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Their Story
In the world of online dating we hear that Tinder is not known as the go-to place to meet your forever love but this couple defied the odds and met on the app in 2016 and quickly fell for each other proving there are no rules to this game of love! In Fall of 2017 Michael got a job in Seattle and Jenn decided to go on that adventure with him so he knew she was a keeper. While taking a much anticipated trip together to Japan, they decided to do some hiking on the Kumano Kodo trail. Since it’s a relatively remote area, their Air BnB host dropped them off and while they were hiking, it started raining heavily. Jennifer was in the middle of taking pictures of the misty trail when she turned around to see Michael proposing on one knee! After saying yes, of course, she and Michael finished hiking the trail and arrived to the finish line to find a Japanese man handing them Yuzu fruit. They chalked it up to an engagement gift and started planning the next chapter of their lives together.
They knew they wanted something stress-free and Cactus Joe’s is a great location for that. They originally planned on trying to have a first look but decided it was too cumbersome trying to arrange with timing and transportation, etc so just went with the flow. “It’s just not worth it to stress about having the “perfect” pictures,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer’s dress was from Willowby by Watters which she got from BHLDN. “I liked that the lace on top had a Southwest style to it and the shirt was so flowy and romantic and fun. It’s totally not a dress I pictured when I was shopping but once I put it on, I knew it was the one,” said Jennifer. We hear this time and time again from brides so always be open to different styles when hunting for the perfect dress! Jennifer also wore hair jewelry and earrings from Etsy which is a great source to get personalized accessories. Their desert-themed wedding invitations were found on Minted.com.
They gave a special shout out to Cured and Whey which made a beautiful cheese and charcuterie board for their ceremony. They supply a lot of meats and cheeses to some of the top restaurants in Las Vegas and they credit Diana, the cheesemonger, for making their experience great.
The moments immediately before and after the ceremony were their favorite part of the day. “We had some time to pray together at the venue before our guests arrived and afterwards we had a few minutes to breathe and just acknowledge that we are now married!” said Jennifer. They concluded by saying “We are so happy we decided on a package with Cactus Collective to arrange all the specifics with venue and flowers and vendors. The pictures turned out amazing and we always have those to look back on and remember our day.” We are beyond thrilled to bring experiences like this to amazing couples so to that we say “Thank you for letting us be part of your day!”
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McKenzi Taylor is America’s go-to elopement and micro wedding expert, often featured in small and major media outlets, such as the New York Times. With over 15 years of wedding photography experience, it was after planning her own Las Vegas elopement in 2016 that McKenzi felt her purpose shift into elopement coordination. She started Cactus Collective Weddings soon after in 2017. Since then, she’s become a WIPA board member, and has helped well over 1000 couples get hitched in style around Las Vegas, San Diego and Black Hills.
