Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 4/28/12 Keswick 4/28/12

Sarah & Joyee Say "I Do" Twice! | Sarah & Joyee

Keswick Vineyards began its 2012 wedding season on April 28th with the marriage of Sarah & Joyee. What a way to start off our wedding season. Sarah & Joyee had 2 ceremonies; one American & one Hindu. Sarah wore a beautiful lace wedding dress for their first ceremony. Joyee and the groomsmen wore dark suits. Guest enjoyed the backdrop of the Southwestern Mountains and the vineyard as they gathered on the front lawn of the estate. Sarah was escorted down the flower lined aisle by her father. After the first ceremony guests enjoyed cocktails & hors d'oeuvres while the wedding party changed to get ready for the Hindu ceremony. Sarah was carried in like Cleopatra by four groomsmen. She kept her face covered with 2 leaves as she circled 7 times around Joyee before revealing her face to him. I was fascinated with this ceremony. I have never seen a Hindu wedding and was just amazed by the beauty and culture. Even though I couldn't understand a word of the ceremony, it was easy to understand by the hand gestures and props that were used throughout the ceremony. The colors were just amazing with all the red and gold. I'll never forget this ceremony; simply breathtaking! Once all the ceremonies were completed the guest were escorted to the Sperry Tent for the reception. After dinner the dancing began and again, what a treat that was with the Indian music and dances. I can't say enough to how sweet of a couple Sarah & Joyee and their entire family were. I really appreciate you choosing Keswick Vineyards for your wedding and wish you a lifetime (times 7) of love and happiness. Congratulations!

Special thanks to the following vendors for such a wonderful job: C&O Catering, Jen Fariello Photgraphy, BeeHive Floral & Decor, DJ Pauly Madison, Barb Wired Wedding Planner, Albemarle Limousine.

Click here to see this wedding featured in The Knot.

Keswick 11/20/11 Keswick 11/20/11

Last Wedding for the Season | Laya & Stephen

On Sunday, November 20th, Keswick Vineyards hosted its last wedding for the year with the marriage of Laya & Stephen. When Laya & Stephen booked their wedding I wondered who would do an outdoor wedding in Virginia towards the end of November? Who would imagine that on their wedding day the weather was warmer then it had been for the past few week ends. Laya and Stephen were so blessed to have such a beautiful, fall weather day. There was an overcast of clouds which the photographers love since you don't have to worry about harsh shadows on anyones face. Laya and Stephen had a traditional Christian ceremony. Stephen's father, who is a pastor, officiated the ceremony along with their church pastor. Beautiful hymns were sung by Stephen's sister while musicians played. You really could tell that religion was a very important part for this wedding. Laya's family is Persian and I found out that her grandfather had a winery in Iran and that is why getting married at a vineyard was very important to them. Keeping with some Persian customs, Laya & Stephen did this photo of them looking into a mirror and you take the picture of them looking into the mirror. You will see below my attempt at capturing this tradition. It was beautiful to see Laya and her parents do some Persian dancing as the evening went on. I can't think of a more wonderful wedding to end our season this year.

Thank you to the following vendors which help make this wedding a success: Catering by Anderson Carriage House, Festive Fare for party rentals, Pastry Chef Lisa Sheih, guitarist Andrew Walker and cello player Judah Goverman, Pastor Steve Aaron Sr., photographer Brian Tropiano, videographer Jillian Video Productions. Enjoy some of my photo's below and stay tuned for April when our 2012 wedding season will begin!

Keswick 11/12/11 Keswick 11/12/11

Samantha & Jake say "I DO" | Samantha & Jake

On Saturday, November 12th, Samantha & Jake were married at Keswick Vineyards. Thankfully the weather was about 10 degrees warmer then the day before and what a difference that made outside. Samantha, Jake and their entire wedding party are performers so this wedding was very animated. It was a challenge to get some traditional wedding photo's from this group. Guest had a wonderful evening enjoying cigars by a fire pit they brought. It was a beautiful evening still lit by the full moon. Guest got an extra treat that evening with a singing/dance performance from the guest who are the "Celtic 5" that perform at Busch Gardens. They were incredible and the crowd loved it!

All of us at Keswick Vineyards wish Samantha & Jake all the best and a special thank you to the following vendors who participated in their special day: Photographer Ashley Whitlow, DJ Gregory Vinson Jr., The Early Katering Company, flowers by Hedge Fine Blooms, Officiant Danni Burnette and wedding cake by Buttercream Dreams.

Keswick 11/11/11 Keswick 11/11/11

11-11-11 Such a Popular Day to Get Married! | Leah & David

Congratulations to Leah & David who were married at Keswick Vineyards on one of the most popular wedding days for this year. This wedding was extra special to Keswick Vineyards since Leah's parents, Debbie & Gregg, have been part of the "Keswick family" for several years. They are both wine club members and barrel owners. Debbie & Gregg purchased their wine barrel as a gift to each other for their 30th wedding anniversary. Gregg made sure that his love for Keswick Vineyards was obvious to all the guest by having their barrel with plaque under the reception tent and then wearing a tuxedo shirt that appeared to be just that until he took off his jacket to reveal this wine theme tuxedo shirt (see photo's below). I have to get one of these for my husband Al! It was an honor to be chosen as the venue to host their daughters wedding and we sincerely thank them for that. Now, onto Leah & David. What a delightful couple they are. David & Leah were such good sports, along with their photographers, to brave the chill in the air and ride around in the golf cart to capture all the different backdrops for photo's. I think they will see that it was well worth it. Leah & David chose to do a "1st look" before their ceremony which I think is a great idea. It allows the photographer more time to take all those wonderful portrait photo's of the couple before the ceremony which allows them more time with their guests. Leah & David got married at 4:15 pm. It struck me kind of strange that they would choose that time versus 4:00 or 4:30 but then Leah's father explained to me the significants of that time. Apparently on April 15th (4-15) Leah & David realized that they had found their soul mate and knew they would be getting married so they used that date as their ceremony time. How sweet is that? This entire wedding was full of special meanings. Every time I walked around I would notice something cute that I hadn't seen earlier. Leah and some of her family and friends had made Monster Cookies and Pumpkin Bread from old family recipes. Her Grandmother in California couldn't make the trip so her presence was felt by having these goodies for everyone to take home with them. I got to sample both and they were delicious! Guest enjoyed themselves by dancing the night away under a full moon.

Thanks to the following vendors who made Leah & David's wedding so special for them: catering by 20 South, Katie Jett Walls of Red Turtle Photography, musicians The Madison Trio, Pastor Renee Teague, make-up artist Karen Lanquette, DJ Mark Allen of Class Productions DJ Services and Pastry Chef Porter's. Below are some of my photo's capturing the beauty of their wedding. Click here to view the professional photo's by Katie Jett Walls.