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Glittering in Gold | Shubho & Renuka

Renuka & Shubho were the 1st of our triple wedding weekend to be married on Friday, May 31st and what a beautiful Hindu ceremony they had. Nothing compares to the brightness of colors in an Indian wedding.  The bright reds and shimmering gold colors just make an amazing backdrop.

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For their ceremony, Shubho & Renuka had cards made up so guests could follow along with what was happening during their Hindu ceremony.  I highly recommend doing this since the entire ceremony was not in English and for those not familiar with the Hindu traditions, they were great!  Renuka and Shubho were so thankful that the approaching rain storm held off long enough for them to complete their ceremony along with having some time for photos in the vineyard.

Renuka was a bride after my heart.  She didn’t have just one outfit, but three!  She was gracious enough to stop, just after changing, to allow me to snap a quick photo.  Personally, her third was my favorite but she looked amazing in all of them.

I loved all the details to this wedding.  Obviously, the ceremony was full of traditions, but I really liked how at each table setting she had the menu tucked into the napkin with a party favor on top.  What a lovely surprise for each guest to welcome them as they made their way to their seat. The signs Renuka & Shubho had I also liked a lot. The wood welcome signs are very popular this year with our couples!  And let’s not forget about their wedding cake! Maliha Creations never disappoints visually or with flavor when it comes to her cakes. Highly recommend!!!






Thank you to the following vendors for making Renuka & Shubho’s wedding one they will cherish forever:  

Tanya Wilbon from The Event Group International as their planner
Shivam of Royal Occasions as their designer
Officiant: Pandit Rajagopal Thuppal
Cake by Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations
DJ: TD Layman of Sound Enforcement
Videography by Piximpress
Flowers by Colonial Florist
Hair & Make-up by Top Knot Studio & Rouge 9
Rentals by MS Events
Tent lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Transportation provided by Easy Rider Bus Company, Blue Ridge Tours & Camryn Limousine.






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Stranger than Fiction | Ana & Henry

We got a call a week before Ana & Henry’s wedding that was to take place on Saturday, May 26th, to let us know that Ana had broken her leg and they weren’t sure if she would be able to walk down the aisle.  “No problem”, we said, we could take her in our golf cart down the aisle if necessary. To our relief, Ana got clearance from her doctor that she could put some weight on her leg and would be able to walk down the aisle!  Instead of this princess wearing a glass slipper, she got to wear a lovely boot☺


So, having a bride break her leg just before getting married is strange enough, right?  Well, not for this couple. I sure did see some strange things that lead to such laughable moments that none of us will forget.  To begin with, there is Eugene. I first met Eugene when I walked in on the groom dressing Eugene. I must have had this puzzled look on my face when they explained to me who Eugene was.  Eugene is a doll that mysteriously showed up one day in Henry’s dorm room and they have been inseparable since then. I just love how Henry made sure Eugene was dressed to the nine in his white tuxedo and glittery gold top hat.  I should of know after meeting Eugene that this wedding might be a little different than others and I was right.

I’m sure most of you reading this blog are aware of a couple doing a first look, right?  For those who don’t, it is when the couples see each other for the first time before the ceremony to allow them to get some photos out of the way before the ceremony.  Well, Henry was not a real fan of a first look, but Ana and the rest of the wedding party had “pressured” him into going along with it. The day was getting away from them and guests were already showing up when Ana still insisted, they do their first look.  So, Henry took his position and nervously waited for that moment when he would turn around and see his beautiful bride. All the groomsmen were watching through the windows and could see Henry was starting to tear up just thinking about this moment. Finally, that moment came, and Henry got the tap on his shoulder to turn around to see his soon to be beautiful wife.  Well, to Henry’s surprise, instead of seeing Ana in her wedding dress, one of his male friends was standing there dressed in a wedding dress and veil! Everyone busted out laughing and it was just what Henry needed to take those wedding jitters away. He couldn’t believe Ana and everyone else managed to keep that a secret from him. Way to go Ana! Pretty much anything else happening that night would not surprise me.  This has to be one of our most fun weddings.

As you can see by these photos, this group was in for a good time!  I just love how the wedding party posed in front of our fountain like the sitcom “Friends”.  So cute! The food was delicious! This is the first time I have seen shish kebabs served at a wedding and everyone gobbled them up!  Look at that cake and dessert table!!! And the music, well it kept everyone on the dance floor all night long!

Thanks to all the vendors who helped make this wedding so much fun!
Catering by Pumpernickel Pickle
Desserts by Chandler’s Bakery
Entertainment by DJ Kurt from Astro DJ
and Photobooth from Astro DJ
Photography by Dmitry Gotkis (please note the photographs in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Wedding Planning by Rachel Schools
Officiant Gage Volbert
Musicians Chestnut Oak String Quartet
Hair & Make-up by Studio FBJ
Transportation provided by Blue Ridge Tours
Rentals by MS Events
Tent Lighting by Skyline Tent Company.





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The Power of Bourbon! | Alyssa & David

Congratulations to Alyssa & David who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 25th!

Alyssa & David owe a big Thank You to Alyssa’s mom, Joyce.  She came a month before their wedding date to do the Southern tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon to ward off any rain and boy did we test that tradition!  Storms came within 1 ½ miles but between the magic of our mountains and that Southern tradition, not a drop of rain dared to fall. So yes, I’m still a big believer in burying a bottle of bourbon.

Another thing I am a big believer in is hiring an experienced wedding planner.  I can’t think of a more experienced wedding planner than Barbara Lundgren, the owner of Barb Wired.  She is known to be the Fairy Godmother to her couples, and it shows. She is always there to make sure every detail is done to perfection.  She also provides that steady, calmness that so many families need on their wedding day.

This wedding had lots of prettiness with their burgundy accent color scheme, using a window pane to display table assignments, to having a guitarist play for both the ceremony and cocktail hour.  At night, Keswick Vineyards beauty still continues to impress guests with the fountain lit up, the estate highlighted with up lighting and the glow of the tent. No matter what time it is, Keswick Vineyards continues to awe guests.  And if the prettiness of their wedding day wasn’t enough, the delicious family-style dinner definitely satisfied everyone’s tummies!

Special thanks to the following vendors for providing the magic to make Alyssa & David’s dream wedding come true: 
Event Planner: Barb Wired
Caterer: Roadside Chive
DJ: Primetime Sound
Musician: Stan Hamrick
Photographer: Klaire Dixius (please note, the photos in this blog were taken by Owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videographer: Carly Rae Film
Hair & Make-up: Brideface RVA
Officiant: Christy Foldenauer
Florist: Barnswallow Bloom
Transportation: A&A Limousine
Rentals: MS Events
and Skyline Tent Company

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It Takes A Village | Armin & Eric

We all know the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, right?  Well, I would have to say it takes a village to pull off a dream wedding.  Thankfully, when Armin & Eric got married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 11th, their village really came through for them!

 Armin & Eric’s weather was not what they pictured for their wedding day.  For them, Mother Nature decided to rain all day.  As everyone prepared themselves for our rain plan, we all still held onto hope that a miracle would happen, and Armin & Eric would be able to have their ceremony outside amongst the vineyard.  Everyone knew that was Armin’s dream.  As the day progressed, we could see on the radar that there was a window of opportunity that just might happen.  It was at that time that Eric’s father told me that when his daughter got married in Tennessee, it was pouring rain for her wedding day also.  When he went outside, he clapped his hands and just at the same time the rain stopped for her.  So, we figured he had one powerful clap and we would wait until we got closer to the ceremony time before we would put his clap to work for his son in Virginia.

Everything was set for our rain plan under the tent.  As you can see by the photos, our rain plan is just as beautiful.  Armin and Eric had a beautiful, birch wood arbor adorn with greenery and flowers framing their ceremonial table to incorporate Persian traditions into their ceremony.  Musicians were seated and playing as guests arrived.  We were about 15 minutes from ceremony time when our miracle happened!  Eric’s father did his clap and the rain stopped, and we were a go to quickly do the ceremony outside to fulfill Armin & Eric’s dream!!!

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It is no easy task to do this.  You have to imagine that all day we have prepared for a beautiful ceremony under the tent and have everything ready to go when, within minutes, we need to go in a totally different direction and assemble the same ceremony look within minutes.  I would have to say that 99.9% of venues, event planners and caterers would have said no way, it is too late to change this and we are sticking with the rain plan.  It kills me when I hear vendors take that attitude.  For me, this is their one and only wedding day and if it means we have to go that extra mile for them to have their dream wedding, well then, that’s what we all do.  Thankfully, the caterer, who was also acting as their wedding planner, had that same attitude.  So, the village went to work including some of the groomsmen that helped transport that birch wood arbor to the outdoor location. 

It was a crazy 15 minutes, but we did it! At 4:33pm, Armin & Eric’s dream outdoor ceremony began!

There was so much beauty to this wedding that my photos don’t do it justice.  Just look at the beautiful floral arrangement hanging above the head table.  And who doesn’t love the look of a long farm table with cross-back chairs for the head table?  Did you notice the chandelier over the dance floor?  And who couldn’t help but notice the delicious cake!  And then, of course, there is Armin and Eric.  To see their happiness of being able to have their ceremony outside made all that hard work so worth it.

So, as you can see, it does take a village to pull off a dream wedding.  It is for that reason Keswick Vineyards has a list of preferred vendors to make sure we make everyone’s wedding their dream wedding!  Special shout out, and I mean a LOUD shout out, to Cristelle from C&O catering for remembering that we work for our couples and it should be our priority to do whatever we can to make their wedding a day their dream wedding day.  Thank you Cristelle for going that extra mile along with the Keswick Vineyards team of Brian, Doug, Ryan and myself. 

A special thanks to the other vendors too for their exceptional talents: 

Catering by: C & O Catering
Event Planning by: Cristelle of C&O Catering
Officiating by: John Gownley
Cake by: Cakes by Rachel
Entertainment by: DJ Derek Tobler
Photography by: Aaron Watson Photography (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg. )
Videography by: Paul Kwak Films
Hair by: Brianna Adams
Make-up by: Claire Ashley & Rouge 9
Florals by: Southern Blooms
Transportation by: Albemarle Limousine
Lounge Furniture by: Paisley & Jade
and Mouth Wide Open Food Truck for late night snacks.

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