Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 9/27/19 Keswick 9/27/19

Two Ceremonies, One Wedding | Taylor & Payam

Have you ever heard of a couple having two ceremonies on their wedding day? Although it is not common, it does happen and that is exactly what Taylor and Payam did at Keswick Vineyards on Friday, September 27th, 2019.

Keswick Vineyards is the perfect venue when you just need more time during the day to accomplish your dream wedding or weddings. Most vineyards/wineries that have a tasting room require you to wait until their tasting room has closed before you can start your ceremony which usually means around 6:00pm. That is not the case at Keswick Vineyards. Because our tasting room and parking are totally separated and not near one another, our couples can start their ceremony at any time which allows them to spend more time with their guests. So, with that, Taylor & Payam did two ceremonies: A traditional American wedding and a traditional Persian wedding.

For the American wedding, Taylor wore such a simple wedding dress that not too many brides could pull off. Perhaps it was her similar looks to Taylor Swift or her natural beauty, but Taylor with that bright red lipstick left everyone speechless. Along with Taylor and Payam were 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen making this wedding party of 18 one of our largest.

Once the American wedding was over, guest were told to turn their chairs around to enjoy the traditions of a Persian ceremony. Taylor & Payam took their seats at the top of a table covered with items that each represent something. An example would be the decorative eggs which represent fertility and healthy children. The table is symmetrical with each side a mirror of the other side. It takes hours for this table to be precisely set. One of the first traditions that the couple does once they are married is to dip their pinky in the honey and share with their spouse. This means that the couple has started their life together with sweetness. It is always such a pleasure to witness other cultures and how they perform their wedding ceremonies.

As entertaining as these ceremonies were, guest continued to be awed by the delicious food and wines being served during cocktail hour and dinner. And as many of our weddings have done this year, the family brought Persian cookies to be displayed on a table along with a cake. There was definitely no shortage of sweets!

Lastly, guest danced (a lot!) and enjoyed taking photos inside a photobooth to forever capture the amazing wedding of Taylor and Payam. Congratulations to you both!

None of this would be possible without the help of the following vendors:

Wedding Planner: Barb Wired
Caterer: Harvest Moon
DJ: Primetime Sound & DJ
Photographer: Amy Jackson (the photos in this blog were captured by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videographer: Amanda FInn
Pastry Chef/Desserts: Albemarle Baking Co.
Florist: Gregory Britt Design
Officiant: Taylor’s Uncle, Andrew Merrow
Sofreh Aghd Officiant: Payam’s Aunt, Niloufar Pourtaheri
Sofreh Aghd Table: Platinum Sofreh
Hair/Make-up: Anne Kibler
Transportation: A&A Limousine
Rentals: Harvest Moon
Additional Lighting: Bistro, Skyline Tent Company
Photobooth: Photobooth of Charlottesville

Keswick 9/21/19 Keswick 9/21/19

A Little Touch of Italy | Marissa & Connor

Keswick Vineyards had the pleasure of celebrating Marissa and Connor’s wedding on Saturday, September 21st, 2019. What a fun group they were! Friends and fun were definitely the most important things for this couple and boy did they have a lot of friends! Their wedding party was not small by any measure. How wonderful to have so many of their friends stand with them at their gorgeous ceremony. It was another beautiful day for their ceremony with the sun shining and a few puffy clouds in the sky. The arbor they rented from us was decorated flawlessly by Faded Poppy (I love the drapery!!).

At the reception their large wedding party all sat together creating one of the largest head tables we have ever seen! This was a really great look made possible by renting elegant farm tables from MSEvents and accenting them with long garland. This created an almost Tuscan style reception with one long table seating so many people. You have to love the bold place settings as well; what a great contrast against the natural wood.

To continue this Italian theme, the couple had Exchange Events create an Italian menu including Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Risotta with Shrimp, and the most amazing meatballs (my new favorite appetizer!). So, don’t think Exchange Events is limited to the best barbecue you could possibly eat; they do so much more!

My favorite part about the reception though had to be the Pittsburgh Cookie Table. We have seen more of these lately as the trend grows, where the couple and the family bring dozens (and dozens!) of homemade cookies and spread them out on a table for dessert (the coconut ones were my favorite). The night concluded with everyone dancing the night away under the beautiful bistro lights in the Aurora tent.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this wedding so much fun!

Event Planner and Florist; Sara Kit of Faded Poppy

Caterer; Exchange Events

DJ; Mark Allen

Photographer; Jacqueline Waters (the photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, owner of Keswick Vineyards)

Videographer; Kyle Gibson

Hair by Hazel Hair Beauty Bar (Leslie)

Rentals; MSEvents

Transportation; A Goff Limousine & Bus Company

Officiant; Pastor Jim Riede

Keswick 9/14/19 Keswick 9/14/19

Those Little Details Make Big Statements | Kate & Jackson

Kate & Jackson tied the knot at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, September 14th. They, along with their family & friends, were treated to a beautiful Virginia fall day with slightly cooler weather. As Kate made her way to the aisle, the slight breeze provided that extra glamor look to her stunning dress. And look at her bouquet! I’ve never seen white lily pad flowers used in any floral arrangements and I just loved the look! Not sure of there real name, but that’s what they looked like to me. Then, to take it up a step, a ribbon was attached which is another little detail I always love to see.

The ribbon on Kate’s bouquet was not the only place you saw a ribbon accent. Tied around each menu card set on top of each place setting was a green ribbon to match their accent color. That green ribbon on the plate along with a green fabric runner flowing down the head table made such a statement. But what I think really made their whole reception pop was the blue water goblets at each setting. That was a great idea who ever thought of it. The blue glasses really stood out and just added that little extra touch to go from nice to WOW!

Another wow moment had to be when Kate entered the reception later in the evening in her 2nd “party” outfit. I’ve had a few brides change into a 2nd and even a 3rd dress, but I’ve never seen a bride get the reaction that Kate received. She definitely had the “WOW” look, I’m just sorry I didn’t capture that moment with a photo. I guess I was also taken by her “wow” factor.

It was a pleasure to work with Kate & Jackson over the past year leading up to this beautiful day. I think they would agree that their wedding day was simply perfect and unforgettable. Thanks to all the vendors who made their wedding day their best day ever!

Catering and Event Planner – Exchange Events (Jaclyn)

DJ – Kevin Graham

Photographer – Casey Crowe Taylor (The photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, owner of Keswick Vineyards)

Florist – Urban Flora

Hair & Make-up – Moxie Hair Lounge

Rentals – MS Events

Transportation – Cville Transportation

Officiant – Rev. John Hart

Tent Lighting – Skyline Tent Company

Keswick 9/7/19 Keswick 9/7/19

Dodging Dorian | Megan & Daniel

The southern tradition of “burying the bourbon” is a quickly growing trend with more and more of our couples digging a hole and planting their nice bottle of whiskey. Just as Megan and Daniel did for their wedding on September 7th, 2019. As you may know by now, this tradition is intended to ward off bad weather and ensure the beautiful ceremony you’re dreaming of. I’ve always thought it added a unique and fun element to the wedding and the build-up of planting the bottle in the ground a month prior also adds excitement leading up to the special day!

So, what happens if the bottle isn’t fully buried and a part of it begins to peak out of the ground after a lot of rain? Well that is what happened leading up to Megan and Daniels wedding. Everyone was hearing about the news of Hurricane Dorian and the wreckage it caused. Then they started reporting its path turning north up the east coast with possible storms happening in Virginia on Saturday! We were sure that this could not be accurate because we knew Megan and Daniel had buried their bourbon already… so naturally we decided to go check it out. That is when we discovered that a part of the bottle was peaking out of the ground! Quickly, we sprang into action and covered the bottle back up, pressed the dirt in and even watered it down a little to ensure it settled around the bottle. Naturally, Hurricane Dorian veered out further into the Ocean and Saturday was a gorgeous September day!

The ceremony was flawless with the glorious green of the summer trees and vines with puffy white clouds floating in the sky. Hedge Fine Blooms brought some of that summer beauty to the bouquets, cake and centerpieces too! When you have over a dozen tables to decorate, filling the beautiful Aurora tent, I think it’s a great idea to mix and match the centerpieces. Megan and Daniel did just this as some of their tables had beautiful floral arrangements with big roses and hydrangeas, while other tables were adorned with 3 pillar candles and circle of greenery. Both styles being very elegant and of the same color palette helped make each table unique, but the tent as a whole stay coordinated.

Congratulations to the happy couple and we were so thrilled to be such a huge part of their amazing wedding! Thank you to all the vendors who came together to make the day so wonderful:

Wedding Planning by Cindy and Brian Schornberg of Keswick Vineyards
Catering by Harvest Moon Catering
Florals by Hedge Fine Blooms
Entertainment by DJ John Garland
Cake by Commonwealth Cake Company
Photography by J&D Photography (Photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, owner of Keswick Vineyards)
Officiating by Julie Trump
Hair and Makeup by Jeanne Cusick
Transportation by Ambassador Limousine
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company