happier that he was able to join us today! Alejandro and Fernando will most likely be late for wedding activities due to a tennis match that they’ll pick up together! They share a passion for the sport and love playing against each other.
Ward Shraeder
Groomsman
Alejandro met Ward when he became a part of the Kansas Wesleyan Tennis team. Ward served as a mentor for the team, and as a personal mentor for a Alejandro.
Rod Meier
Groomsman
Rod was once a boss of Alejandro’s, although Alejandro will always say “he doesn’t have a boss.” Rod gave Alejandro a job with his moving company during a time that really helped Alejandro out while he was in college. While working for the moving company, Rod quickly became an important mentor for Alejandro. Rod also provided Alejandro with the sound advice that as long as he worked hard, he could achieve a lot of things. Alejandro still lets this advice motivate him to work hard in pursuit of his goals and dreams. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Rod in person yet, but we’ve spoken a couple times and by the amount of teasing he throws Alejandro’s way, I can tell he and I will become very good friends as well.
John Lanning
Groomsman
John (initially not by complete choice) became Alejandro’s roommate when he moved to Kearney. There had been a housing glitch upon him arriving, so John graciously opened up his second bedroom to Alejandro. These two quickly became two peas in a pod and the rest is history! John was influential in getting Alejandro started (and obsessed) with cycling. They completed the Copper Triangle together and go on frequent rides around Kearney. John was also part of our group that completed the Salkantay Trek when we got engaged. John played an extremely important role in our engagement, as he recorded it, and I am forever grateful for that gift he has given us. John is the best kind of person, who can become friends with anyone he meets. You’ll most likely find him on the dance floor in Sept!
David Benavides
Groomsman
David is one of the surgeons that Alejandro and I work very closely with. He was able to join us on our Salkantay hiking trip and we’re pretty sure he ran down the mountain because nobody could catch up with him! (At one point we actually got a little worried something happened because nobody had seen him for a few hours). David has always been a joy to work with, but our trip opened us all up to a more personal, rather than professional, friendship with each other and we couldn’t be more thankful for that. He is always an absolute joy to be around and is always putting others needs ahead of his own.
Jacob Jelden
Groomsman
Jacob is my cousin, who has always been more like a little brother. He was a total trooper growing up, mainly surrounded by girls, and would usually just go with the flow and join in whatever make believe game we had going on. He is a phenomenal pianist and I know our Grandma Fern beams with joy every time she hears him play. Jacob and Alejandro hit it off from the very first time they met. This made my heart jump for joy, as I knew that Jacob’s was a stamp of approval that was necessary for me to continue to pursue a relationship with someone. Jacob was a clear choice of someone who needed to stand up with us today, as he is such an important person to both of us.
Collyn Scott
Groomsman
Collyn was my very first nephew, and he’s growing up way too fast (age and height wise!). He and I have always been close, but he and Alejandro also had an instant connection when they met as well. I am well aware that my “cool aunt” status is taking a back seat to Alejandro’s “cool uncle” one. We are so thankful to have Collyn standing up with us today as a Jr Groomsmen. We couldn’t imagine a wedding day that didn’t include our nieces and nephews. They are such important people to us, and are genuinely some of our greatest friends too!
Cole Banzhaf
Groomsman
Cole is also a Junior Groomsmen in our wedding party! He is my middle nephew and one of Tio Alejandro’s biggest fans. He is a lover of hats, blazers, and all things related to farm life. Cole taught Alejandro how to feed a bucket calf, and I’m sure there are many more lessons Alejandro has to learn from this farmer and rancher. Cole had the most enthusiastic “heck yes” when asked to be a part of our big day, so heck yes we are excited to suit him up today for a very important role in our day!
Cade Banzhaf
Ring Bearer
Cade is on member of our Ring Security on the big day! He is my youngest nephew and Callie’s twin brother. He is a miniature version of my brother, which is so fun! Cade is also a lover of all things related to the farm/ranch life and he’s a pretty big fan of his new Tio! He thinks he’s a pretty funny guy! I’m guessing that Cade will be sporting some pretty slick looking John Deere boots to stroll down the aisle, but whatever gets him there with a smile!
Ignacio Morocho Casanova
Ring Bearer
Ignacio is our newest nephew and my birthday buddy!! He is Natalia and Fernando’s son, who Alejandro got to meet when he traveled to Peru, but I am still anxiously awaiting his arrival to the US for our wedding! We are hoping to get his international travels started young, so we can see him as much as possible! His mom is great about keeping us updated via FaceTime and photos! Ignacio will be rolling down the aisle in my Grandma Jelden’s baby buggy, to help make my Grandpa a special part of our day as well.
Terry Scott
Usher
Terry is my brother-in-law and will be joining our wedding party as one of our ushers! He has also already played a huge part in assisting us with wedding day preparations, by making my centerpiece dreams come to life. All of the pallet boxes that hold mason jars and flowers are thanks to him! He and I are also hopefully constructing our backdrop to sit behind our head table! He is the person I turn to when anything is wrong with my house or my car, and he is always willing to help me out, which is appreciated more than he will ever know! He was also right with my sister in not missing a beat to start calling Alejandro his Peruvian brother. He and Alejandro also have frequent lesson exchanges for how things work “in their countries.”
Ryan Bergstrom
Usher
Ryan is my cousin by marriage and is also joining our wedding party as an usher. Ryan is married to my cousin, Jennifer, who is a bridesmaid. As their family photographer, I know how much Ryan loves taking pictures, so it was important to me to get him a few photo ops on our big day! :)
Wyatt Jelden
Usher
Wyatt is my youngest cousin, but he was one of Alejandro’s favorites right off the bat! These two could talk about soccer all day long! Wyatt is another cousin who seems more like a little brother to me, so he was also a clear choice as someone we wanted to include in our special day! He’s got an amazing personality, so whoever has the honor of having him escort you, you’ve won the lottery of the day!
Jonathan Jelden
Usher
Jonathan is my oldest cousin and is also my mom’s Godson (as she will brag to you about a million times!) Jon has always been someone I looked up to and was definitely the nicest when it came to “picking on his little cousin!” Jonathan has taken us on many adventures around the Fort Collins area, which has always led to amazing memories!
Cassie Steele
Personal Attendant
Cassie has a big role on wedding day... being my partner in crime! Cassie and I also lived together in Lincoln, so she knows how to handle me in any kind of situation or mood. I was once told that your personal attendant is the most important person to choose for your wedding party because they are the person who knows you so well, they will know how to put out any fires without even needing to alert you there was smoke. Cassie is also a professional at keeping things organized and she’s GREAT with my nieces and nephews, so I know she’ll help keep everyone entertained, fed, and happy! Cassie is handily one of my greatest friends, even though we can fight like sisters, our love for each other always wins out! There’s never been a moment I’ve needed her than she wasn’t right there!
Regan Zabel
Personal Attendant
Miss Regan is my other partner in crime for the day! Regan matches and/or exceeds my need to be organized for occasions such as these, so I knew I needed her by my side! She is a professional with timelines, finances and small details, so I am so excited she’ll be there to help me along the way! She also comes with a couple mini personal attendants, Shanley & Piper, who will definitely be a big part of our day as well!! Shanley is already excited for the big day to get here, so we can put on some pretty makeup and dance!! Regan is also the queen of killer dance moves, so she’ll most likely be found next to Jordan on the dance floor!
Cory Banzhaf
Bridal Escort
I am honored to introduce this man, my big brother, who will be walking side by side with me down the aisle. He has graciously agreed to fill some very big shoes and step in for our dad on my big day. Cory is one of the most amazing brothers a girl could ever ask for. He is supportive, but always protective as well. He knew immediately Alejandro was the one to keep around, before I even knew myself I think. He and Alejandro share a love for CrossFit and even end up in the same classes from time to time! He has grown into someone our dad would be very proud of, and I know my dad will be smiling, but also making sure to be right in step with us that day!
Jerud Banzhaf
Bridal Escort
As many of you know, Jerud is my cousin, but he is definitely more like a brother than anything else. He and I are the closest in age of all of my Banzhaf cousins and we have spent countless hours making memories together! We spent many days at the shop with our dads, and many hours playing Mario Brothers, building with legos and playing in the sandbox. We grew up going to school together, and it was always a comfort to me to know I’d see him between classes and he was always close if I needed him. He is another one of my biggest supporters and protectors as well.
Luis Guillermo
Groomsman
Lucho is one of Alejandro’s cousins. He has been just as welcoming as their rest of their family and is just an absolute joy to be around. Lucho and Alejandro have always been very close and we are so bummed that he will no longer be able to join us in Nebraska for our wedding here, but look forward to celebrating with him in Peru in January!