Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 6/11/16 Keswick 6/11/16

Going the Distance | Ashley & Nate

When love's made strong roots you not only can see it but you can feel it as well. When I first met Ashley and Nate an overwhelming feeling of happiness was present in the room. They had a glow! A glow that never once faded even a year after our first meeting when they arrived at Keswick Vineyards on June 11th to say "I do".

Much like when I first met this couple, Ashley and Nate had a mutual feeling of a connection when they met for the first time. Life took them to opposite ends of the country but they had an unspoken agreement to "chat daily, write weekly and travel monthly" to build their relationship. A few years down the road, a few dozen plane rides, and what I'm sure were countless amounts of chats they found themselves together in DC buying a home and starting a life. From there, they were goners and on a mid December day Nate popped the question and Ashley, of course, said yes!

Our amazing vendor friends made Ashley and Nate's day as memorable as their love story. With the right combination of the perfect venue, creative wedding decor, beautiful blooms, award winning wine, gourmet food, a full dance floor, and late night cupcakes any wedding can be as dreamy as this one!

Thank you to all of our vendor friends, time and time again. Catering, Roadside Chive. Wedding Planner, Danielle Fricke. Photographer, George Street Photography. Desserts, Sweethaus. DJ, Mark Allen with Class Production DJ Service. Musician, Billy Caldwell. Florist, Jackie. Hair & Makeup, Kelsea Dayberry. Officiant, Phil Gates with Sacred Ground Ceremonies. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Rentals, MS Events. Transportation, Easy Riders Bus Company.

Keswick 6/10/16 Keswick 6/10/16

All in the Family | Blair & Trey

It’s a well-known fact (I think) that Keswick Vineyards is a very family run establishment. After all, their daughter married our wine maker and was our first wedding here at the vineyard! But, did you know Cindy and Al are also accepting applications for new children? Neither did I! Blair and Trey won over Cindy and Al’s hearts quickly and they “joined the family” as their adopted children way back in December of 2014 when they first laid eyes on Keswick Vineyards.

On June 10th they tied the knot in front of both their real and adopted families! The couple decided on our vineyard location, which puts them right in the vines with the mountains in the background. It was perfect for the beautiful June day we had!

Personal touches of their Virginia roots were incorporated into their wedding, all from their down home catered cooking to their handmade wooden bench which was their guestbook friends and family signed. But what’s a family without pets, am I right? Blair and Trey clearly were very much so in love with one another and with their dogs! Their pups made a surprise appearance after their ceremony and Cindy captured a happy family photo of the four of them. We’ll be seeing all of them on Sunday’s for our Yappy Hours I’m sure!

Many thanks to the following vendors for making the day so great! Wedding Planner, Karen McGrath with Amore Events. Photographer, Aaron Watson Photography. Caterer, Hank’s Smokehouse. Rentals, MS Events. Desserts, Pearl’s Bake Shoppe. Hair, Christina Van Name and Kathy Fox. Makeup, Kaitlin Carpenter and Sydney Fischer. Videographer, JB Media. Florist, Plantscapes. Transportation, Albemarle Limousine. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. DJ, T.D. Layman with Sound Enforcement DJ Service. Musicians, The Magnolia Quartet from Charlottesville High School. Officiant, Chris Long.

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.