Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 4/1/17 Keswick 4/1/17

Here We Go Again! | Sarah & Joe

Our 2017 wedding season is officially here! Sarah and Joe’s wedding on April 1st was our first wedding of the season and no, this is not a joke! The couple started us off strong. Having been a joy to work with throughout the planning process, all of Keswick’s team knew we were in for a treat when it came to their wedding.

Music is a huge focus of this couple’s life. With Joe being a musician himself it was only fitting for them to make sure their guests were well entertained throughout the evening. During cocktail hour they recruited the help of Bent Mountain Trio, a bluegrass band, to do the trick. Guests loved being able to listen to live music while sipping on our wonderful reds and whites to one of Keswick Vineyard’s famous sunsets. In fact, Sarah and Joe were able to join in on the fun as well! They decided to do a First Look so that they were able to partake in the action themselves. By doing a first look, the majority of their formal photos were out of the way before their ceremony even started so that they had ample time afterwards to mingle with their guests and (in this case) enjoy the show!

Riding on the good vibrations from both their ceremony and cocktail hour, they were ready for reception. It was an easy transition into the remainder of the evening with C&O’s delicious dinner fueling them for the dance floor. As you can see, they danced the night away!

Thank you for such a great start to our 2017 wedding season. We cannot wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!

Event Planner and Caterer, C&O Catering. Photographer, Rachel May Photography. Florist, Tourterelle Floral Design. DJ, National DJ Connection. Musician, Justin Paschalides & Bent Mountain Trio. Desserts, Sweethaus. Transportation, A Goff Limousine. Rentals, MS Events. Officiant, Daniel Lonergan. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 11/12/16 Keswick 11/12/16

That's a Wrap! | Kathryn & Brian

Coming to the end of wedding season for the year is always bittersweet. We look back on all of the amazing weddings we’ve hosted during our 2016 season and can’t believe that we’re already done! Throughout the year we have so many wonderful couples, all of which have chosen for us to be their wedding venue. Throughout their planning process we naturally all become close—extended family if you will—and their families and our Keswick Vineyards family slowly blend into one. It’s an incredible feeling and we love sharing those moments with each and every one of them! At the same time, we look at the calendar and see the amazing weddings we have coming up for our 2017 season and the smiles come back on our faces. We’re never REALLY done…just done for now.

We were fortunate to end our 2016 season with Kathryn and Brian on November 12th. They were the perfect end to a beautiful year of weddings. Them and their guests helped us end on the right note!

Their wedding encompassed all of the things we love about Keswick Vineyards and weddings. For starters, they won us over by taking advantage of our very dog friendly property by bringing their pug, Handsome, to join in on the fun for photos. Handsome was such an appropriate name for him. Take a look at how dapper he was in his tuxedo! He was ready for action from the start of the day and certainly did not let his mom and dad down!

We love weddings where the energy of the day continues well into the night. With this group, it did! The tone is always first set with the couple. The couple then brings along their friends to stand by their side as a part of their wedding party. The wedding party then takes it from there and shows the rest of the guests just how it’s done!

This wedding party was so lively, such jokesters, and (most importantly) so respectful. They knew they were in for a great time just by being a part of Kathryn and Brian’s wedding, and they road along the waves of those good times throughout the night! With Keswick Vineyards being a private residence, we really appreciated how this couple and their guests treated the property as if it was their own home. They won major brownie points from us there!

Kathryn and Brian, thank you for the perfect end to a perfect season!

2016… that’s a wrap!

Wedding Planner, Amore Events. Catering, The Local. Photographer, Becca B. Photography. Florist, Verde Natural Florals. Desserts, Pearl's Bake Shoppe. Rentals, MS Events. DJ, King Studios DJ Services. Musicians, Gene and Gayla Mills and Bride’s Uncle John. Transportation, Blue Ridge Tours. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Pastor Gabe Turner.

Keswick 11/5/16 Keswick 11/5/16

Mozel Tov! | Caroline & Nolan

When you merge two lives you also merge two families. The merging of two families often times also means you're bringing two different backgrounds and sometimes even cultures together. The same holds true with religion, as we found out from Caroline and Nolan’s wedding day on November 5th!

The couple had two different religious backgrounds, which is common. Not everyone you meet and certainly not everyone you date is going to have the same religious views as you. What's important is how you decide to blend those together so that both views are both equally highlighted and respected. This couple did just that.

Caroline, being Lutheran, and Nolan being Jewish decided it was only appropriate to incorporate elements of both religions into their ceremony. Both Lutheran and Jewish wedding ceremonies have traditions that bind the couples together for life. Both take these traditions very seriously and are seen as the only proper way to enter into a successful marriage.

For the first time in my weddings career, I saw a dual ceremony! This couple had both a Minister and a Rabi for their ceremony. The two were standing side by side as they led the marriage ceremony of Caroline and Nolan in both the Lutheran and Jewish fashion! This is a great option for couples wondering how to satisfy both sides of their families.

The dual ceremony was complete and the couple and their guests were ready for a great night ahead! With cocktail hour well underway guests continued to enjoy delicious food from C&O while the couple snuck away for some famously fall photos. Like our featured couple from last week, they too lucked out with the peak of our fall colors! You'll see the smiles on their faces as Cindy and their photographers captured them in the beautiful light of the "golden hour".

Towards the end of the night, Scraps the cat made an appearance! She landed herself in the perfect position to grab the attention of one of their guests. She wasn't able to keep his attention for long though. Once he heard the party suddenly get livelier underneath of the Sperry tent he had to go and see what was going on.

What was all the commotion you ask? The hora! Another Jewish tradition. Guests lifted Caroline and Nolan in their chairs as they continued to celebrate the beginning of their marriage. Keswick employees may not lift chairs, but we will certainly lift our glasses and cheers our newlyweds!

Catering, C&O Catering. Event Planner, Events with Panache. Photographer, Jen Fariello Photography. Rentals, MS Events. Florist, Verde Natural Florals. Hair, Top Knot Studio. Makeup, Rouge 9. Desserts, HotCakes. DJ, Derek Tobler. Officiants, Rabi Annie Bornstein and Pastor Joseph Bolick. Transportation, Ambassador Limousine and UTS Charter Service. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 10/29/16 Keswick 10/29/16

Oh, The Places We Will Go | Meagan & Jason

As our season began to come to a close we were treated by Mother Nature with those beautifully iconic “fall” colors. The leaves changed a bit later this year and last but, nonetheless, were certainly well worth the wait! Meagan & Jason lucked out with these lovely leaves as they were married here on Saturday, October 29th.

Like the leaves and as is true with all good things, they are worth the wait. Meagan and Jason’s relationship has already endured over a decade of time together and they are bound to continue forth with many, many more! This couple loved traveling. We were able to see just how much their love for traveling extended when we saw how they incorporated it as a part of their wedding.

To show guests to their seats, they had a map of the world which highlighted all of the places they have been together. Little airplanes stamped the globe and helped put into perspective exactly how many areas they’ve conquered together (and also how many more they have left to go!) It was a fun and interactive way for guests to not only find their seats but also to get another little glimpse into the lives of Meagan and Jason.

The map may have helped guests find their seats, but they didn’t need any assistance with finding the dance floor after dinner! With the help of Derek Tobler, they kept the floor full and they partied well into the night.

So, what’s the next stop for our globe trotters? Well their honeymoon, of course. Safe travels and congratulations to Meagan and Jason!

Wedding planner, Two Byrds Events and Design. Catering, The Local. Photographer, Connection Photography. Rentals, MS Events. Hair & Makeup, The Spot Beauty Shop. Florist, Whimsical Floral. DJ, Derek Tobler. Musician, Mike D’Antoni. Dessert, Sweethaus. Transportation, A&A Limousine. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Rev. Rick Hudock.