We had always had a plan to get married in Las Vegas being that it was one of our very first destinations we visited together as a couple.

I know you are probably already thinking about cheesy Elvis marrying us – well if that is what you thought a Vegas Wedding would look like – you must keep reading to see how very different it is.

When we first got engaged back in 2018 – we had an elaborate plan for a wedding with everyone involved and started talking with our friends at Cactus and Lace Weddings. We were drawn to their company because they offer 2 wedding package options: Micro Weddings for intimate elopements; as well as Custom Weddings of fully stylized wedding experiences.

After our first talk with Rachel at Cactus and Lace, we quickly realized that we were not as sure about what we wanted at all. We loved the idea of an intimate elopement, but were so nervous and scared to hurt feelings with our friends and family to discuss it – so we started talking about a small wedding with 50 people max.

Then midway through discussions, my mom ended up breaking both of her wrists – which put wedding discussions and plans on hold for about a year. By the end of 2019 we were dying to get married and we were excited about making plans as we approached 2020.

We decided in January 2020 that by March we wanted to have everything secured.

When March rolled around – we had finally settled on the idea of an intimate elopement followed by a Happily Ever After Party, but when it was time to actually sign the contracts – we knew we had to make a choice that was going to determine what type of wedding we could have.

We had decided that we wanted to get married in the Valley of Fire – just a short drive from Las Vegas because of its stunning scenery, but we had picked a very popular date 10.15.20. This limited us to one location and lucky for us that location had a max capacity over our guest count.

From day one, we always knew that we did not want the big elaborate wedding or the rotation of tables with guests, but also knew that we wanted a special day with a celebration of our most special people. So when COVID hit and lockdown happened we decided to compromise and pick our favorite places and turn them into our own unconventional adventure.

‘I literally just signed contracts and the world is shutting down!’

I will never forget the feeling of extreme joy when we signed our contracts with Cactus and Lace on March 11, 2020 because it was immediately followed with the scariest feeling of the world shutting down including our elopement destination.

Reasons why we chose them:

1. Patience: I mean this is the number one thing you want in your planner right – the fact that Rachel was so FLEXIBLE throughout the THREE YEARS of planning is above and beyond what I expected.
2. Hard Work: If you have not checked out Cactus and Lace’s Instagram you should – they work their ASS off for each and every wedding to make it perfect for the bride and groom.
3. Customization: They want to make your dream come true – no matter what crazy Pinterest Ideas you have – they are willing to go the extra mile to make it a special day for the couple. It isn’t your cookie cutter same sign, same setup type planning service – this is made for you!
4. Creativity: Not only are these wonderful ladies planners – they are AMAZING photographers with a creative view. Their creativity extends into their designs and planning and they have perfected their art for sure.
5. Dedication: Obviously a great planner is dedicated to their couple, but when COVID happened and Valley of Fire closed and plans changed – they were dedicated until the very end.

When I list out those top 5 qualities I listed above – I truly mean them. Just wait until you see the next posts showing our Elopement Adventure – it will be all the proof you need to hire Cactus and Lace for your special day!