Camille Condry and Schaefer Marks started dating during her freshman year and his sophomore year at Ole Miss nine years ago; they were introduced by a mutual friend at her Kappa bid day party. Their connection was obvious from that first moment. One summer between college years, they lived in Jackson Hole, and that’s when the West won this couple over. From Oxford, MS, Camille and Schaefer nestled into life in Denver surrounded by new friends and familiar ones from their homes back East, filling their days with concerts, ski trips and outdoor expeditions galore. Three years ago, they adopted their aptly named pup, Aspen, at the Aspen Animal Shelter, and he’s been along for the ride ever since.
In October of 2017, Schaefer pulled off a proposal of epic proportions (and high altitude) at one of their favorite spots in the world: Maroon Bells in Aspen, CO. He suggested they go to Aspen for the premiere of a new ski movie his friend scored tickets to, but Camille was shocked when they instead drove straight to the Maroon Bells trailhead. Shaefer had snuck the ring on Aspen’s collar, got down on one knee, and asked Camille … if she noticed anything different on her pup. Once she noticed, he asked her the real question.
Camille says, “I was so excited I think I literally started running around in circles before realizing he asked me a question and wanted an answer! I screamed, Yes! and a group of hikers in the distance started cheering and clapping.”
Camille still thought they had the movie and a night at the modest Westin hotel, but her new fiancé had lined up a stay at the ultra-glamorous Hotel Jerome in the heart of Aspen. They celebrated with lots and lots of champagne and enjoyed a gorgeous upgraded suite that even had a luxurious dog bed for their furry accomplice.
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Camille and Schaeffer headed back to their lives in Denver and into a long engagement with plenty of breathing room to make each element of their big day perfect. The bride’s mom was the ultimate wedding planner, and rolled up her sleeves every step of the way, though they hired a wedding planner in Raleigh about four months out to make sure all of the logistics went off without a hitch. Growing up in Raleigh, The Angus Barn was one of Camille’s favorite places to celebrate special occasions. She’d been to a few different events at the Pavillion, their event venue that opened in 2008, and loved how versatile the space could be — every event felt unique and looked different than the last. The venue overlooks a lake and is surrounded by fire pits and multiple terraces. It was perfect for the natural, open, fun-loving vision Camille and her mother had.
“One of my favorite parts of the planning process was finding the dress,” Camille says. She had fallen in love with a boutique bridal shop in Los Angeles called LOHO that she discovered on Instagram before they were even engaged. So, when Camille’s parents were traveling in California, she grabbed a friend and flew from Denver to L.A. to visit the shop. Camille loved nearly every dress and remembers thinking, “Can I just get married seven times so I can wear all of them?!”
Three hundred guests gathered for a beautiful, color-drenched ceremony topped off with traditional vows that turned this nine-year-long love into a lifetime. Next came a cocktail hour filled with bluegrass music by a local band, an open bar and delectable hors d’oeuvres of ham and pimento cheese biscuits, filet mignon meatballs and goat cheese tarts. Schaefer and Camille disappeared for a moment to soak it all in — and to actually eat dinner — before returning to their guests and the vibrant party that would follow.
In perfect syncopation with their love of the Grateful Dead, their save the dates said: “Join these cats under the stars” with Jerry Garcia’s Cats Under The Stars album cover design. They even distributed light-up cat ears across the dance floor. It’s no surprise that Schaefer and Camille asked their band to learn “They Love Each Other” by the Grateful Dead for their first dance, which the band pulled off perfectly. Then, the tempo rose, and the bride and her father danced to “My Girl” “so that my dad could really show off his dance moves,” Camille says. After the dance floor was warmed up, it was time to fuel up for the rest of the night. They opted for the beloved station-style dinner, complete with different mac ‘n’ cheese options, a filet mignon sandwich station, and a raw tuna and seaweed salad station with lots of fresh vegetables and charcuterie as well. Their cake was a traditional pound cake.
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The showstopper of the night, according to quite literally everyone in attendance, were the flowers! Camille humorously tells us, “I feel like sometimes the bride can have this insecurity that someone will show up and ‘upstage’ her at their own wedding … well, I wasn’t really worried about that, but in the end, I was fully upstaged, no doubt about it, by the flowers!”
She wasn’t mad about it. Camille’s mother and her friend and florist Kelly Odom made absolute magic with the flowers based on the “free spirit” and “boho” vibe they were aiming for. A jungle of colors and species dripped from the ceilings and delicately wove across the tables.
As if by design, the rain let up just in time for the newlyweds to depart through a tunnel of sparkler-waving friends and family. They hopped into their adorned Mercedes and were off to the afterparty at a bridesmaid’s house. And the party continued for this adventurous duo as they jetted off to a honeymoon in Anguilla in the British West Indies at the suggestion of a dear friend and travel agent, Sarah Kate Lacy. “Neither one of us had been before, and we already can’t wait to go back! It was a honeymooner’s dream place,” Camille says.
Thank you for letting us walk down the colorful carpets and inhale — even with just our eyes — the delicious flowers with you from afar, Camille and Schaefer!
RESOURCES
Venue:Â The Pavillion at Angus Barn
Photographer:Â Anagram Photography
Videographer:Â Twenty-One Films
Bride’s gown: Store: Loho Bride Designer: Rime Arodaky
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Reformation
Hair: Megan Pirrocco. Makeup:Â Julie Robbins
Groom’s & groomsmen’s formalwear: The Black Tux
Invitations, programs & menu cards: Charlotte’s (save the date), Yellow House Calligraphy (invitation and program)
Flowers:Â Kelly Odom Flowers
Catering:Â Angus Barn
Music:Â Az Izz
Cake:Â Ashley Cakes
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