Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 5/4/19 Keswick 5/4/19

And They're Off!!! | Tom & Lauren

Congratulations to Lauren & Tom who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 4th. Not only was this their wedding day but also the day for The Kentucky Derby! And when many of your guests are coming in from Kentucky, well then, it’s only natural to tie into that theme a little.

Lauren & Tom had Kentucky Derby programs on hand so guests could pick their favorite horse and cheer them on while watching the race in the “man’s cave”. To our surprise, a family member of the winning horse was among the guests which made that win even more special!

Lauren & Tom chose to have their ceremony right up close to the vineyard with the mountains as a back drop. Using our pergola, draped with fabric, to dress up their alter a little provided a picture-perfect setting.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the East lawn relishing the food and cocktails provided by Blue Ridge Catering. Also, Billy Caldwell provided some musical entertainment. One of my favorite details from this wedding was their guest book. During cocktail hour guest could take their time and take a polaroid photo of themselves. Then, in a book, were little envelopes to put the photo in. Guest could sign the photo and/or write something in the book. What a wonderful keepsake to have!

The reception tent was adorned with bistro lighting providing the look of being under the stars at night. Keeping decorations to a minimum allowed the natural beauty of Keswick Vineyards to shine through. As you can see, the tent looked amazing and guests fully enjoyed themselves until the last song was played.

A special thank you to the following vendors for making Lauren & Tom’s big day so wonderful:

Catering by Blue Ridge Catering
Photography by Heather Dodge Photography (Please note, the photographs in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg of Keswick Vineyards)
Entertainment by Playback DJ (Dennis Payne)
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Hair & Make-up by Fielding Biggs at Moxie Hair Lounge
Ceremony & Cocktail Music by Billy Caldwell
and Officiant Virginia Moore, MS Events, and Albemarle Limousine

Keswick 4/28/19 Keswick 4/28/19

Catherine & Jake's little piece of Heaven!

I don’t know why, but military weddings are my favorite. Perhaps it has to do with “An Officer & a Gentleman” and “Top Gun” being two of my favorite movies? Whatever it is, I just can’t get enough so on Sunday, April 28th, when Catherine and Jake got married at Keswick Vineyards, I was in heaven! I’m sure Catherine and Jake were also in heaven because once again, Mother Nature provided another beautiful day.

Catherine and Jake provided so many wonderful details for their wedding that I’m sure their guests felt like they were in heaven also. From a musician playing for their ceremony and cocktail hour, providing babysitters so parents could have a night out yet be moments from their children if needed, personalized corn hole games to play with during cocktail hour, delicious food and then to top off the evening with Carpe Donuts! Yep, that’s really giving everyone a piece of heaven right there!

As with most military weddings, my favorite part has to be the sword arch that the couple walks thru at some point. Catherine and Jake chose to do that as they were announced and entered our Aurora tent for the reception. Welcome Catherine to the navy! Jake also put his sword to good use later in the evening when he sabered a bottle of champagne.

All of us at Keswick Vineyards wish many years of happiness for Catherine and Jake and a special thank you to Jake for his service to our country. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Thanks to the following vendors for always doing such an exceptional job:
Caterering by Goodrich Gourmet
Event Planning by Leslie Sharpe
Dessert by Carpe Donuts
Entertainment by DJ Greg Tutwiler
Ceremony and Cocktail music by Mike D’Antoni
Hair by Top Knot
Make-up by Rouge 9
Tent Lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Rentals by MS Events
Nanny Service by Monticello Nannies

Keswick 4/27/19 Keswick 4/27/19

The Sweetest Thing! | Billy & Megan

Billy and Megan are an amazing couple; possibly the sweetest couple I’ve met. When they arrived for their rehearsal you could just feel their excitement and love for each other. We all couldn’t wait for their big day!

On Saturday, April 27th, Billy & Megan said their “I do’s” in front of all their family & friends. They chose to hold their ceremony in what we like to call our “Panoramic View” and the garland strung on their custom built pergola was a beautiful touch. Their weather was something I’m sure they and every couple getting married outside dream of. It was sunny, 70-degree weather with deep blue skies! The vineyard was just starting to bloom so they were thrilled to see the amount of greenery on the vines and guests were gushing over the azaleas that were in full bloom this weekend.

Mother Nature provided them with perfect weather and Mirna Brousseau’s design style provided them with a stunning reception. Under the glow of our Aurora tent, the white linen with navy runners lent the space a nautical feel and in the gazebo under string lights were delicious cupcakes made by Southern Inn Catering. Everyone spent the evening dancing and celebrating the union of these two, very special people.

Congratulations to Billy & Megan. We wish you many years of happiness and hope you come back to visit us to celebrate your anniversaries (or just to say hi)!

Very special thanks to the following vendors for making their wedding a magical day they will never forget:

Venue: Keswick Vineyards
Event Planner: Mirna Brousseau
Caterer: Southern Inn Catering
DJ: National DJ Connection (Greg Tutwiler)
Musicians: The Bloom Trio
Florals: Photosynthesis Floral Design
Photographer: Matt Schmachtenberg (the photos in this blog were taken by Keswick Vineyards)

Keswick 4/13/19 Keswick 4/13/19

2019 Wedding Season Begins! (and it's AMAZING) | Miranda & Thomas

On Saturday, April 13th, Keswick Vineyards started its 9th wedding season with the marriage of Miranda & Thomas. Mother Nature did not disappoint this couple at all. What started with a cloudy, overcast day ended with the sun popping thru the clouds just as they said their I Do’s and that sunset, AMAZING!!!!!! I sure wish I could clone this wedding day for all our future weddings.

The décor that Miranda and Thomas did for their wedding sure made our new Aurora tent look its best. With the blue and white color scheme, the tent took on a nautical feel. I love how they incorporated both rectangular and round tables for their reception; a look I will recommend to future couples.

Miranda and Thomas didn’t start planning their wedding until January 2019. That only gave them four months to do it. They put together an amazing team of vendors including Exchange Events Catering and DJ TD Layman of Sound Enforcement. Both these vendors are on our preferred list and I think Miranda and Thomas now know why. Their wedding was perfect! I just love how Exchange Events Catering is ready to greet the wedding couple right after their ceremony with trays of appetizers!

Some of my favorite details from this wedding were how they used wine bottles to display table assignments. Using different shapes and colors to create the labels made it a little more interesting to look at. Having the guest book on the same table made it very easy so no guests would miss either important detail.

And take a look at those desserts!

Miranda’s Mother made them all. I have to admit that I couldn’t resist trying one of those Belgium brownies. OK, not one, perhaps two but that chocolate flavor was to die for, and I just couldn’t help myself.

And finally, my favorite part had to be when Miranda did her toast. Her toast explained the meaning behind the names they had to identify each guest table so as she told the story, each table would let out a cheer when she would mention it. An example was having a table named for the place Thomas works at. Seated at that table were people he worked with. Another table was for the neighborhood Miranda grew up in with guests from that neighborhood seated there. It was just a nice way for everyone to learn a little more about Miranda and Thomas to make this wedding more personable for everyone attending.

Special thanks to the following vendors for making our 1st wedding for 2019 such a success:
Caterer: Exchange Events
DJ: TD Layman of Sound Enforcement
Photographer: Lindsey Hinkley (photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, not Lindsey Hnkley)
Event Planner: Grace Jackson
Rentals: MS Events
Florals: DIY
Hair & Make-up: Transformation Artistry.