Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 4/13/19 Keswick 4/13/19

2019 Wedding Season Begins! (and it's AMAZING) | Miranda & Thomas

On Saturday, April 13th, Keswick Vineyards started its 9th wedding season with the marriage of Miranda & Thomas. Mother Nature did not disappoint this couple at all. What started with a cloudy, overcast day ended with the sun popping thru the clouds just as they said their I Do’s and that sunset, AMAZING!!!!!! I sure wish I could clone this wedding day for all our future weddings.

The décor that Miranda and Thomas did for their wedding sure made our new Aurora tent look its best. With the blue and white color scheme, the tent took on a nautical feel. I love how they incorporated both rectangular and round tables for their reception; a look I will recommend to future couples.

Miranda and Thomas didn’t start planning their wedding until January 2019. That only gave them four months to do it. They put together an amazing team of vendors including Exchange Events Catering and DJ TD Layman of Sound Enforcement. Both these vendors are on our preferred list and I think Miranda and Thomas now know why. Their wedding was perfect! I just love how Exchange Events Catering is ready to greet the wedding couple right after their ceremony with trays of appetizers!

Some of my favorite details from this wedding were how they used wine bottles to display table assignments. Using different shapes and colors to create the labels made it a little more interesting to look at. Having the guest book on the same table made it very easy so no guests would miss either important detail.

And take a look at those desserts!

Miranda’s Mother made them all. I have to admit that I couldn’t resist trying one of those Belgium brownies. OK, not one, perhaps two but that chocolate flavor was to die for, and I just couldn’t help myself.

And finally, my favorite part had to be when Miranda did her toast. Her toast explained the meaning behind the names they had to identify each guest table so as she told the story, each table would let out a cheer when she would mention it. An example was having a table named for the place Thomas works at. Seated at that table were people he worked with. Another table was for the neighborhood Miranda grew up in with guests from that neighborhood seated there. It was just a nice way for everyone to learn a little more about Miranda and Thomas to make this wedding more personable for everyone attending.

Special thanks to the following vendors for making our 1st wedding for 2019 such a success:
Caterer: Exchange Events
DJ: TD Layman of Sound Enforcement
Photographer: Lindsey Hinkley (photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, not Lindsey Hnkley)
Event Planner: Grace Jackson
Rentals: MS Events
Florals: DIY
Hair & Make-up: Transformation Artistry.

Keswick 11/11/18 Keswick 11/11/18

Last Wedding of the 2018 Wedding Season | Shiloah & Andrew

On Sunday, November 11th, Keswick Vineyards closed out its 2018 wedding season. It makes it bitter sweet when you have such an amazing couple to share it with. Shiloah and Andrew toured with us back in June of this year and they knew coming into Keswick Vineyards that this was exactly where they wanted to get married. They got engaged in Italy and while traveling in the Italian countryside, they knew that they wanted to have a vineyard wedding with amazing wines. With Keswick Vineyards being a two-time Virginia Governor’s Cup winner and being located on one of the Top 10 most scenic roads in the country, they definitely found their dream location.

Shiloah and Andrew couldn’t have had their dream wedding without their amazing team, though! One of Shiloah’s six sisters, Jordan, is to thank for how spectacular their wedding was! She carefully coordinated the entire Italian look and feel of what they were going for. Shiloah’s aunt created all of the beautiful floral arrangements that were placed at each table. The floral arrangements perfectly complimented all the fall colors that Mother Nature provided. Along with the beautiful florals were copper lanterns attached to the center wood poles that made the Sperry tent appear to feel like a quaint town in the Italian countryside.

It’s not an Italian themed wedding without Italian food and drinks, though! At each table were bottles of Pellegrino that made the wedding seem “fantastico!” Of course, they also had an Italian caterer that fed everyone until they were full (the true Italian way!).

While the reception was “perfetto,” so was the ceremony! It’s especially sweet when your family and friends play such an important role with every aspect of your wedding. Another one of Shiloah’s sister sang while her friends played the piano and other instruments as Shiloah walked down the aisle. We couldn’t get enough of all of the little touches that made Shiloah and Andrew’s wedding so magical.

Congratulations Shiloah & Andrew! Thanks for making our 2018 wedding season one of the best ever!

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

Event Planner: Jordan DeStefano, Caterer: Travinia Italian Kitchen, DJ: Dennis Payne, Officiant: Mark Caulk, Desserts: Sweethaus, Musicians: Aamano Artists, Photographer: Bethany Snyder, Videographer: Aaron Custalow, Florist: Peggy Larcheid, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company, Rentals: Festive Fare.

Keswick 11/10/18 Keswick 11/10/18

Jess & DJ’s Wedding Day | Jess & DJ

On Saturday, November 10th, Jess and DJ were married at Keswick Vineyards on a brisk, fall day. With the foliage colors still beaming on the mountain side, it was a must to hold their ceremony in our “fall” location which gives guests the optimal view of the Estate, fountain, vineyard and mountains. Even though the day was a little chillier then it should have been for this time of year, the sun beaming through the trees provided just enough warmth to make their ceremony picture perfect.

Since this is Keswick Vineyards 8th year doing weddings and have done over 350 weddings, it is hard for us to see something new. So, when we saw what Jess & DJ were doing for their guest book, we definitely had to share. Versus the traditional guest book, Jess & DJ had a wood blank puzzle made. Each guest would sign a puzzle piece eventually signing each piece to create a forever heirloom of their special day.

Congratulations, Jess and DJ! We hope that you enjoyed your “mini-moon” and we hope that your lives are as perfect as your wedding was!

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

Event Planner: Karissa Coffey, Caterer: Harvest Moon, Officiants: Doug White Sr. and Dave Norris, Desserts: Passionflower Cakes, DJ: Dennis Payne, Photographer: Mike Topham, Hair and Makeup Artist: Lou Stevens, Florist: Willow Branch Flowers, Transportation: James River and A & A Limo, Rentals: Harvest Moon, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 11/4/18 Keswick 11/4/18

Falling for Fall | Siobhan & Chris

On Sunday, November 4th, Siobhan and Chris were married at Keswick Vineyards. Taking full advantage of choosing this date for the prime foliage colors of fall, they naturally chose our “fall location” to say their I do’s. With so many ceremony site locations it can be hard for our couples to choose their favorite. But at this time of the year it is pretty obvious why most of our couples choose our “fall location”. We gave this location that nickname because in the fall you have a spectacular 180-degree view of an estate, fountain, vineyard and mountains all bursting with fall colors. It really is hard to fully capture this view but believe me, it is AMAZING!!!

To add to the spectacular view, Mother Nature did her part by providing them the perfect weather. Once again, doing the Southern tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon a month before their wedding date paid off. Originally Siobhan and Chris planned on mailing us their bourbon to bury for them since they are not local. When that didn’t happen, they chose to bury 2 small “airplane” size bourbon bottles in a pot that Chris’s family had received when his sister unexpectedly died. They brought that special pot with them and unearthed the bourbon and enjoyed the comfort it brought them.

Now, when you think of fall, most people think of apple cider and donuts. So, Siobhan and Chris opted for a donut food truck versus a traditional wedding cake. Guest would make their way to Carpe Donuts food truck and enjoy a freshly made, apple cider donut with the traditional cinnamon & sugar or maple-glaze on them. Nothing like the smell of fresh donuts to warm the heart.

But, if that wasn’t enough for their guests to stay warm, DJ TD Layman of Sound Enforcement got the party really going by playing the hottest hits. It was such a pleasure to see how happy Siobhan was on the dance floor with all her family and friends. She definitely had a great time and looked amazing (yes Chris, you looked very handsome too!) And then, with a bubble departure, they were off to live happily ever after.

Thank you to the following vendors for providing such exceptional service:

Event Planner: Keswick Vineyards, Caterer: Pumpernickel Pickle, Florist: The Faded Poppy, DJ: TD Layman of Sound Enforcement, Videographer: Silver Streak Weddings, Photographer: Ward Photography, Desserts: Carpe Donut, Rentals: MS Events, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.