A Summer Camp Wedding in Texas Hill Country
This Texas wedding is straight out of your childhood summer camp dreams. Relive the colorful, fun-filled fiesta on the banks of the Guadelupe River!
Camie Carlock and Matt McKee met in Dallas through Hinge in March 2020 (βYes, at the beginning of COVID!β Camie says). Many of their first dates involved walking and picnicking outside with takeout. On their second date, they grabbed some pizza and walked to Klyde Warren ParkΒ in Dallas, Texas, where Matt proposed the following year. And an epic proposal it was.
On January 29, 2021, Matt surprised Camie in Klyde Warren Park on a night they were supposed to meet Camieβs sister and brother-in-law for happy hour. Camie grew slightly suspicious when Matt brought his laptop bag to happy hour after 5 p.m. β the wiring cutoff for the real estate closing she knew he had that particular day had already passed. Camie, a fellow transactional attorney, is very observant. Matt said he still had a few emails to monitor, so Camie didnβt overthink it.
βWhen we sat down in the park, he unzipped his laptop bag and handed me a manila file, asking me to proofread something for him. I opened the folder and found a closing checklist, which all transactional attorneys use to organize deadlines and deliverables before, during, and after a closing. I saw βmatrimonyβ written at the top and immediately started laughing (I didnβt know what else to do!),β Camie recalls. Matt was grinning. Camie stood up. He opened the ring box and asked the question. As onlooking cars honked, they popped some champagne, and family members popped out from behind the trees.
Camie is from Dallas, and Matt is from Lubbock, so when plans started brewing, a Texas venue was non-negotiable. βWaldemar is one of my most cherished places on earth,β Camie says. βMatt and I wanted a unique Texas wedding that was driveable for both families and afforded a weekend of opportunities for our guests to relax, unwind, and have fun.β
They threw an adult summer camp weekend for the books. The weak cell service was a welcome break from life. There was archery and hiking. Canoeing and paddle boarding. Yoga along the river. Even a bride-versus-groom kickball game on Saturday morning!
Their engagement was 15 months long because Waldemar only hosts weddings during certain months of the year. βIt was longer than we wanted but worth the wait!β Camie says. βI appreciated having a longer engagement β it gave us a better chance of securing the vendors we wanted. As soon as we booked our location, I secured our photographers, Caroline and Luke Jurgensen.β
βI LOVE bright colors,β Camie says of picking the vision for her big day. βFor a spring wedding, I couldnβt resist incorporating pinks, corals, and oranges. We wanted a sophisticated but comfortable (and most importantly, fun!) Hill Country wedding with fiesta flare.β The Friday night kick-off party was filled with drinks, fireside βsmores, and live music from the uncle of Natalie Maines (of The Chicks), Kenny Maines, a Lubbock native like Matt.
Camieβs sister wore a Lela Rose gown, and Camie has always loved that Lela is a fellow Dallas native. βI went in avoiding strapless gowns, but the bridal manager encouraged me to try on the one-of-a-kind strapless gown that has never been recreated and didnβt take at Market. It fit like a glove!β Because it was strapless, Camie used her sisterβs veil to create a custom shawl she wore during the ceremony.
After a lively day of getting glam, toasting with their best friends, and reading heartfelt letters to each other, it was GO time. Camie and Matt loved having a first look. It was a special moment together before the festivities began. βPlus, as a bride, this is when your hair and makeup look best. Get those photos while you can!β she tells us.
Camie and Matt exchanged traditional vows with personalized touches by their officiant and brother-in-law, Reverand James Madden. His touching sermon wove in the Old and New Testament readings the couple chose. βJames and my sister founded an Anglican church in Dallas (St. Luke Medical District) that we are honored to be a part of,β Camie adds.
Servers holding champagne on silver trays flanked the walkway from the ceremony to cocktail hour. As Camie and Matt greeted guests and captured golden hour photos, a surprise mariachi band kept the tunes flowing on the Guadalupe River while guests mingled. Then, the 165 guests and the new McKees walked with the band from cocktail hour to the main dining tent.
Dinner was seated with two identical buffets that included citrus and avocado salad; crisp romaine salad; chile and brown sugar-cured beef tenderloin; corn pudding, and colorful southwest roasted vegetables. Once the guests were fed, they transitioned inside to the dance floor in the campβs main hall.
Once the band began, Camie and Matt first danced to Stevie Wonderβs βFor Once in My Life.β followed by another Stevie Wonder father-daughter dance to βIsnβt She Lovely.β Then Camie had the sweetest surprise up her sleeve. βI brought my then 95-year-old grandmother to the dance floor when the band played βDancing Queen.β I will never forget dancing with her and the huge smile on her face! Multiple guests teared up, including me,β Camie adds.
Camie always thought she would only wear her wedding gown the entire night (βafter all, itβs your one night to wear it!β she says). But she found a beaded silver dress from Tootsieβs that she changed into after the cake-cutting. βIβm so glad I brought it because I was sweating so much from dancing, and my legs needed to breathe! Both dresses were so fun to dance to in their own ways,β Camie adds.
They wanted a killer last song before send-off to expend any remaining energy the guests had left. Then, Camie and Matt had a private last dance while their guests lined up for the send-off. They danced β just the two of them β to βYouβre My Best Friendβ by Queen. βOur dance instructor suggested this, and weβre so glad he did! It was an intimate way to capture the final moments of the reception before the party had to end.β
After a restful honeymoon at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, Camie and Matt settled back into married life in Dallas, where they are both attorneys. As for advice for future brides, Camie says, βDiscuss your priorities, visions, and values for your wedding early on while maintaining realistic expectations with budgets and headcounts. Think about what stands out to you from attending other weddings. Itβs probably not the small details like linens or flowers.
Thanks, Camie, for taking us back to Camp Waldemar. And thanks to Caroline Jurgensen of Caroline Jurgensen Photography for the fabulous photos!
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RESOURCES
Ceremony: Camp Waldemar
Reception: Camp Waldemar
Planner: Viridian Design Studio
Photographer: Caroline Jurgensen Photography
Flowers: Viridian Design Studio
Save-the-Dates, Rehearsal Dinner Invitation, Weekend Program: Emily Mayne Studio
Wedding Invitations: Arzberger Stationers
Hair: Danann Patrick
Makeup: Donna Bruns Guttenberger
Brideβs gown: Lela Rose Bridal
Custom veil turned into shawl: Altered for the Altar
Bridesmaidβs dresses: Mi Golondrina
Groomβs custom navy tuxedo: Samuelsohn
Groomsmenβs custom guayaberas: Dos Carolinas
Catering (cocktail hour and reception), glassware, and China: Cartewheels Catering
Bride and Groomβs Cakes: Sophieβs Bakery
Entertainment: The Pictures Band
Rentals: Peerless Events & Tents
Linens: BBJ La Tavola Specialty Linen
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Zoe Yarborough
Zoe is a StyleBlueprint staff writer, Charlotte native, Washington & Lee graduate, and Nashville transplant of eleven years. She teaches Pilates, helps manage recording artists, and likes to "research" Germantown's food scene.