Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 11/2/18 Keswick 11/2/18

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.

Keswick 10/27/18 Keswick 10/27/18

Pure Perfection | Arlene & Matt

Arlene and Matt’s fall wedding at Keswick Vineyards on October 27th was nothing more than perfection! To ensure a perfect wedding day, Arlene and Matt started with the Southern tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon. Southern tradition has it that if you bury a bottle of bourbon, upside down, exactly one month before your wedding day, it will ward off any bad weather. Arlene & Matt took that Southern tradition one step further and had their bottle engraved for an everlasting keepsake of their special day.

To continue with their perfection, Arlene & Matt intertwined many personal touches you could see displayed as you went from one area to another. Starting in the carport, the couple had a wine barrel front and centered for guests to deposit their cards. Next to that barrel, guests were instructed to leave personal wedding messages on Jenga blocks that the couple will always be able to reflect back upon.

As guests approach the ceremony, they immediately were captivated by the beautifully decorated wood pergola that was made by Matt’s brother. Not only did his brother make this pergola, but he also made the cocktail bar and wood cupcake towers. It was also their families that provided the floral decorations, the delicious desserts they brought from Maryland, plus the unique display for guest seating. On an easel was an old window that they inserted in each pane the table assignment for guests to browse during cocktail hour. Such a beautiful look that doesn’t break the bank to do.

And finally, when it came to satisfy their guests, they perfected that too by providing a delicious buffet dinner to feast upon. Besides enjoying award winning wine that evening, guests kept the dance floor overflowing all night long while celebrating the union of Arlene & Matt. Congratulations to you both and thank you to the following vendors for making their wedding pure perfection!

Wedding Planner: Colleen Davis, Officiant: Pastor Sarah Evancho, Caterer: Southern Inn, Desserts: Desserts by Jordan, DJ: Greg Tutwiler, Photographer: Erin Kling, Videographer: DeVries Productions, Hair and Makeup: Moxie, Florist: Scarborough Farm, Transportation: Easy Riders Bus Company, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 10/21/18 Keswick 10/21/18

Beautiful October | Sara & Charlie

Sara and Charlie’s October 21st wedding had all the fall feels to it! Along with the cool weather, the colors in the Blue Ridge Mountains, vineyard, and trees changed drastically to their vibrant orange, yellow, and red autumnal colors. Needless to say, we really felt the season’s tidings at this Keswick Vineyards’ wedding!

The fall colors complemented the beautiful green and white colors that Sara and Charlie’s florist (who drove all the way from North Carolina!) decked out the ceremony space with. On the wooden pergola was white drapery with a plethora of roses and other flowers adorning it. The ceremony space was absolutely romantic with the sun beaming behind Sara and Charlie, and of course, Chancey, their designated ring bearer/pup, enjoying every second of his parents’ marriage.

One of our favorite details to this wedding was the oyster bar that was setup for guests during cocktail hour! A representative from Rappahannock Oyster Company shucked three types of oysters for guests to enjoy along with their cocktails. It’s not every day that you see oyster bars at weddings!

Another item that you don’t see at very many weddings are cork place cards. Sara and Charlie wrote, in cursive, place cards for all of their guests that was attached to a wine work. On each wine work, though, was a little succulent atop it. It seems as though succulents are a trend this year, but we haven’t seen them incorporated into wine corks!

Congratulations to a sweet couple on their marriage! We hope that you two (and Chancey) enjoy your lives together!

Thank you to the following vendors for their hard work:

Wedding Planner: Hannah Dubit with Exchange Events, Officiant: Charlie White, Caterer: Exchange Events, Desserts: Sweethaus, DJ: Derek Tobler, Photographer: Lauren Rosenau, Videographer: Joy Gaba, Photobooth: Mox Box, Hair and Makeup: Gohar Beaver and Jeanne Cusick, Florist: What’s Up Buttercup, Transportation: Easy Riders, Rentals: MS Events, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company, Oyster Bar: Rappahannock Oyster Company.

Keswick 10/20/18 Keswick 10/20/18

A Grand Entrance | Kati & Russ

Kati and Russ’ wedding on October 20, 2018 had the most heartfelt ceremony that we’ve ever experienced at Keswick Vineyards. While we’ve seen a range of ceremonies that varied in religions, time, and style, we thought that Kati and Russ’ ceremony was, by far, the best one for a number of reasons. In other words, their ceremony absolutely made their wedding!

The commencement of the ceremony was, particularly, breathtaking! Kati arrived with her father in a vintage car up Keswick Vineyards’ main driveway. While guests waited for the wedding to commence in their seats, you could hear the crunching of the gravel while Kati and her father drove up. As soon as she got out of the car, a horn was played to signify the Bride’s arrival. If you’ve never experienced a grand entrance before, this was it!

What made the ceremony the most meaningful, though, was the fact that Russ’ professor, Dr. Kevin, in a way, “officiated” the wedding. Knowing that it was going to be a long ceremony, he asked the wedding party to take a seat, while he and Kati and Russ remained standing. In a “classroom-like” way, he asked his “students” questions about the significance of marriage to which they each answered correctly to his questions.

Dr. Kevin also went into the background of Kati and Russ and, with Kati and her family being from Bulgaria, touched on how they immigrated to the United States. Kati’s father moved to the United States seven years prior to the remainder of his family moving in order to create a better life for their family. We thought it was sweet to hear that the way that Kati learned English was by reading a personal favorite, Harry Potter, and translating the words as she read through the book.

If Kati’s family never moved to the United States, then Kati and Russ would never have met and began this beautiful love story! When touring Keswick Vineyards, Kati and Russ gave us a little insight to the start of their relationship. While at a bar in Washington D.C., Kati slipped Russ a note on the back of a receipt that said, “I just saw you and I know this is crazy but here is my number so call me maybe? -K.” I’m sure that everyone could guess what their song was played based upon this story! Not only was that incorporated into the night, but they also had the note framed on their gift table for guests to see while signing their guest book.

The wedding was such a beautiful one and we were so elated to host Kati and Russ’ beautiful wedding at Keswick Vineyards. Congratulations to you two! We hope that you enjoy Paris!

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

Event Planner: Logan Powell with Blue Ridge AV and Lighting, Officiant: Reverend Dr. Kendra Dean and Dr. Kevin, Caterer: Pumpernickel Pickle, Desserts: Commonwealth Cakes, DJ: Andy Wilfong with Party Masters, Photographer: Bethany Snyder, Hair and Makeup: Glo-Out Glamour Bar, Florist: Proper Petal, Transportation: James Limousine and Albemarle Limousine, Rentals: MS Events, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.