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Their Story
Sometimes you have to literally soar to meet the love of your life. Such is the case with Thomas and Shayna who met in 2012 while he was a pilot and she was a flight attendant, travelling on the same route. It was a chance encounter as this wasn’t her usual route but someone called in sick and fate intervened. They reconnected a few years later with the help of Facebook and have been together ever since.
Traveling together is one of their favorite things to do so while on a journey to Chiang Mai, Thailand, a place on Shayna’s bucket list, Thomas got down on one knee in the middle of the Elephant Sanctuary and proposed.
The couple decided to elope because it’s more in tune with their laid back style. They wanted something intimate that supported their values of quality over quantity. Shayna’s only concern was being too cold, seeing as it was a December wedding in Vegas. She also feared that her family might not be there on time since it’s a little trickier getting to the Vegas desert than a traditional wedding chapel venue. Luckily everything went off without a hitch!
Shayna picked out a gorgeous long-sleeve dress from lulus.com that was appropriately called “Awaken My Love” and it kept her warm throughout the ceremony. Thomas looked dashing in a bold blue suit but kept true to his Caribbean laid-back roots with some custom-designed Vans. After originally not wanting to get hung up on tradition they decided to not see each other before the ceremony and have a First Look moment. “I’m glad we did not get ready in the same suite. I think it was cool to lay eyes on each other for the first time at the venue. I wouldn’t change that,” said Shayna.
The couple’s favorite part of the wedding was the photo shoot. They said it was intimate since they got away from their family for a bit and were just alone together enjoying the moment. Shayna had this great review for us after the ceremony: “I heart McKenzi from TPM and Wanda from Wanda’s Weddings. I could write a book, but the short version is: these women are true professionals and are so passionate about their craft. They were such a pleasure and a joy to be around for all of 30 minutes. HAHA! I literally carried my encounters with them into my own life because they were so cool to interact with and at the same time so inspiring.” Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day Shayna and Thomas!
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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.
