Kaitlyn & Lucas
Wedding Party
Lucas Petersen
Groom
Mr. Lucas Petersen is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Wind Conducting at The University of Kansas, where he is studying with Dr. Paul Popiel. Prior to his current appointment, he spent ten years teaching in Iowa, most recently as the Director of Bands at Winterset High School in Winterset, IA. He received his Master of Music degree in instrumental conducting from the University of Northern Iowa, and his Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet performance from the University of Iowa. In addition to his many impressive professional endevaors, Kate believes Lucas to be the most attractive man in the world. He currently resides in Lawrence, KS with his soon-to-be-wife, Kaitlyn Bruns, and their one year old cavapoo, Ruthie.
Kaitlyn Bruns
Bride
Ms. Kaitlyn Bruns is currently serving as an HR Specialist and Recruiter for Brewster Place in Topeka, KS, a nonprofit retirement community. Prior to that, she worked at Grand View University for 3 years as an Admin for their Education department. She holds a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership, a Human Resource Management certificate, and a Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology–all from Grand View University. #GoVikings In addition to this impressive synopsis of her professional life--Lucas thinks Kate is a beautiful person. She currently resides in Lawrence, KS with her soon-to-be-husband, Lucas Petersen, and their one year old cavapoo, Ruthie.
Blake Asberry
Best Man
Lucas and Blake are both from Exira, IA and went to school in Audubon, IA. They have known each other for around twenty-eight years...and have been faithful for ten of them. They have been playing music together since the early 00's--first with Blake as the bass player and Lucas as the drummer for the notorious garage band "Playground Legends". While in PL, they both learned guitar and had their debut as a duo-acoustic act at their high school graduation. Years passed and they remained friends, occasionally bumping into each other in Iowa City and Ames and building a grain bin or two together. In the summer of 2012, stars aligned to give them an opportunity for their first full-length acoustic show at The Hole in Exira, IA. The rest, as they say... For the last ten years they have been bandmates in the regionally acclaimed duo-acoustic group called The First Name Band and have performed in venues across Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and even in a few pubs in Ireland. Although they are not relations, the hundreds of shows and thousands of miles traveled together have made them brothers. Blake currently resides in Exira, IA with his wife, Claire, and their two weenie dogs, Louis and Sonny.
Becca Morton
Maid of Honor
Becca was born on April 20th, 1996 in the Des Moines Lutheran Hospital. Her favorite color is purple, although she rarely wears the color. Becca sat one seat behind Kaitlyn in the Bondurant-Farrar Junior High Band, making the top two flute chairs a strong power duo, nearly impossible to beat. Although the two have known each other since preschool, their friendship really blossomed in junior year of high school when they were placed in a lot of classes together. And then again in 2020, when both went through some big life-changes during a global pandemic. As both were exploring the dating options in 2020, Becca encouraged Kaitlyn to try out the app Hinge, because it had a bit more substance than Tinder. Becca was actually with Kaitlyn when Lucas first messaged her on Hinge (she was using Kaitlyn's power, since hers was out due to the well-known Iowa derecho). Who knows if Kaitlyn would have responded to Lucas's one-worded message without Becca's encouragement? Throughout Lucas and Kaitlyn's relationship, Becca has attended nine of Lucas's musical performances, and been a true fan. She once tipped $100 to have her favorite song, WAP, performed (Lucas denied the request). When she's not practicing her flute, you can find Becca running, hanging out with her pets, or doing important legal work in Des Moines.
Dustin Munch
Groomsman
Dustin and Lucas are two happy idiots that love to laugh and smile together. One loves making music, while the other loves appreciating good music. Cadillac, 90's music, 'special grape drink', and chasing bunnies at the fairground (literally) were some of their favorite things growing up. Dustin and Lucas first met at the Audubon County Fair in the summer of 1989 at the cutest baby competition. Lucas won, obviously, with Dustin coming in at a close second place. Some might say that was Lucas' peak...and Dustin has been a rising star ever since. Some of their MANY favorite memories together occurred during the two weeks that Dustin lived on Lucas' couch in Iowa City. It was the summer of '09--Dustin packed a trunk very much like Harry Potter's and came to help Lucas with an interior painting job that Lucas had acquired for them...despite neither of them having any interior painting skills, at the time. This is a good reminder to always call references, folks. Dustin currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife, Becca, and their three-legged bastard dog Koda. P.S. JK about Koda. He is a fiercely loyal pup that loves his parents very much. He also loves nipping heels.
Claire Asberry
Bridesmaid
The first night that Claire and Kaitlyn met took place at the Pumpkin Days Festival, where they watched their significant others play music to drunk people (an activity they would end up spending a lot of time doing together). During this performance, Claire asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to pee in the woods with her (and by woods, she meant the parking lot behind the bar in Orient, IA). Claire showed Kaitlyn the ropes of becoming a "good roadie", which consisted of saying "I'm with the band", so they could get free drinks. Kaitlyn quickly mastered the task, thus setting forth the base of a friendship that eventually led to Claire standing up with Kaitlyn and Lucas on their most important day. Claire is also one of Lucas’s best friends, their friendship dating back to Claire’s college days and hanging out together in Ames. Their friendship helped lead Claire to her husband, Blake...something that was probably inevitable, anyway...but Lucas MAY have pushed it along, a bit. She also serves as a band manager for The First Name Band. Claire currently lives in Exira, IA with Blake and their two weenie dogs, Sonny and Louis. She serves as an Environmental Specialist for the DNR, specializing in the drinking water industry. She is passionate about improving the environment, and reducing the toxins used around Planet Earth. She is your go-to-gal if you want to starting making a positive difference in the world!
Jason Reichart
Groomsman
Lucas "KC" Petersen and Jason "Tonky" Reichart have been, for lack of a better term, soulmates since their first Hawkeye Marching Band rehearsal together in August of 2006. Though they have not lived in the same city for the last ten years--distance, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder--and every reunion is a joyous occasion. They are brothers through their Search for Inspirado. One of their favorite memories together is the fall they spent as co-directors of the Iowa Beer Band, a group of instrumentalists and Hawkeye sports enthusiasts that would entertain at various establishments around the downtown Iowa City area the night before a home football game. Jason currently resides in Iowa City with his lovely wife, Jess. Disclaimer: the Iowa Beer Band is in no way affiliated with The University of Iowa or its athletic band program.
Karsen Odle
Bridesmaid
Karsen and Kaitlyn met through the friendship dating app, Bumble BFF. Six days after moving to a brand new city and state, Kaitlyn's boyfriend up and left to go to Vegas for a week. This led her to download the app and try to make some new local friends. Karsen, also being new to Lawrence (but not new to Kansas, as her family tree literally begins in Kansas), also joined the app to try and find meaningful friendships. So, they met up for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and awkwardly tried to get to know each other. Through getting to know each other, the two learned that they are both INFJs, and are basically the same person (although Karsen does have a bit more artistic-skill than Kaitlyn). Karsen has been a true supporter of Lucas as well, attending his Kansas gigs, and attending KU sporting events to cheer on the band. Karsen joined in Kaitlyn's excitement for a potential engagement to Lucas, and even helped pick out the outfit for when it happened. The two have been busily wedding planning together since December, and you can thank Karsen for most of the decisions made at our wedding. An interesting fact about Karsen is it is impossible not to like her. She might be the nicest person in the whole world. (A direct quote from her boss at work, where she does interior design and architecture-type things).
Jacob Bruns
Groomsman
Lucas and Jacob first met at Ohanas Steakhouse in Clive, IA. They met just 1.5 weeks after Lucas and Kaitlyn met, as she wanted to ensure the family approved of Lucas. Jacob was surprised at how much Lucas loves food, and Lucas was happy to meet somebody who shares his fondness of fantasy novels. They both enjoy good beer, playing pool and other games, and sampling from the father of the bride's wonderful collection of scotch. They also share a love of the UNI Panthers, where Jacob was a member and Lucas a Graduate Teaching Assistant--though not at the same time. Jacob was an invaluable asset and a delight to be around during a very stressful time--moving. Lucas and Kate might quite literally still be in Iowa if it were not for his assistance during those days, and they had a great deal of fun together during his visit to Kansas last summer. Jacob might have had too much fun on their brewery tour, and didn't make it long on Mass Street. Jacob currently serves as a math teacher at Pleasantville High School and lives in Des Moines with his dog, Emma. He actively participates/leads in the Fine Arts and Chess Club at his school, and helps coach their All State award-winning Speech team. He also serves as one of Kaitlyn's closest friends (and brother), as they share a love of Disney, board games, and taking road trips full of obnoxious singing. It should be noted that Jacob is single, funny, and charming.
Emily Beaman
Bridesmaid
Emily is from Des Moines, IA (east side represent) and went to Bondurant-Farrar with Kaitlyn. The two became quick friends in freshman/sophomore year of high school when they both struggled through their first Music Theory class together. They also played the flute together through school, and bonded during marching band competitions and band camps. They quickly learned that they both loved romantic comedies, romance novels, Mountain Dew, the Iowa State Fair, and boy bands. Emily has been helping to plan this wedding since roughly 2011, and married her own soulmate the first week in June! Emily's father happens to be a former colleague of Lucas's (a real-deal drumline instructor), and when Kaitlyn first started talking to Lucas, she checked with Emily and her sister Carrie to make sure that he had their father Jeff's approval, and that he didn't think Lucas was a weird guy. Fortunately, Jeff approved. This wedding would not be taking place without the approval of all Norton (maiden name) family members. Emily was also Kaitlyn's first friend to attend a gig of Lucas's, and got to experience how nervous she was to see him for the second time. By day, Emily works in Marketing and gets the pleasure of having the cutest coworker of all time, her 3 year old Golden Retriever, Lyanna. You can find Emily and her husband Zach, rooting on the Iowa Hawks and the Drake Bulldogs.
Christopher Bruns
Usher
Christopher is the oldest brother of Kaitlyn. He too met Lucas at Ohana’s. Lucas and Chris share a passion for golfing, Pokémon, and breweries. Chris is much better than Lucas at golf. It is yet to be determined who is better at Pokémon. They are tied when it comes to breweries...though Chris is pulling slightly ahead due to his ability to brew his own (fantastic) beer. In fact, only two weeks after knowing Lucas, Kaitlyn convinced Chris and Jacob to part with some of their home brews for a birthday gift to impress him. It worked. Chris is a developer. He is a strong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys and the Arsenal Gunners. He lives in Bondurant with his wife, Tiffany, their two wonderful little humans Maisie and Jack, and their two dogs Dany and Scoobie.
Josh Bruett
Usher
Lucas and Josh first met five years ago after Lucas became the Director of Bands at Winterset High School, the same school that Josh has been serving as the percussion instructor for the last sixty-five years. Despite Josh still seeing Lucas as his boss to this day, they developed a fast friendship over their love both Pancheros and of all things band related. Kate was excited to meet Josh and learn that him and his wife, Kelly, are fellow Swifties. Josh visited Lawrence, KS on the day of a major marching competition at KU and spent a memorable Halloween evening with Kate while Lucas was busy wrapping up the festival. He found them both deep in their cups and deep into a T-Swift playlist at Shenago Lounge. Josh and Kelly live in the greatest place on the planet, Ireland. Josh flies back to the states every season to continue serving Winterset as the percussion instructor--and boy do his arms get tired.
Tiffany Bruns
Honor Attendant
Tiffany "officially" joined the Bruns family in 2018 after marrying Chris, granting Kaitlyn the wish for a sister that she had always wanted. Kaitlyn and Tiffany quickly bonded over their shared love of sweet wine, hard ciders, Jell-O shots, and Taylor Swift. By day, she serves as an important, financial analyst. She is a former Kohawk and an A0II alum. She enjoys quilting, crafting, drinking tea, and spending time with her husband and two adorable children. She also tolerates the Dallas Cowboys. You can find her sitting down with a glass of mulled wine, and a nice Diana Palmer novel to wind down. Tiffany is the best friend and sister you could hope for.
Alan Feier
Officiant
Alan has been a friend, colleague, and mentor to the groom for quite some time. He is a former Director of Bands at Winterset High School, and was partially the reason that Lucas ended up there when he did. At Lucas' last band concert at Winterset, Kate was very impressed with Alan's grace and public speaking abilities...and moved to tears by all the nice things he had to say about her future husband. With a Master’s degree in education and a history of building solid programs in secondary education since 1991, Alan Feirer established Group Dynamic as a leadership training business that started in schools and soon branched into businesses and organizations, going full time in 2010. He currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his wife, Julie. They have an adult daughter, Mara, who is a former student of Lucas'. Alan enjoys cooking, eating, traveling, exercise, politics, family time, and all things Disney.
Maisie Bruns
Flower Girl
Maisie is the child of Chris and Tiffany, and Kaitlyn's favorite niece. Maisie loves books, arts and crafts, playing outside, and her Barbies. Maisie enjoys watching her future uncle Lucas play his guitar and sing, and is known for taking dollar bills from other audience members to kindly place in the monkey tip jar for him. She is also a rock-star dancer. Maisie now has her own guitar, and will hopefully be joining The First Name Band someday in the near future. Please make sure to request the "Pup-Pup Boogie" to our DJ to help keep her happy.
Jackson Bruns
Ring Bearer
Jackson is Kaitlyn’s one and only nephew. He turned one this past February, and is a super chill dude. He enjoys balls, and might end up being the only real athlete the Bruns family has seen. Jack is already walking around faster than anyone can keep up with, so we are hoping he’ll do a quick run down the aisle with his sister, Maisie’s, assistance!