Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 6/1/18 Keswick 6/1/18

Oh, Happy Day! | Zhanna & AJ

If Zhanna and AJ’s ceremony at Keswick Vineyards on June 1st didn’t set the mood for the remainder of their wedding day, I don’t know what could have! They decided to get married in our popular vineyard location but added a beautiful arbor that was adorned in greenery and roses. With the vineyard in full bloom in the background, along with the beautifully decorated arbor, we really felt the abundance of Mother Nature surrounding us.

We love all of the various symbolic customs that couples enact to commence their lives together. Zhanna and AJ decided to do the “blending of the sand,” for their ceremony, where the sand that is being blended together is representative of their lives now together in union. At the end of the ceremony, AJ went in for the kiss and the bridal party popped silver streamers! It was an exciting moment, where all of the guests cheered and clapped in exhilaration.

As guests left the joyous ceremony, feeling high on life, they migrated to our three-hundred-year-old oak tree, where they were greeted with drinks and a delicious array of appetizers provided by Dinner at Home. Guests were also able to use the polaroid cameras that Zhanna and AJ provided, to take pictures of each other, place it in the couple’s guest book, and write a sweet note for the couple to remember their wedding by.

The excitement didn’t end at cocktail hour, though! Carpe Donuts, one of our local food trucks that provides amazing donuts and other items, arrived so that guests could snack on some sweet treats. Zhanna and AJ decided to use Carpe Donuts in lieu of a cake, which the guests absolutely enjoyed with how great of an array of donuts there was!

We were so happy that guests came from both near and far (as far as Ukraine, we might add), to enjoy the festive celebration of Zhanna and AJ. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Thank you to the following vendors for all of their hard work:

Event Planner: Alana Futcher with Chancey Charm, Officiant: Bobby McGovern, Caterer: Dinner at Home, Desserts: Carpe Donut, DJ: Seth Kravitz with Rhythm of Love Weddings, Photographers: Finn Lively & Corrine McCaffrey, Videographer: Gardenia Weddings, Florist: Lauren Emerson, Transportation: Albemarle Limousine, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

Check out their beautiful wedding with this video from Gardenia Weddings!

Keswick 5/27/18 Keswick 5/27/18

Luck of the Irish | Sarah & Pete

What a chancy wedding day! We all thought that Keswick Vineyards wouldn’t be so lucky on May 27th, 2018 with it looking like rain was heading our way. Our mountains, typically, cause the rain clouds to scatter, but we were all nervous over this one! Sarah told us that she really wanted her ceremony to be outside, and being her Day of Coordinator, we wanted to do whatever was in our power to make that happen!

We were happy to say that our “magical mountains” ended up working out for us, yet again! About twenty minutes prior to the ceremony, we made the call that we were going to do the ceremony outside in our vineyard location, which Sarah and Pete were so elated to hear! They were able to have our Blue Ridge Mountains and vineyards as their background, while they also had our wooden arbor decorated with a beautiful floral arrangement on the top corner. The ceremony was simple, but so beautiful.

With Sarah and Pete being as outgoing as they are, they wanted to spend some time during cocktail hour to mingle with their guests. By doing their first look earlier, where they see each other prior to the ceremony and can take pictures when Mother Nature gives them a little break, they were able to partake in the fun of their wedding. Most couples aren’t able to do this, so it was a special treat, especially, for Sarah and Pete’s wedding day.

After cocktail hour, guests were seated and were able to enjoy the delicious Southern-style food that Southern Inn put together for all of the guests to enjoy. Pulled pork, coleslaw, biscuits, chicken, and barbeque sauce—what more could you want? After a night full of dancing to throw-back songs and sipping on some of our award-winning wine, a late-night snack bar opened up for guests to enjoy, while cupcakes also awaited them if they wanted something a little less savory. It was a fun night for everyone and all guests seemed extremely content by the time that the show was over. Congrats to Sarah and Pete!

Thank you to the following vendors for all of their hard work:

Event Planner: Keswick Vineyards, Caterer: Southern Inn Catering, Pasty Chef: Sweethaus, Photographers: Kim Stockwell & Alex, DJ: Frank Smith with Prime Time Sound & DJ Services, Hair & Makeup: Lou Stevens, Florist: Faded Poppy, Officiant: Jon Cardinal, Transportation: Easy Riders Bus Company, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 5/26/18 Keswick 5/26/18

Keeping up with the Koo's | Jen & Alex

We have couples get married at Keswick Vineyards from all over the country, but Jen and Alex had to plan their entire wedding completely on the other side of the United States—from Washington state! Luckily, Jen had family nearby our award-winning winery to help her plan her rustic, dream wedding for May 26, 2018. Her family even designed the gift table, seating decorations, and the floral arrangements that were hanging off of the ceremony chairs in mason jars. What would we do without our parents?

Jen and Alex actually got married a few years ago due to military reasons but decided to do a formal ceremony for all of their family members to attend. Being that they already had their rings, they decided to do a planting of trees for their ceremony. We loved the symbolism behind it; the roots of their relationship will continue to be intertwined and grow together.

Their seating assignments, of course, had to include the rustic and “natural” feel that their wedding had! They decided to use succulents with little flags in them that had everyone’s names and table numbers on them. It was a great way to bring the entire wedding together!

Jen and Alex decided to use our gazebo for multiple purposes. The gazebo space is used for whatever couples imagine for their wedding day, so we love it when new usages emerge! During cocktail hour, Jen and Alex made it a raw seafood bar, where shrimp, oysters, and scallops were displayed on a magnificent ice sculpture. Talk about mouth-watering! Later in the evening, they transformed it into a candy bar for guests to have a “sweet treat” to enjoy and take home with them for a late-night snack.

The food wasn’t the only thing that people enjoyed, though! Jen and Alex provided plenty of entertainment for guests, where games, such as, “guess the spouse” was played. Both Jen and Alex were blindfolded, where Jen had to feel multiple men’s hands to decide which one was Alex’s, whereas Alex had to feel multiple women’s biceps and had to guess which one was Jen’s. It was a night full of laughter, to say the least, and we loved partaking in the endless joy of the night. Congrats to the happy couple!

Thank you to the following vendors for all of their hard work:

Event Planner: Karissa Coffey Events LLC., Officiant: Andrew Vo, Caterer: Harvest Moon, Pasty Chef: Paris with Passionflower Cakes, DJ: Frank Smith with Prime Time Sound & DJ Services, Musician: Chestnut Oak String Quartet, Photographer: Lisa Mims Photography, Photo Booth: Photo Booth of Charlottesville, Hair & Makeup Artist: Jeanna Cusick, Florist: Colonial Florist, Transportation: K & M Executive Transportation, Rentals: MS Events, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

The photos in this blog were contributed by owner Cindy Schornberg. To see Lisa Mims photography check out her blog here!

Keswick 5/19/18 Keswick 5/19/18

Mais and Ben's "Royal" Wedding | Mais & Ben

Congratulations to Mais & Ben who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 19th. Mais & Ben’s wedding had such an elegant feel to it with the bridesmaids in their pale grey dresses, holding their bouquet full of greenery, and the groomsmen matching Ben in their black tuxedos. Ben looked extremely dapper in his black tuxedo, but Mais, obviously, stole the show! All eyes were on her the entire night. She looked absolutely stunning in her strapless, lace dress.

Mais and Ben decided to have their ceremony in front of Keswick Vineyards fountain, with the Blue Ridge Mountains and vineyards as their background. Mais looked beautiful as she made her entrance escorted by her mother and father. Nowadays, you see a lot of mixing of men and women in the bridal party. Instead of having a “best man,” Ben had a “best woman,” who was his sister. Alike the groomsmen, she wore black, but she wore a chiffon dress similar to the bridesmaids. Although people are straying further away from “traditional” weddings, we love all of the fresh and contemporary ideas!

Walking into the reception felt as if you were entering a forest. The centerpieces, rather than being composed of all flowers, had cherry blossom branches. The cherry blossom branches had a slight bud break, while white roses and other pieces of greenery comprised the centerpiece. This look was carried over onto their cake with a large sugar magnolia flower on it. I swear those sugar flowers looked so real that I had to touch them to confirm they were made of sugar versus the real thing. Amazing work by their baker!

Mais had family that travelled across the Pacific Ocean, all the way from Yemen! With having a globe for guests to sign and a vintage suitcase to hold envelopes in, Ben and Mais did a great job of reflecting the travels that everyone took to be at their wedding. We also really liked the idea of using wine bottles to have each table number and guest seating information on. Very simple yet a great way to add a little flavor of a winery to the reception.

Check out Mais and Ben's wedding video by Gardenia !

Check out Kate Greer's photography from their wedding in her blog.

Thank you to all of the following vendors for their hard work:

Event Planner: Keswick Vineyards, Caterer: The Local, Photographer: Kate Greer Photography, Videographer: Gardenia Weddings, Pastry Chef: Passionflower Cakes, Florist: The Faded Poppy, DJ: T.D. Layman of Sound Enforcement, Musicians: The Madison Trio, Hair and Makeup: Kate Newman, Officiant: Claire Frances, Transportation: Camryn Limousine, Rentals: MS Events, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.