Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 6/5/16 Keswick 6/5/16

Oh, Gatsby | Kayla & Jake

What’s a party without Gatsby? Nothing according to this couple! Kayla and Jake came all the way from Arizona to celebrate their wedding day on Sunday, June 5th with a Great Gatsby glitz and glam theme for them and their guests to enjoy. Elegance was key (along with feathers, pearls, and gold!)

Being Jewish, they held a traditional Jewish ceremony underneath of our very glammed up Sperry tent. A chuppah is the structure you see on our dance floor. That’s where Kayla and Jake shared their vows with themselves, their loved ones, and with their Rabbi. Chuppah’s are four legged structures with a ceiling that represent the home and the life couples make with one another after marriage. Kayla and Jake dressed theirs with beautiful drapery and floral arrangements made by Plantscapes. It was beautifully done and it truly brought to life their ceremony. Their Rabbi also helped contribute to this (in more ways than one). He must’ve been a comedian in his past life! He had guests all laughing when he whipped out his cell phone to take a selfie with the couple mid ceremony. I guess that’s 2016 for ya!

Catering was a special part of their wedding day as well. The owners of the catering company for their big day was her sister and brother-in-law. They did both the food and that beautiful five tiered cake. It was massive and the white petals you see intricately placed were all made of sugar! At first glance, I was fooled.

Event planner, Karen McGrath with Amore Events. Catering and Desserts, Pomme to Go. Photography, Krisi Ellis Photography. Florist, Plantscapes and Amore Events. Rentals, MS Events. Hair and Makeup, Charlottesville Makeup Artist. DJ, Dennis Payne with Playback DJ. Musician, Marco Escobar. Officiant, Rabbi Jeremy Schneider. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 6/4/16 Keswick 6/4/16

Prepped and Prepared | Kate & Shawn

From one venue to another, great job to all Charlottesville area wedding venues for making it through the first week of June! We all experienced some tricky weather but word on the street is we all made it out alive! We were particularly lucky over here at Keswick Vineyards being so close to our forever-saving mountains. Throughout the years, our mountains have been known to break up any incoming rain patterns and this weekend was no exception.

Regardless of our luck, however, we prepare. Our team diligently looks at the radar and play "storm watchers" so that we know almost down to the minute when our sunshine is going to go away. For Kate and Shawn's wedding on June 4th this was also the case. We prepared for both Plan A and Plan B so that no matter what we were all ready to go! Church style seating was setup underneath of the Sperry tent for that "just in case" scenario...but by the grace of our glorious mountains WE DIDN'T NEED IT! Kate and Shawn were married outside, with beautiful weather. It was sunshine, soft clouds, and smiles all around.

The good vibes continued throughout the night with personal touches the couple incorporated into their wedding. My favorite? Jenga! Guests were encouraged to sign jumbo jenga pieces in lieu of a guestbook as a keepsake for the couple. We loved it! More childlike elements came into play along the way. Towards the end of the night guests indulged on delicious s'mores and had more to take home as their favors!

One detail we really enjoyed was Kate and Shawn's decorated bicycles with Just Married signs and tin cans on the ends. Adorable. Clever. Cute. Something we definitely hope to see more of throughout our wedding season!

Round of applause to yet another great team! Caterer, Harvest Moon Catering. Wedding Planner, Karissa Coffey LLC. Photographer, Bill Murray Wedding and Portrait Photography. Florist, Floral Designs by Jacquelyn Collmus. Desserts, Sweethaus. Hair and Makeup, Bristles Salon. DJ, Frank Smith with Prime Time Sound & DJ. Musician, John Holt. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Transportation, Easy Riders Bus Company. Officiant, Brian Purcell.

Keswick 5/31/16 Keswick 5/31/16

Leslie and Jeff's Wedding Day! | Leslie & Jeff

It’s always been pretty impressive how couples hear about Keswick Vineyards. The responses I get from couples inquiring have been all over the board. We have our locals, we have our East coasters, we have our Texans…and now we have our Utah-ers.

Leslie and Jeff got married the Tuesday after Memorial Day and came in with their intimate group of friends and family to celebrate in Virginia at Keswick Vineyards. When I asked how she heard of us, she said one word “Google!” I laughed and smiled. I knew we’d get along great after that!

Though this was a small group of people, the couple truly treated everyone and made it a very grand affair. Black and white was the dress code. Greys were acceptable and red lipstick was encourage. Cindy and I had no problem following to code! Their black and white affair looked amazing underneath of our Sperry tent. They dressed the tent up with bistro lights and chandeliers which really made the night sparkle! Underneath of the tent was divided (a great idea for smaller weddings). They had dinner seating on one side, the bar setup in the center, and lounge furniture, cocktail tables, and a caricature artist on the other side. Guests love the feeling of “areas” they were allowed to explore all while being under one “roof”.

Jeff’s children were a big part of both their ceremony and reception. They had a sand ceremony to symbolize the blending of them all into one cohesive unit and the children designed special groom’s cakes (3 to be specific) just for their dad as a surprise! It was clear that family was of the most importance from the start and this brought it all full circle!

Thank you to the following vendors for your amazing work! Event Planner, Keswick Vineyards. Catering, C&O Catering. Photography, Don Mears Photography. Rentals, MS Events and Paisley & Jade. Florist, Floral Images & Design. DJ, Derek Tobler. Desserts, Maliha Creations. Hair & Makeup, Studio FBJ. Caricature Artist, The-NOSE. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Claire Goodman. Transportation, Albemarle Limousine.

Keswick 5/29/16 Keswick 5/29/16

Shall We Dance? | Alison & Justin

Alison and Justin hold a special place in the hearts of the Schornberg’s. Not only are they one of our beloved Keswick Vineyards couples, but Alison also teaches at their daughter’s dance school! I knew Charlottesville was a small town, but it’s always a treat to witness that first hand.

That being said, Alison herself was also a dancer since the age of three. Dancing has always be an important part of her life. I don’t know about you, but when I think of dancing I think of a show. Dancing to me is bringing to life something visually. To me, Alison and Justin did just that on their wedding day. They put on a show!

They turned the tent into a 1920’s vintage dream. To start, they swapped out the dance floor. Of course! They switched our wooden dance floor to a black and white tile. They knew that would really bring their guests front and center. Alison and her family kick started the fun by starting the party off with a dance they used to do when she was a little girl. It was a huge hit and tugged at those heart strings while they all took a walk down memory lane. After that…it was a party!

To add to the fun, Alison and Justin had a local artist create a handmade paper moon which they then used as their photo booth. Guests “sat on the moon” and snapped photos of themselves for the couple to remember and look back on all the days of their lives.

Catering and Dessert, Pumpernickel Pickle. Wedding Planner, Events by Simplicity. Photographer, Joy Gaba Photo. Rentals, MS Events and BBJ Linen. Florist, Whimsical Floral Design. DJ, Derek Tobler. Hair & Makeup, Emily Artistry. Musicians, Hanna Pocock and Philip St. Ours. Transportation, UVA UTS Charter Services. Officiant, Rev. Bhavani Metro.