Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 5/11/19 Keswick 5/11/19

It Takes A Village | Armin & Eric

We all know the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, right? Well, I would have to say it takes a village to pull off a dream wedding. Thankfully, when Armin & Eric got married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 11th, their village really came through for them!

Armin & Eric’s weather was not what they pictured for their wedding day. For them, Mother Nature decided to rain all day. As everyone prepared themselves for our rain plan, we all still held onto hope that a miracle would happen, and Armin & Eric would be able to have their ceremony outside amongst the vineyard. Everyone knew that was Armin’s dream. As the day progressed, we could see on the radar that there was a window of opportunity that just might happen. It was at that time that Eric’s father told me that when his daughter got married in Tennessee, it was pouring rain for her wedding day also. When he went outside, he clapped his hands and just at the same time the rain stopped for her. So, we figured he had one powerful clap and we would wait until we got closer to the ceremony time before we would put his clap to work for his son in Virginia.

Everything was set for our rain plan under the tent. As you can see by the photos, our rain plan is just as beautiful. Armin and Eric had a beautiful, birch wood arbor adorn with greenery and flowers framing their ceremonial table to incorporate Persian traditions into their ceremony. Musicians were seated and playing as guests arrived. We were about 15 minutes from ceremony time when our miracle happened! Eric’s father did his clap and the rain stopped, and we were a go to quickly do the ceremony outside to fulfill Armin & Eric’s dream!!!

It is no easy task to do this. You have to imagine that all day we have prepared for a beautiful ceremony under the tent and have everything ready to go when, within minutes, we need to go in a totally different direction and assemble the same ceremony look within minutes. I would have to say that 99.9% of venues, event planners and caterers would have said no way, it is too late to change this and we are sticking with the rain plan. It kills me when I hear vendors take that attitude. For me, this is their one and only wedding day and if it means we have to go that extra mile for them to have their dream wedding, well then, that’s what we all do. Thankfully, the caterer, who was also acting as their wedding planner, had that same attitude. So, the village went to work including some of the groomsmen that helped transport that birch wood arbor to the outdoor location.

“It was a crazy 15 minutes, but we did it! At 4:33pm, Armin & Eric’s dream outdoor ceremony began!”

There was so much beauty to this wedding that my photos don’t do it justice. Just look at the beautiful floral arrangement hanging above the head table. And who doesn’t love the look of a long farm table with cross-back chairs for the head table? Did you notice the chandelier over the dance floor? And who couldn’t help but notice the delicious cake! And then, of course, there is Armin and Eric. To see their happiness of being able to have their ceremony outside made all that hard work so worth it.

So, as you can see, it does take a village to pull off a dream wedding. It is for that reason Keswick Vineyards has a list of preferred vendors to make sure we make everyone’s wedding their dream wedding! Special shout out, and I mean a LOUD shout out, to Cristelle from C&O catering for remembering that we work for our couples and it should be our priority to do whatever we can to make their wedding a day their dream wedding day. Thank you Cristelle for going that extra mile along with the Keswick Vineyards team of Brian, Doug, Ryan and myself.

A special thanks to the other vendors too for their exceptional talents:

Catering by: C & O Catering
Event Planning by: Cristelle of C&O Catering
Officiating by: John Gownley
Cake by: Cakes by Rachel
Entertainment by: DJ Derek Tobler
Photography by: Aaron Watson Photography (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg. )
Videography by: Paul Kwak Films
Hair by: Brianna Adams
Make-up by: Claire Ashley & Rouge 9
Florals by: Southern Blooms
Transportation by: Albemarle Limousine
Lounge Furniture by: Paisley & Jade
and Mouth Wide Open Food Truck for late night snacks.

Keswick 5/4/19 Keswick 5/4/19

And They're Off!!! | Tom & Lauren

Congratulations to Lauren & Tom who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 4th. Not only was this their wedding day but also the day for The Kentucky Derby! And when many of your guests are coming in from Kentucky, well then, it’s only natural to tie into that theme a little.

Lauren & Tom had Kentucky Derby programs on hand so guests could pick their favorite horse and cheer them on while watching the race in the “man’s cave”. To our surprise, a family member of the winning horse was among the guests which made that win even more special!

Lauren & Tom chose to have their ceremony right up close to the vineyard with the mountains as a back drop. Using our pergola, draped with fabric, to dress up their alter a little provided a picture-perfect setting.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the East lawn relishing the food and cocktails provided by Blue Ridge Catering. Also, Billy Caldwell provided some musical entertainment. One of my favorite details from this wedding was their guest book. During cocktail hour guest could take their time and take a polaroid photo of themselves. Then, in a book, were little envelopes to put the photo in. Guest could sign the photo and/or write something in the book. What a wonderful keepsake to have!

The reception tent was adorned with bistro lighting providing the look of being under the stars at night. Keeping decorations to a minimum allowed the natural beauty of Keswick Vineyards to shine through. As you can see, the tent looked amazing and guests fully enjoyed themselves until the last song was played.

A special thank you to the following vendors for making Lauren & Tom’s big day so wonderful:

Catering by Blue Ridge Catering
Photography by Heather Dodge Photography (Please note, the photographs in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg of Keswick Vineyards)
Entertainment by Playback DJ (Dennis Payne)
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Hair & Make-up by Fielding Biggs at Moxie Hair Lounge
Ceremony & Cocktail Music by Billy Caldwell
and Officiant Virginia Moore, MS Events, and Albemarle Limousine

Keswick 4/28/19 Keswick 4/28/19

Catherine & Jake's little piece of Heaven!

I don’t know why, but military weddings are my favorite. Perhaps it has to do with “An Officer & a Gentleman” and “Top Gun” being two of my favorite movies? Whatever it is, I just can’t get enough so on Sunday, April 28th, when Catherine and Jake got married at Keswick Vineyards, I was in heaven! I’m sure Catherine and Jake were also in heaven because once again, Mother Nature provided another beautiful day.

Catherine and Jake provided so many wonderful details for their wedding that I’m sure their guests felt like they were in heaven also. From a musician playing for their ceremony and cocktail hour, providing babysitters so parents could have a night out yet be moments from their children if needed, personalized corn hole games to play with during cocktail hour, delicious food and then to top off the evening with Carpe Donuts! Yep, that’s really giving everyone a piece of heaven right there!

As with most military weddings, my favorite part has to be the sword arch that the couple walks thru at some point. Catherine and Jake chose to do that as they were announced and entered our Aurora tent for the reception. Welcome Catherine to the navy! Jake also put his sword to good use later in the evening when he sabered a bottle of champagne.

All of us at Keswick Vineyards wish many years of happiness for Catherine and Jake and a special thank you to Jake for his service to our country. May God bless you and keep you safe.

Thanks to the following vendors for always doing such an exceptional job:
Caterering by Goodrich Gourmet
Event Planning by Leslie Sharpe
Dessert by Carpe Donuts
Entertainment by DJ Greg Tutwiler
Ceremony and Cocktail music by Mike D’Antoni
Hair by Top Knot
Make-up by Rouge 9
Tent Lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Rentals by MS Events
Nanny Service by Monticello Nannies

Keswick 4/27/19 Keswick 4/27/19

The Sweetest Thing! | Billy & Megan

Billy and Megan are an amazing couple; possibly the sweetest couple I’ve met. When they arrived for their rehearsal you could just feel their excitement and love for each other. We all couldn’t wait for their big day!

On Saturday, April 27th, Billy & Megan said their “I do’s” in front of all their family & friends. They chose to hold their ceremony in what we like to call our “Panoramic View” and the garland strung on their custom built pergola was a beautiful touch. Their weather was something I’m sure they and every couple getting married outside dream of. It was sunny, 70-degree weather with deep blue skies! The vineyard was just starting to bloom so they were thrilled to see the amount of greenery on the vines and guests were gushing over the azaleas that were in full bloom this weekend.

Mother Nature provided them with perfect weather and Mirna Brousseau’s design style provided them with a stunning reception. Under the glow of our Aurora tent, the white linen with navy runners lent the space a nautical feel and in the gazebo under string lights were delicious cupcakes made by Southern Inn Catering. Everyone spent the evening dancing and celebrating the union of these two, very special people.

Congratulations to Billy & Megan. We wish you many years of happiness and hope you come back to visit us to celebrate your anniversaries (or just to say hi)!

Very special thanks to the following vendors for making their wedding a magical day they will never forget:

Venue: Keswick Vineyards
Event Planner: Mirna Brousseau
Caterer: Southern Inn Catering
DJ: National DJ Connection (Greg Tutwiler)
Musicians: The Bloom Trio
Florals: Photosynthesis Floral Design
Photographer: Matt Schmachtenberg (the photos in this blog were taken by Keswick Vineyards)