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Southern Traditions | Wade & Madison

Well, the Southern wedding tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon continues to work its magic!  Madison & Wade was our 2nd wedding for this weekend being married on Saturday, June 1st, and what a gorgeous day they got!  

Burying a bottle of bourbon 1 month before your wedding upside down at the site of there ceremony is a Southern tradition to ward of bad weather. The day of the wedding, after the ceremony, the couple then digs the bourbon up! Not only did their bourbon bottle give them luck on the weather, but when Wade went to dig up the bottle, he did something that probably could not be duplicated.  Wade managed, when he put the shovel into the ground, to exactly hit the seal and cork of the bottle to actually open the bottle as it was still upside down in the ground!  Wade immediately noticed the liquid vanishing before his eyes, so he quickly grabbed the bottle and was amazed to see the top gone. After digging in the dirt a little more, we found the horse bottle top.  How lucky was that???? With this kind of luck, I know this marriage not only is going to last, but will have some exciting stories to tell in its future.

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Burying Bourbon

A Southern Tradition to ward off bad weather

Continuing with Southern traditions was the food and it sure was delicious!  Hot Cakes, one of our preferred caterers, served up some shrimp & grits and Southern fried chicken just to name a couple of their dishes to satisfy the guests.  By far, my favorite part was the dessert table all made by Hot Cakes. Thankfully, DJ TD Layman was there to help everyone work off some of those calories!

Special thanks to the following vendors for doing an excellent job:  

Catering & desserts by Hot Cakes
Wedding Planner Carmen Warner
Officiant Colleen Swingle-Titus
DJ TD Layman of Sound Enforcement
Videographer Chris Yeatts
Photographer Kristen Camielle Photography (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards Cindy Schornberg)
Florist from The Bloom Room
Rentals by MS Events
Hair & Make-up by Glo-out Glamour Bar.




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Glittering in Gold | Shubho & Renuka

Renuka & Shubho were the 1st of our triple wedding weekend to be married on Friday, May 31st and what a beautiful Hindu ceremony they had. Nothing compares to the brightness of colors in an Indian wedding.  The bright reds and shimmering gold colors just make an amazing backdrop.

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For their ceremony, Shubho & Renuka had cards made up so guests could follow along with what was happening during their Hindu ceremony.  I highly recommend doing this since the entire ceremony was not in English and for those not familiar with the Hindu traditions, they were great!  Renuka and Shubho were so thankful that the approaching rain storm held off long enough for them to complete their ceremony along with having some time for photos in the vineyard.

Renuka was a bride after my heart.  She didn’t have just one outfit, but three!  She was gracious enough to stop, just after changing, to allow me to snap a quick photo.  Personally, her third was my favorite but she looked amazing in all of them.

I loved all the details to this wedding.  Obviously, the ceremony was full of traditions, but I really liked how at each table setting she had the menu tucked into the napkin with a party favor on top.  What a lovely surprise for each guest to welcome them as they made their way to their seat. The signs Renuka & Shubho had I also liked a lot. The wood welcome signs are very popular this year with our couples!  And let’s not forget about their wedding cake! Maliha Creations never disappoints visually or with flavor when it comes to her cakes. Highly recommend!!!






Thank you to the following vendors for making Renuka & Shubho’s wedding one they will cherish forever:  

Tanya Wilbon from The Event Group International as their planner
Shivam of Royal Occasions as their designer
Officiant: Pandit Rajagopal Thuppal
Cake by Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations
DJ: TD Layman of Sound Enforcement
Videography by Piximpress
Flowers by Colonial Florist
Hair & Make-up by Top Knot Studio & Rouge 9
Rentals by MS Events
Tent lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Transportation provided by Easy Rider Bus Company, Blue Ridge Tours & Camryn Limousine.






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Stranger than Fiction | Ana & Henry

We got a call a week before Ana & Henry’s wedding that was to take place on Saturday, May 26th, to let us know that Ana had broken her leg and they weren’t sure if she would be able to walk down the aisle.  “No problem”, we said, we could take her in our golf cart down the aisle if necessary. To our relief, Ana got clearance from her doctor that she could put some weight on her leg and would be able to walk down the aisle!  Instead of this princess wearing a glass slipper, she got to wear a lovely boot☺


So, having a bride break her leg just before getting married is strange enough, right?  Well, not for this couple. I sure did see some strange things that lead to such laughable moments that none of us will forget.  To begin with, there is Eugene. I first met Eugene when I walked in on the groom dressing Eugene. I must have had this puzzled look on my face when they explained to me who Eugene was.  Eugene is a doll that mysteriously showed up one day in Henry’s dorm room and they have been inseparable since then. I just love how Henry made sure Eugene was dressed to the nine in his white tuxedo and glittery gold top hat.  I should of know after meeting Eugene that this wedding might be a little different than others and I was right.

I’m sure most of you reading this blog are aware of a couple doing a first look, right?  For those who don’t, it is when the couples see each other for the first time before the ceremony to allow them to get some photos out of the way before the ceremony.  Well, Henry was not a real fan of a first look, but Ana and the rest of the wedding party had “pressured” him into going along with it. The day was getting away from them and guests were already showing up when Ana still insisted, they do their first look.  So, Henry took his position and nervously waited for that moment when he would turn around and see his beautiful bride. All the groomsmen were watching through the windows and could see Henry was starting to tear up just thinking about this moment. Finally, that moment came, and Henry got the tap on his shoulder to turn around to see his soon to be beautiful wife.  Well, to Henry’s surprise, instead of seeing Ana in her wedding dress, one of his male friends was standing there dressed in a wedding dress and veil! Everyone busted out laughing and it was just what Henry needed to take those wedding jitters away. He couldn’t believe Ana and everyone else managed to keep that a secret from him. Way to go Ana! Pretty much anything else happening that night would not surprise me.  This has to be one of our most fun weddings.

As you can see by these photos, this group was in for a good time!  I just love how the wedding party posed in front of our fountain like the sitcom “Friends”.  So cute! The food was delicious! This is the first time I have seen shish kebabs served at a wedding and everyone gobbled them up!  Look at that cake and dessert table!!! And the music, well it kept everyone on the dance floor all night long!

Thanks to all the vendors who helped make this wedding so much fun!
Catering by Pumpernickel Pickle
Desserts by Chandler’s Bakery
Entertainment by DJ Kurt from Astro DJ
and Photobooth from Astro DJ
Photography by Dmitry Gotkis (please note the photographs in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Wedding Planning by Rachel Schools
Officiant Gage Volbert
Musicians Chestnut Oak String Quartet
Hair & Make-up by Studio FBJ
Transportation provided by Blue Ridge Tours
Rentals by MS Events
Tent Lighting by Skyline Tent Company.





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The Power of Bourbon! | Alyssa & David

Congratulations to Alyssa & David who were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 25th!

Alyssa & David owe a big Thank You to Alyssa’s mom, Joyce.  She came a month before their wedding date to do the Southern tradition of burying a bottle of bourbon to ward off any rain and boy did we test that tradition!  Storms came within 1 ½ miles but between the magic of our mountains and that Southern tradition, not a drop of rain dared to fall. So yes, I’m still a big believer in burying a bottle of bourbon.

Another thing I am a big believer in is hiring an experienced wedding planner.  I can’t think of a more experienced wedding planner than Barbara Lundgren, the owner of Barb Wired.  She is known to be the Fairy Godmother to her couples, and it shows. She is always there to make sure every detail is done to perfection.  She also provides that steady, calmness that so many families need on their wedding day.

This wedding had lots of prettiness with their burgundy accent color scheme, using a window pane to display table assignments, to having a guitarist play for both the ceremony and cocktail hour.  At night, Keswick Vineyards beauty still continues to impress guests with the fountain lit up, the estate highlighted with up lighting and the glow of the tent. No matter what time it is, Keswick Vineyards continues to awe guests.  And if the prettiness of their wedding day wasn’t enough, the delicious family-style dinner definitely satisfied everyone’s tummies!

Special thanks to the following vendors for providing the magic to make Alyssa & David’s dream wedding come true: 
Event Planner: Barb Wired
Caterer: Roadside Chive
DJ: Primetime Sound
Musician: Stan Hamrick
Photographer: Klaire Dixius (please note, the photos in this blog were taken by Owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videographer: Carly Rae Film
Hair & Make-up: Brideface RVA
Officiant: Christy Foldenauer
Florist: Barnswallow Bloom
Transportation: A&A Limousine
Rentals: MS Events
and Skyline Tent Company

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