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Their Story
This rodeo-loving couple met three and a half years ago at a roping competition in Missouri. Cooper was on his way back to Oklahoma but stopped in to watch the competition. Jamie’s Aunt spotted him and somehow used her match making skills to get them talking. She also slipped him Jamie’s number before he left! Her efforts paid off and Cooper called Jamie that night and asked her on a proper date. They were inseparable ever since. One day Cooper looked at her, held out a ring, and said “Here is your ring-do you want to wear it?” Yes folks, this is definitely the most direct proposal we’ve ever heard of. “Cooper is practical and doesn’t feel the need for ‘fancy’ proposals!” laughed Jamie. She said yes of course.
The couple wanted to elope to avoid the big typical wedding. They were planning on going to Vegas in December anyway for the National Finals Rodeo and decided to tie the knot while they were there. They also loved knowing they would get some gorgeous photos in the beauty of the Vegas desert.
Jamie got her dress from a little boutique called Southern Fried Chics in her home town and paired it with a cute jean jacket to keep the look true to her style. She used Smooth Brides for her hair and makeup. “Kelly did an amazing job! I was so pleased! She was also very personable and just made it very relaxing while she was getting me ready. I couldn’t of asked for a better beautician!” exclaimed Jamie. Cooper brought his own flair donning a Wrangler denim shirt, jeans, cowboy boots and a hat.
They chose to see each other before the wedding because they finished getting ready early. Since they had extra time, they went shopping at Cowboy Christmas until it was time for the ceremony. Talk about making the day your own!
“The whole wedding experience was so much fun! Wanda and Jessie were wonderful and made it such a light hearted environment that we could enjoy ourselves,” said Jamie. Their favorite moment of the day came when Cooper’s cell phone went off right as they were about to say I do. Keep in mind there was not supposed to be cell service out in the desert. The couple along with the entire crew died laughing! Jamie concluded saying “Let Cactus Collective take care of everything. I didn’t want a big wedding and I didn’t want a whole party coming with us. It was a heartwarming ceremony with charm and I’d do it all over again if I could!”
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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.
