Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 8/19/17 Keswick 8/19/17

It's All in the Little Details | Bethann & Graham

Bethann & Graham were not going to chance any bad weather on their wedding day. They did the old Southern tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon, upside down, exactly a month before their wedding day and it worked! On Saturday, August 19th, the weather was just perfect for an all outdoor ceremony/wedding at Keswick Vineyards located just outside Charlottesville, VA.

Bethann LOVES flowers and you could definitely tell that when you saw her florals. Hanging over their head table was a ladder that was just covered with greenery and flowers. What a statement it made for their reception. She was so excited when she saw her bouquet. It’s so nice to witness the reaction when a bride sees her bouquet for the first time; priceless!

I know flowers were most important to Bethann but my favorite feature from her wedding was the sign they had made that was displayed at the cocktail bar describing their signature drinks. Sometimes it’s those little details that can make all the difference.

The other detail that I loved was the party favors for guest to take. They had a bucket full of iced, shortbread cookies in a variety of designs like a wine bottle, the State of Virginia, saying thank you. Again, those little details stand out.

And finally, the food! C&O prepared food that was nothing less than delicious! Food was served in a buffet line but to add just a little detail to that, they had a server dishing out portions to the guests as they made their way through the buffet line. Another nice little touch.

Keswick Vineyards is always thankful for the perfection our vendors give our couples. Thank you to: Event Planning by Keswick Vineyards, C&O Catering, Cakes by Rachel, Dennis Payne of Playback DJ, Encore String Quartet, Rachel May Photography, Southern Blooms Florals, Reverend Claire Frances, Hair & Make-up by Avenue 42, Rentals by MS Events, Lighting by Skyline Tent Company and transportation provided by Easy Riders Bus Company and Albemarle Limousine.

Keswick 8/12/17 Keswick 8/12/17

Love Has No Boundaries | Charmaine & Aly

All you need is love. Charmaine & Aly are definitely an example of that and was much needed on this particular Saturday, August 12th. On a day that started with Charlottesville being on the national news for a white supremacy gathering that turned tragic, it was reassuring to see how diversity can be so beautiful. With Charmaine arriving from China just 5 days before her wedding day, and Aly arriving about 8 days from Dubai for his wedding day, these two were ready to show the world how love is blind and can conquer any boundaries.

Charmaine & Aly began their wedding day like they did on their first date with a pool game. I was told that Charmaine won the last time they had played which was many years ago and Aly always wanted a rematch so today was the day. I won’t say who won but I think another game is in order to break a tie.

With a lot of the guest being from Dubai and Pakistan, the brief rain storm we had was such a treat for them. To them, the rain was like the first snow fall for us. They just don’t get rain in the desert and relished in it. To top it off they were treated to a double rainbow! They definitely hit the pot of gold at Keswick Vineyards!

Charmaine had a beautiful, white lace wedding dress with a veil to cover her face. She was simply beautiful! After some photos, she would change into her “comfy” dress that was adorned with jewels on the front bodice. Even better, it had pockets!!!

Guests enjoyed a delicious 3 course plated dinner prepared by Harvest Moon followed by a 3-tier cake by Passionflower Cakes. It was one of the best cakes I have tasted! Guests enjoyed the rest of the evening dancing the night away and enjoying a little late-night rain, yet not enough to spoil the couple’s sparkler departure.

Thank you to the following vendors for making this international wedding a huge success despite the distractions that were going on in Charlottesville: Keswick Vineyards as their Day of Coordinator, Harvest Moon Catering, Tourterelle Floral, DJ Derek Tobler, Ayesha Photography and Passionflower Cakes

Keswick 8/5/17 Keswick 8/5/17

So Many Great Ideas! | Katie & John

On Saturday, August 5th, Katie and John were married at Keswick Vineyards. For an early August vineyard wedding you couldn’t of asked for a more perfect day with the weather. They really hit the Jack Pot with no humidity and a breeze to top it off.

They chose to be married in front of the fountain at Edgewood Estate. This is a very popular location for ceremonies under 140 in size. With the back drop of the vineyard and the mountain views you can see why this location is so popular. With a barrel with a unity candle in the middle and a couple of floral arrangements on each side, they were all set.

Katie and John had so many cute ideas for their wedding as you can see by my photos. I really like the photo of them with balloons that guests would sign versus the traditional guest book. They also had a bible that guests highlighted their favorite verse and then signed it. I think that makes a great guest book also for those that are religious and know their bible versus. A beautiful memory barrel was also under the reception tent and I just loved the little saying displayed with the photos and angel statue.

Guests enjoyed a family style dinner prepared by Travinia Italian Kitchen. Topping off that dinner was a wedding cake, cupcakes and cannoli’s! No one left unsatisfied that evening.

What better way to end the evening then to have a sparkler send off with one of Albemarle Limousine antique cars to drive you away in.

Thanks to the following vendors for making this dream wedding reality for Katie & John: Wedding Planner, Keswick Vineyards; Caterer, Travinia Italian Kitchen; Desserts by Sweethaus; DJ Andy Wilfong of Party Masters; Musicians Terra Voce; Photographer & Photo Booth, Ward Photography; Videographer, Partytrap Studios; Hair & Make-up by Charlottesville Makeup Artist; Florist, Lacy’s Florist; Skyline Tent Company for tent lighting; Officiant Father Jason Lody; Transportation by Ambassador Limousine (buses) and Albemarle Limousine for vintage get away car.

Keswick 7/22/17 Keswick 7/22/17

Thays and Clinton Get Married! | Thays & Clinton

Congratulations to Thays & Clinton who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, July 22nd. With most of the guests being from Miami, this wedding definitely had some “heat” to it. Thays looked exceptionally beautiful in her wedding dress. I just love the look she gave her father as they made their way to the alter. When Clinton laid his eyes on her you could see his eyes swell with tears as he was captivated by her beauty at that moment.

Speaking of moments, we all know how cute flower girls can be. I’ve seen those little ones walk on their own, be pulled in a wagon, have their parents carry them or I’ve even seen them run the opposite direction! What made this flower girl different was you had to add about another 90 years to the normal age of a flower girl. Yes, Thay’s 94 year old Grandma was her flower girl and was just thrilled with that role. All the guests were amused as she threw rose petals into the crowd versus onto the aisle.

Cocktails were held under Keswick’s 300+ year old oak tree. I just love the bar that they rented from Paisley & Jade. After a delicious dinner prepared by Goodrich Gourmet Catering, it was time to hit the dance floor. Thay and her father stole the show with their dance. I was told Thays was dancing disco even before she knew how to walk and it showed. The two of them did a father/daughter dance that just had everyone cheering. Definitely one of the best I’ve seen.

Lastly, guests enjoyed desserts with homemade pies, cake and donuts. The donuts were displayed on a pegged door so guests could just pull off the donut of their choice. And for those that wanted a different type of dessert, cigars and brandy were also on hand!

Thanks to the following vendors for doing such an exceptional job: Event Coordinator, Keswick Vineyards; Catering, Goodrich Gourmet Catering; rentals, Paisley & Jade and MS Events; Officiant, Moretta Henderson; Desserts, Sweethaus; DJ, Ty Russel; Harpist, Eve Watters, Photographer, Leah Hewitt Photography; Hair & Make-up, Carolyn Thombs & Malia Rafaie; Florist, Amy Dittmer; Video, Joseph Kim; and tent lighting, Skyline Tent Company.