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Dodging Dorian | Megan & Daniel

The southern tradition of “burying the bourbon” is a quickly growing trend with more and more of our couples digging a hole and planting their nice bottle of whiskey. Just as Megan and Daniel did for their wedding on September 7th, 2019. As you may know by now, this tradition is intended to ward off bad weather and ensure the beautiful ceremony you’re dreaming of. I’ve always thought it added a unique and fun element to the wedding and the build-up of planting the bottle in the ground a month prior also adds excitement leading up to the special day!

So, what happens if the bottle isn’t fully buried and a part of it begins to peak out of the ground after a lot of rain? Well that is what happened leading up to Megan and Daniels wedding. Everyone was hearing about the news of Hurricane Dorian and the wreckage it caused. Then they started reporting its path turning north up the east coast with possible storms happening in Virginia on Saturday! We were sure that this could not be accurate because we knew Megan and Daniel had buried their bourbon already… so naturally we decided to go check it out. That is when we discovered that a part of the bottle was peaking out of the ground! Quickly, we sprang into action and covered the bottle back up, pressed the dirt in and even watered it down a little to ensure it settled around the bottle. Naturally, Hurricane Dorian veered out further into the Ocean and Saturday was a gorgeous September day!

The ceremony was flawless with the glorious green of the summer trees and vines with puffy white clouds floating in the sky.  Hedge Fine Blooms brought some of that summer beauty to the bouquets, cake and centerpieces too! When you have over a dozen tables to decorate, filling the beautiful Aurora tent, I think it’s a great idea to mix and match the centerpieces. Megan and Daniel did just this as some of their tables had beautiful floral arrangements with big roses and hydrangeas, while other tables were adorned with 3 pillar candles and circle of greenery. Both styles being very elegant and of the same color palette helped make each table unique, but the tent as a whole stay coordinated.

Congratulations to the happy couple and we were so thrilled to be such a huge part of their amazing wedding! Thank you to all the vendors who came together to make the day so wonderful:

Wedding Planning by Cindy and Brian Schornberg of Keswick Vineyards
Catering by Harvest Moon Catering
Florals by Hedge Fine Blooms
Entertainment by DJ John Garland
Cake by Commonwealth Cake Company
Photography by J&D Photography (Photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg, owner of Keswick Vineyards)
Officiating by Julie Trump
Hair and Makeup by Jeanne Cusick
Transportation by Ambassador Limousine
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company




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Virginia is for LOVERS | Kathy & Michael

As the saying goes, Virginia is for lovers and it was clear to all attending Kathy & Michael’s wedding on Sunday, September 1st at Keswick Vineyards, these two were definitely in love!  Not only was their love for each other obvious to all, but their love for books was just as obvious by all the ways they incorporated it into their wedding décor.  

As guest arrived and approach the gift table centered under the porte cochere, they found a large box to put their cards in that looked like a cluster of books on a bookshelf.  Located in the East lawn was a wooden wine rack that had “emptied” Keswick Vineyards wine bottles with a card hanging from them to show seating assignments. Each card hanging from a wine bottle was made to look like the card you would find inside a book you were about to check out from a library.  Also, each table was identified by using the name of a great author versus a number. And if that wasn’t enough to convince their guests they loved books, there were the centerpieces. At each table was a stack of books accented with some ivy, flowers and large wooden lanterns to create a truly unique display.

There was another “love” that the couple definitely wanted to capture on their wedding day and that was their love of the beauty of Keswick Vineyards.  Kathy’s father built this magnificent arch with fencing on each side to be used as a backdrop for family photos. It was strategically placed right in front of the vineyard to take advantage of its greenery and fullness and the mountains.  Between having their ceremony in front of Keswick’s iconic fountain and photos in front of the vineyard/mountain, I’d say they almost covered it all but there’s even more at Keswick Vineyards. With the aid of a golf cart, the couple managed to take advantage of more great photo backdrops before heading back to enjoy the rest of their evening under the Aurora tent with their family and friends.

Thank you to all the vendors who made this event so LOVEly:

Wedding Planner: Danielle Lafoon, 3 Tier Event Planning
Photographer: Kori Price (The photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Caterer: Roadside Chive
Hair/Make-up: Studio 360
Florist: The Flower Shoppe
Cake: Pearl’s Bakery
DJ: Sound Enforcement, T.D. Layman
Officiant: Heather Zelle
Rentals: MS Events
Photobooth: Photobooth of Charlottesville
Buses: Easy Riders Bus Company
Get-away Car: Camryn Executive Limousine

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Man's 'Best Man' | Cheryl & Michael

Congratulations to Cheryl and Michael who had their beautiful summer vineyard wedding this past Saturday, August 31st, at Keswick Vineyards.  Full of incredible details and summer elegance, this wedding was full of memorable bits and pieces; from unique favors and florals, to special ceremonial celebrations. Although many aspects of this wedding were unforgettable, one really stood out the most and that was their beautiful (and incredibly well behaved) dog, Drax! We love when couples incorporate their beloved furry friends into the ceremony (we’re all dog lovers here), but this is the first time we’ve seen someone’s incredible dog walk side by side with the groom down the aisle! How special is that?? Man’s best friend indeed. 

Another awesome tradition we love seeing is the wine box ceremony.  This is where couples place a nice bottle of wine, such as Keswick Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, in a box with love letters they have written for each other. The box is then sealed closed to be open at a later date like their first- or fifth-year anniversary. The couple will open the box together and remember all those wonderful reasons why they married each other and celebrate with a great bottle of wine! I cannot think of a better way to spend an anniversary. 

After the ceremony guests were treated to an array of wonderful details. Hanging from the ceiling of the tent was an imposing arrangement of florals draping over the dance floor. This really stood out against the flowing white peaks of the tent! On the tables, candles in glass were nestled between the greenery for a classic and beautiful table-scape. My favorite of these were the tapered candles.  Many of our couples look for ways to have their tapered candles under the Aurora tent without it being a fire-hazard, and these tall thin glass cylinders are the perfect solution! They looked so delicate and beautiful on the head table. 

Without a doubt, one of the best details of Cheryl and Michaels wedding were the unique favors! Cheryl described to me how she nurtured and grew dozens of succulents, clipping leaves and replanting them over and over as she prepared a vast array of favors, all planted and grown by her. 

Many great moments were had at their summer wedding and we were so thrilled to be part of it. Thank you to all the amazing vendors who helped put this wonderful day together:

Wedding Planning by Whimsey Event Planning & Design, Diane Hernandez
Catering by Harvest Moon
Music by Billy Caldwell and DJ Greg Tutwiler
Photography by Celestial Sights, Celeste Ainsworth (the photographs in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videography by ParkerPix, Parker Luke
Cake by Cakes by Rachel
Florals by Whimsey Event Planning & Design, Diane Hernandez
Officiating by Dave Norris
Hair and Makeup by Blush Salon and Spa
Transportation by Albemarle Limousine
and Lighting by Skyline Tent Company

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Better than Bourbon? | Annie & Nate

What works better than burying the bourbon to ensure great weather on your wedding day? Apparently, ask the owner of the venue!  About a month prior to Annie & Nate’s wedding on Saturday, August 24th, Annie and her Mom stopped by to work out details to their wedding.  They ran into Keswick Vineyards Owner, Cindy Schornberg, and mentioned how they would love weather on their wedding day like it was on that particular day.  Their request was to have the temperature 75 degrees with little or no humidity (2%), a sunny day with a few puffy white clouds, for the butterflies they were seeing that day to still be here and a rainbow.  Being the owner she is, she made these notes in their file and guess what? She came through for them! Annie & Nate had that perfect weather wedding day. The temperature was in the mid 70’s, party cloudy with the big, puffy white clouds, a slight breeze, no humidity and of course, some butterflies!  The only thing missing was the rainbow but instead, they got a very colorful sunset. 

Besides having perfect weather for their day, Annie and Nate had such fun with their family and friends.  Some of that fun started at the end of their ceremony when everyone threw paper streamers at them as they made their way back down the aisle.  And that fun continued as the wedding party had their photos taken as you can see.

Their wedding was simple and very elegant. Annie’s classic dress and veil had her looking flawless, and their simple tablescape matched Nate’s white on white shirt and tie look (very sharp!). I especially loved the little detail of having a piece of greenery on top of each plate setting.  Guests enjoyed the tasty buffet prepared by Roadside Chive and danced the night away with DJ Dennis Payne.

And let’s not forget how they ended their magical wedding day by having a sparkler departure leading them to their garnet colored Ford Mustang that they drove away in.  Blessings to Annie & Nate as they venture out now as husband and wife!

Thanks to everyone who made this wedding such a wonderful success!

Wedding Planning by Jordan Owens, Boundless Love Events
Catering by Roadside Chive
Entertainment by DJ Dennis Payne
Photography by Ellie Richardson (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videography by Iron & Ivy Films
Cake by ViVI’s Cakes & Candy
Florals by Jacquelyn Collmus
Officiating by Pastor Gabe Turner
Hair and Make-up by Jessica Scott
Rentals by MS Events
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company






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