Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 10/26/19 Keswick 10/26/19

The Peak of Fall | Deanna and Cesare

Deanna and Cesare timed their fall wedding just right to get the peak of fall colors on Saturday, October 26th, 2019. The leaves changing color came a little earlier than usual this year, which worked in their favor for that stunningly iconic maple golden tree! Leading up to their wedding day was the threat of rain. We always advise our couples not to look at the weather since it is always changing and there isn’t much anyone can do about it (except maybe bury a bottle of bourbon!). Deanna didn’t want to worry about bad weather and decided to install additional tents on the property just in case it did rain on their wedding day. Guess what? Yep, you guessed it. It didn’t rain at all! So, perhaps installing additional tents works like burying a bottle of bourbon? It wards off any bad weather. Deanna & Cesare could not have been happier with the weather that Mother Nature ended up giving them and having those extra tents was worth it for them to just have that piece of mind not to have to worry any more.

Deanna had picked out her ideal ceremony location months in advance (to stand at the fountain with Cesare and their wedding party all lined up). This view is beautiful because of the symmetry of the garden and the beautiful mountain range and vineyard views behind which was even more breathtaking with the fall colors in the vineyard.

Since additional tents were already here, the couple held their cocktail hour under one of them. With the clear ceiling and bistro lights strung throughout the tent, no one ever knew that the real reason for that tent was for rain. After cocktail hour guests made their way into the elaborately decorated Aurora tent with lush green centerpieces and splashes of burgundy to complete their flawless fall look.

Thank you to all the vendors (and mother nature) who helped make this wedding such a success!

Wedding planning by Maureen from Just a Little Ditty
Catering by Harvest Moon
Entertainment by TD Layman of Sound Enforcement DJ Service
Ceremony and Cocktail music by The Bloom Trio
Photography by Bethany Snyder (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videography by Silver Streak Media
Florals by Foxtail Cottage
Cake by Chandlers Bakery
Ceremony by Pastor Gabe Turner
Make-up by Charlottesville Make-up Artist Anne Kibler
Transportation by A & A Limousine
Lighting and Tents by Skyline Tent Company

Keswick 10/20/19 Keswick 10/20/19

Wine and Jellyfish? | Stacey and Don

Completing our triple wedding weekend was the marriage of Stacey & Don on Sunday, October 20th, 2019. The colors of fall were still in full view, but Mother Nature decided they needed a little watering on this day. Thankfully, Keswick Vineyard has an excellent rain plan that will keep everyone dry. Just look how beautiful our ceremonies are under the Aurora tent. You are still having that “outdoor” wedding, it just now has a cover over it, but the beauty of nature is still seen and surrounding you. Thankfully, the rain was gone right after the ceremony and everyone was able to go back outside for photos to take advantage of those amazing trees covered with golden leaves.

During the ceremony, the couple definitely had a focus on wine with two different wine related ceremonies. The first is a blending ceremony where the couple each begins with their own glass of wine and just as a blended wine is often better than the sum of its parts (thing Bordeaux blends!), the two of them blend their glasses into one to create something better than just the combination of the two. As you can see, Don gave a thumbs up for their blend. Secondly, the wine box ceremony (one of our favorites) is having a nice bottle of wine placed in a wooden box. Then, during the ceremony you place a letter to one another in the box and seal it away to be opened years down the road. This time however, their parents also placed some letters in the box with tips on building a lasting marriage! Now, when they open that box years later and drink the wine, they can read each other’s love letters as well as some advice from their parents on continuing their beautiful marriage.

Now we can’t talk about this wedding without mentioning some of our favorite details! There were so many from this wedding that we cannot list them all without attaching an associated spreadsheet, but I’m going to try. First, the table numbers printed in calligraphy on geode slabs of agate, stone and more mixed in with the loose greens on the table and glass boxes… wow! Secondly, the individually potted succulents at each place setting as a wedding favor. Thirdly, the timeline board letting guests know what is happening throughout the day with cute little icons. Fourth, their dog as a ringbearer. Fifth, the tree print that guests were signing as a guest book. Sixth, the ice-cream sandwiches being served for dessert and lastly (but definitely not least) Don’s signature dance move “The Jellyfish” complete with matching socks!!

Can. Not. Get. Enough. Of this wedding. Thank you to all of those that helped put this wonder together!

Wedding Planning by Amanda Shaver of Ashley Baber Events
Catering by Hank’s Smokehouse
Entertainment by DJ Dennis Payne of Playback DJ
Photography by Molly Hitch (The photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Desserts by Wonderment Bakeshop & Creamery
Florals by Willow Branch Flowers
Ceremony by Julie Trump
Hair and Makeup by Kristen C. Artistry
Transportation by Easy Rider Bus Company
Rentals by Festive Fare

Keswick 10/19/19 Keswick 10/19/19

The Golden Wedding | Brynn & Henry

OK… I know we’ve written a lot about the beautiful fall weather we’ve had for 2019, but wow, did Brynn & Henri strike gold with their wedding day! Such gorgeous weather and perfect golden colors were again present for Brynn and Henri when they were married at Keswick Vineyards on 10/19/19 (great date!). The golden colors in the trees and vineyard was a perfect match to the golden colors they used in their décor.

How creative it was to paint miniature pumpkins silver and gold for centerpieces to give a slight nod to the fall season.

Their celebration wouldn’t be complete without two crucial participants; their dog & their event planner. It is always so sweet to see our couples include their 4-legged friends or family members into their wedding day. Brynn & Henri’s dog was their ring bearer escorted by one of their flower girls. After walking down the aisle with the rings, their proud “son” took his seat in the front row to witness the marriage of his parents.

The second crucial person that day was their event planner. A sometimes-overlooked role in a wedding, the planner (and often also coordinator) is the one in control of all of the moving parts that day, which there are a lot of! Cristelle, from C&O, has been doing weddings at Keswick Vineyards for years and each time she really makes the day special. Our couples are definitely in good hands when she is on-site. I just happened to be able to snap a photo as she carried a tray of food to the children & babysitters. As you can see, she’s on top of it all! Our readers may recognize her as the planner from another wedding in May of 2019 where she helped move the entire ceremony outside in mere minutes when the rain stopped (read: It Takes A Village).

Cheers to Brynn and Henri and their golden fall wedding and all the vendors who helped make it come true!
Wedding Planner, Cristelle from C&O
Catering by C&O Catering
Entertainment by DJ Ricky Morris
Photography by Jeff Gleason (The photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Dessert by Cakes by Rachel
Florals by Gregory Britt Floral Design
Officiant Alex Ziber
Hair and Make-up by Lou Stevens Glam Squad
Transportation by A&A Limousine
Babysitting by Local Nanny Network

Keswick 10/18/19 Keswick 10/18/19

Black, as a wedding color? Definitely! | Nikki & Jeff

I first learned of Nikki and Jeff’s vision of having a black & white color-schemed wedding when they visited during the summer with their event designer. Then, on October 18th, 2019, I saw their vision come to life as they celebrated their marriage at Keswick Vineyards with friends and family. I must admit, when I heard their colors were black, white and mixed metals I was both shocked and intrigued. I’m a fan of the mixed metal style that’s trending right now, but I had a hard time imagining a wedding with no pinks or blues or greens or any of that!

Well, Nikki and Jeff certainly impressed me with their vivid set up. Everything looked absolutely stunning! Just look at what they did to their reception bar? Have you ever seen such a floral arrangement on a bar? Nikki & Jeff rented black seat cushions for our Chiavari chairs and all of the florals were a brilliant white. They even had us removed our usual amber color gels from our Aurora tent up lighting to create a more contrasted white glow in the tent which looked so good, we were tempted to leave the lights like that for all our weddings! To top it all off, the entire wedding party were all dressed in black, which was a striking choice and really brought this wedding up to a different caliber (even our Keswick staff was dressed in all black). What a classy celebration for a very classy couple!

Special thanks to the all the vendors who made this wedding come true:

Wedding Planning and Design by Tiffany Rivera of Simply Breathe Events
Catering by The Catering Outfit
Entertainment by DJ Kevin Graham
Ceremony and Cocktail Music by Peter Richardson
Photography by Finn Lively (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Florals by Hedge Fine Blooms
Ceremony by Tamara Riley
Hair and Make Up by Anne Kibler of Charlottesville Make Up Artist
Transportation by Camryn Limousine
Rentals by MS Events