Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 4/15/22 Keswick 4/15/22

Bury the Bourbon???

What’s this, you’ve never heard of the Southern tradition of burying the bourbon for your wedding?

Well, let me explain.
It is an old Southern tradition that a wedding couple should bury a bottle of bourbon, upside down, on the property they are getting married at exactly one month before their wedding date to ward off any bad weather. Does it work? In our experience, absolutely! For every couple that has buried a bottle of bourbon at Keswick Vineyards it hasn’t rained for their ceremony. That’s a pretty good record going on our 13th year!

Brittany and Brennan were no exception. On Friday, April 15th, these two tied the knot at Keswick Vineyards to one of those perfect Spring wedding days that we all wish for. Brittany and Brennan live in New York and were not able to bury their bourbon themselves, so they sent one of their friends to do the honors. It was so sweet to have that friend there as they unearthed it. Thank you Southern tradition for working your magic once again!

As I mentioned, Brittany and Brennan were blessed with such a beautiful day. Adding to their ceremony beauty in front of the iconic Keswick Vineyards fountain were some of the most beautiful Spring floral arrangements. Just look how beautiful the aisle was lined with these florals.

One of the most memorable moments of the night had to be when Brittany surprised Brennan with a dance along with her bridesmaids. You definitely could tell they were all former cheerleaders with those precise moves! The crowd just loved the show! Speaking of shows, Beauty and the Beast holds a very special meaning to this couple. Lets just say they live in New York and are actors, you fill in the rest. Any ways, what better song could be played but Tale As Old As Time as Brittany made her way to the alter. You can’t write a script any better than what was written this day for the two of them. It was an honor to be their planner and I wish them a fairytale life together.

Special thanks to the following vendors:
Wedding Planner: Keswick Vineyards
Caterer: Goodrich Gourmet Catering
DJ: DJ Fit, Nathan May
Musicians: C’ville String Duo
Photographer: Kyle Lemaire (the photos in this blog were taken by Keswick Vineyards)
Videographer: Brian Schornberg
Cake: Bowerbird Bakery
Florist: Sweet Pea Floral Designs
Officiant: Keir Burton
Hair & Make-up: Posh Bride VA
Transportation: Easy Rider Bus & Albemarle Limousine (Get Away Car)
Food Truck: Carpe Donuts.

Keswick 4/9/22 Keswick 4/9/22

Wedding, Take Two!

2020 and 2021 were very challenging years if you were trying to get married and have a large event. Some states were totally shutting down events, some were limiting how many people could gather, social distancing, masks, travel restrictions, quarantine time, etc. So, for Ashley & Ian, they chose to do a small Vegas wedding in May 2021 and to then have their traditional, original planned wedding on April 9, 2022.

I thought it was cute how they incorporated into this wedding day their Vegas wedding. Each groomsmen wore a playing card lapel pin. A special table was on display in the gazebo that had one of the most amazing groom cakes I have ever seen along with framed “Vegas” wedding photos. I love the little extra details that they put on their frames to give them that Vegas gambling feel to them. Also, on this table, were lots of cigars to be enjoyed later in the evening.

I think the favorite part for this wedding was the character artist. Boy did he stay busy the entire night! My staff couldn’t resist and had to get a quick drawing too! What a fun thing to offer during your reception.

Another favorite, especially on those colder months, is Carpe Donuts. The smell of those donuts frying and hot coffee percolating, yummy!!!!

Special shout out to all the vendors that made Ashely & Ian’s second wedding just as memorable as their first:
Wedding Planning by Keswick Vineyards
Catering provided by L’Etoile
Prime Time DJ Frank Smith
Photographer Kelli Durham
Touterelle Florals
Rentals by MS Events & Paisley & Jade
Carpe Donuts
All About Faces character artist
Hair & Makeup by Alisa Joy
Central VA Wine Tours & Transportation.

Keswick 4/8/22 Keswick 4/8/22

Let our 2022 wedding season begin!!!!

I always wonder who is more nervous for our first wedding of the season; our bride or me? We both are making sure that we haven’t forgotten any detail and that everything looks perfect. Keswick Vineyards had a lot of winter projects going on, so I was thrilled that we were able to have everything just perfect for our opening day for Tyler & Tyler’s wedding on Friday, April 8th.

Tyler and Tyler had several “first” for us which is hard to do when we have hosted more than 500 weddings! To begin with, they chose a new ceremony location. One of the unique features of Keswick Vineyards is the multitude of locations you can have your ceremony at. From up close to the vineyard to mountain views, Estate back drop or our iconic water fountain. For Tyler and Tyler, they chose what I call our “Michigan” tree because being from Michigan, I can see how this tree makes the mitten shape of that state. Can you see it in my photo? I can.

Another first was a form of entertainment provided towards the end of the night. The entire wedding party played a very competitive game of musical chairs. Yes, musical chairs like we all know it. It was hilarious to watch them battle it out. The guests definitely enjoyed watching it.

And finally, another first was their unique way guests could leave wedding wishes for the couple. They had an old rotary dial phone that you would pick up and dial “0” and you would then be connected to a voice recording telling you to leave a message. I thought it was great because that is the same style of phone I had when growing up. I wonder if all the younger guests knew how to use it????:)

Topping off Tyler & Tyler’s wedding for me had to be their live painter. She is an incredible painter. I was so taken by the reaction guests would have as they came over to see the progress she would continual make on the painting. For some, it brought tears to their eyes as you can see in the photo.

So, as you can see, our first wedding for our 2022 wedding season couldn’t have gone any better. All those nerves shared by Tyler and me were for nothing because this day was what dreams are made of to last a lifetime. None of this would be possible without the care of the following vendors: Wedding Planner Kendall Nibbs of Mahogany Hill Weddings, Exchange Events Catering, DJ Dwight Ellis, Photographer Casey Ripp, Videographer Kirsten Beatley Films, Florist Kyra with Pappy June’s Bouquets, Officiant Brad Russel, Hair & Make-up by Jahara Beauty, Albemarle Limousine for transportation, Rentals provided by MS Events and Live Painter Libby Rule Art.

Congratulations Tyler & Tyler!

Keswick 11/17/19 Keswick 11/17/19

The Sweetest Farewell to 2019 | Jessica & Mark

When guests caught wind that Mark and Jessica’s wedding on November 17th, 2019 was the last of our 2019 wedding season, I kept hearing the phrase “ending with a bang!”. That could not have described their wedding more accurately! Every single face in the crowd at their late fall/early winter wedding was elated with joy as the two of them stated their vows and tied the knot.

It was a very sweet, vineyard-side ceremony with what must be one of our sweetest brides of 2019. Jessica and I communicated constantly preparing for her wedding. Having found out first hand how much time and energy goes into preparing for and planning your own wedding, I always make sure I am available for our brides (and grooms!), if for nothing else than to reassure them that yes, we have your Sparkling Viognier reserved for your wedding 😊.

Speaking of which, guests thoroughly enjoyed a glass of this sparkling treat from Keswick Vineyards with freshly chucked oysters during cocktail hour; one of my favorite additions to any wedding celebration! That is where you will find me for the rest of the evening, thank you.

Their reception had a simple yet elegant feel as white, green and champagne colors worked together to create a timeless feel with pillar candles, wooden table numbers, a cascading floral cake and elegant escort sign. A highlight of the reception for me was a unique twist on what is commonly called the “shoe game”. Instead of asking the couple a series of questions and having them answer “who is the better cook, etc.”, a friend of theirs asked these questions to Mark’s daughter about her dad and her new stepmom! Hilarity ensued as her answer to just about every question was Jessica and when she was asked to name “One good thing about your Dad” her answer was “he married Jessica!”.

A very memorable ending to a fantastic year of celebrating with couples. 2019 will be a year we will never forget, with many brides (and grooms) who will be in our hearts forever!!

Thank you to those vendors who helped us end the season with a bang!

Catering by A Pimento Catering
Event Planning by Marylee Marmer
Entertainment by Richard Greene Entertainment, DJ Mike Beene
Photography by Mike Topham (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Florals by Marylee Marmer
Ceremony by Rev. Kate Adamson
Hair and Makeup by Charlottesville Makeup Artist, Anne Kibler
Rentals by MS Events
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company