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A Twist in Time | Michelle & Michael

Michelle & Michael, like any newly engaged couple, immediately started to plan their wedding.  They knew they wanted to get married near Charlottesville in a tented venue.  They finally had chosen their venue and began the process of putting together their “dream team” of vendors when disaster happen.  Unfortunately, their original venue caught on fire and was no longer able to host their wedding.  How could this happen?  Only months before their wedding day?  I’m sure every bride can imagine the devastation Michelle must have been feeling.  But, sometimes in life, we are given obstacles that we have to deal with and that is exactly what Michelle & Michael did.

Keswick Vineyards, they found, was an even better choice to host their wedding at.  Being that Keswick Vineyards allow you to bring outside vendors the transition was pretty easy.  Michelle & Michael basically just had to change the location of their wedding but was able to keep the rest of their “dream team”.  I’m sure being able to do that helped alleviate some of the stress.

Their November 2nd wedding day started off just picture perfect.  The fall colors were at their peak providing a breath-taking backdrop.  Unfortunately, as the day progressed, the skies clouded up and brought some rain.  But once again, this twist to their wedding didn’t faze them at all.  They actually embraced the rain and had fun with it.  They focused on what was most important, the two of them, and the fact that they were getting married.  Everything else was secondary.  Having that attitude is critical when you are thinking of doing an outdoor wedding because you just never know what Mother Nature will provide that day. 

Keswick Vineyards has a beautiful sailcloth tent that provides the perfect cover for having to do a rain plan.  As you can see by the photos, one end of the tent is set up for the ceremony which still provides the vineyard/mountain backdrop for guests to admire.  Once the ceremony is over, those chairs are removed, and tables are moved to their reception location and the rest of the evening goes as planned.

One idea that Michelle & Michael did for their wedding I have to share.  As guests made their way to the bar after the ceremony, there was a table with wine glasses and markers on it.  Guests were instructed to take a glass which would become their party favor and decorate it however they would like to.  This would be the glass they would continue to use throughout the evening.  This is such a cute idea that serves two purposes:  a party favor and a cost saver on rentals.  Love it!

While decorating wine glasses was a fun idea for guests, guests absolutely adored the intricate groom’s cake that displayed how Michelle and Mike got engaged. While on a scuba diving trip, Mike proposed to Michelle underwater, which the cake resembled to a “T.” You don’t see groom’s cakes often, so we thought this was a nice little surprise for Mike from his Bride. 

Thank you to the following vendors for all of their hard work & flexibility:  

Wedding Planner: 3 Tier Event Planning, Officiant: Lisa Rogers, Caterer: Hank’s Smokehouse, Desserts: Passionflower Cakes, DJ: TD Layman, Musician: Eve Waters, Photographer: Lauren Paige, Photobooth: Silly Shotz Photobooth, Hair and Makeup: Brideface Richmond, Florist: Hedge Fine Blooms, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company, Rentals: MS Events.

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