Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 6/4/22 Keswick 6/4/22

The PERFECT Getaway Car

Emily and Dylan’s wedding on June 4th, 2022 was truly a dream come true. This couple really took advantage of all of the wonderful photo opportunities on property by taking photos by the pool and down near our pond! We haven’t had many couples this season take advantage of the photo opportunities by the pond so we were happy to see them do this. Just look how beautiful the pond is!

My favorite part of their wedding day would have to be their dreamy getaway car. The vintage getaway car was a perfect match with the front of the estate. I kept making jokes all day that if this property was car, it would have to be this one! It really brought out the elegance of the property. Emily and Dylan looked perfect in front of this car!

Another special thing they did on their wedding day was their kids table. I haven’t seen this done at a wedding yet and I really think it brought all the kids together! They also had art supplies set up for the kids to make cards for Emily and Dylan. This was such a great idea as it is something the couple can take with them!

On top of all of these unique things they did, they had a beautiful reception set up! Emily and Dylan were blessed with beautiful weather and such amazing vendors that helped make their dreams a reality!

We feel honored to have been a part of their big day! A special thank you to all of their vendors:

Planner: Barb from Barbed Wired Events

Catering: The Catering Outfit

DJ: Frank Smith

Photographers: Jason & Wendy Ward

Videographer: The Paperboys

Pastry Chef: Maliha Creations

Florist: Gregory Brit

Officiant: Alex Marcus & Gay Lee Einstein

Hair: Lucas Event Hair Company

Make-up: Aaron Ellerbrock from BRIDEface Richmond

Rentals: MS Events

Transportation: A&A for shuttles and Albemarle Limo for getaway car

Keswick 6/3/22 Keswick 6/3/22

Another New Ceremony Location

Friday, June 3rd, was the perfect day for a wedding at Keswick Vineyards located just outside of Charlottesville, VA. Jennifer and Ben made sure they would have perfect weather by burying that bottle of bourbon which always seems to do the trick here!

Jennifer knew exactly what she wanted her ceremony location to look like. She had a vision that had to have trees behind her so Jennifer and Ben are the first to get married at this ceremony location. Perhaps it should be named after them????? Not only did she have the trees she wanted but guests also had the view of Edgewood Estate which was built in 1911. With this new ceremony location, we snuck Jennifer and her dad in our golf cart through the vineyard, so she was hidden from everyone and made a surprise entrance different than the wedding party. I always love those little extra things we do for our couples to make their wedding day extra special.

I really love what Jennifer and Ben used for their guest book. Versus the traditional book, guests signed a globe that had their name and wedding date on it. What a wonderful item to display in your home for years to come and to remind you of all the friends and family that made your wedding day so special.

And finally, the food that their caterer made was delicious! I definitely could have made a dinner just out of the appetizers that the caterer made specifically for Jennifer & Ben. It’s awesome that our preferred caterers can do that for our couples. The tent also looked amazing!

Thanks again to our amazing vendors:

Wedding Planner Melanie Spence of Lane Stewart Events

Caterer L’Etoile

DJ Andy Wilfong of Party Masters

Photographer Danielle Norton

Videographer Mark Yeattes

Cultivate Event Co. for florals

Transportation by Ambassador Limousine

Rentals by BBJ Linen & MS Events

Hair & Make-up by Diane at Ave 42

Keswick 5/29/22 Keswick 5/29/22

A BRIDE AND HER VISION

I just love it when our couples have a clear vision on what they want their wedding day to look like. It makes it so much easier on all the vendors to ensure a successful wedding. The wedding on Sunday, May 29th of Lauren & Aaron, definitely had a vision and oh what a vision it was!

Lauren could definitely be a wedding planner and does have some interest in doing that in her future. She definitely hit it out of the ballpark with her own wedding and all the little details that gave you that “wow” moments. Lets start with the ceremony.

Lauren & Aaron got married right in front of Viognier vines at Keswick Vineyards. This has always been one of our most popular spots. Take a look at the floral arbor that framed them at the alter as they said there I do’s. Their florist, Steel Cut, perfection! Not only did guests get to enjoy the beauty of their ceremony location but Lauren had musicians play versus having a DJ. Melodious Strings sounded beautiful not only for the ceremony but also during cocktail hour. So now, lets talk about cocktail hour.

When Keswick Vineyards re-did their cocktail lawn area over their winter break last year, I always pictured that area to have a white circular bar right in the middle and guess what? Lauren fulfilled my vision by doing exactly that and it was even more beautiful than I had pictured. Steel Cut added some greenery to the monogrammed bar along with swagged bistro lights; perfection!!!

And now, the reception. I immediately was in love with the lace overlay linen on some of her tables and the velvet linens on the other tables. The monogrammed linen napkins at each place setting along with a scroll paper hanging from each champagne glass with the name of the guest at each setting was just some of those little details that just takes everything up a notch. And the china she chose; simply elegant! But perhaps my new all-time favorite is having greenery hanging from the swagged bistro lights under the tent and doing nothing on the poles. The greenery suspended throughout the tent had this delicate feel to it tying the outdoors into the tent.

Lauren & Aaron’s wedding was on the smaller side with only 52 people attending. I’m often asked by couples touring wondering if the tent is too big for a wedding of that size. I always tell my couples, no. Just look how full the tent looks for this wedding. By adding different shapes of tables and adding some furniture and doing food stations, this tent fills full. Again, Lauren knew exactly what she was doing and scores an A+ from me!

PS As if their guests weren’t already blown away by being greeted with a glass of champagne when they arrived to all the details, Lauren & Aaron had a food truck come for a late night snack serving ice cream over waffles! What an amazing wedding and I can’t wait to see their photos from Jen Farrielo!

Thank you to the dream team of vendors that brought Lauren’s vision to life:

Wedding Planner Kristen Ridge

Catering by Exchange Events

DJ John Garland

Musician Melodious Strings

Photographer Jen Farrielo

Pastry Chef Commonwealth Cakes

Steel Cut Florist

Officiant Dave Norris

Hair & Make-up by Alexis Nichols of Ave42

Transportation by Easy Rider

Rentals by Paisley & Jade and MS Events

Good Waffles Food Truck

Keswick 5/28/22 Keswick 5/28/22

Man's Best Friend

OK, I know normally our blogs are focused on our couples, but this blog will start off a little different. Jimmy, our groom, is getting married to Lex, our bride, and Jimmy’s dog couldn’t be more excited for their big day. When the time came to line everyone up for the processional, Jimmy’s dog was up front, ready to go! I’m not sure the dog fully understood his directions because he obviously had a different plan.

As Jimmy made his way to the aisle, his dog realized that wait, I should be escorting him on the most important day of his life. The dog made a mad dash for Jimmy pulling his escort with him until he reached Jimmy. He then was happy making that walk down the aisle with Jimmy. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Lex and Jimmy had such a beautiful day for their wedding. Mother Nature took care of them on May 28th. They chose to get married in front of the fountain with Edgewood Estate on their left and the Blue Ridge Mountains on their right. What a beautiful way to frame your ceremony.

One of my favorite details to their wedding was definitely their wedding cake. It was extra special because it was made by the brides Mom! Just look how beautiful it was with that floral arch above it. I’ve never seen that before but I’m definitely a fan of it. Way to go Mom!

Mom was not the only “personal” touch to this wedding. The bride’s uncle did the florals and the grooms friend was their officiant. What could be better than that to have all those important people in your lives play such a role on your wedding day?

I also like what they did for their guest book. Versus having the traditional book, Lex and Jimmy chose several bottles of Keswick Vineyards wines and put a sticker on each bottle that had which anniversary they would open that bottle. So, you had a 1 year, 5 years, etc. and each guest would sign with a metallic pen whichever bottle they chose. What a great way to relive your wedding day.

Lastly, what really makes a wedding a success is when you have the wedding couple on the dance floor. I don’t think I ever saw Jimmy not on the dance floorJ He definitely was the life of the party and partied with all his family and friends. It sure was hard not to get on the dance floor with all of them.

Thank you, Lex and Jimmy, for letting us be part of your wedding day. I can’t wait for you to come back and visit! And thank you to the following vendors:

Caterer and planner, C&O

DJ Carter Ward of Fordson Labs

Musician Andrew Savoia

Photographer Hunter & Sarah

Officiant Gabriel Decker

Florals by Robert Hughes

Hair & Make-up by Jennifer Le

Photo booth by Mox Box

Rentals by Paisley & Jade & MS Events

Transportation by US Coachways