Our Wedding Blog

 
 
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For the Love of Wine | Emma & Matthias

There are so many ways that couples can make their wedding day truly personalized to them. Some of my favorite details at weddings are when I see couples take something that is uniquely Keswick and transform it into a specific element of their wedding. This was the case when Emma and Matthias were married at Keswick Vineyards on October 12th, 2019!  It was another beautiful fall day in which the colors were becoming more and more vibrant as each day passed. Our “Golden Maple” as I call it, was not disappointing with its predictably beautiful colors. Emma and Matthias chose to have it featured in the backdrop of their gorgeous ceremony set up.

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a cocktail hour in the east lawn under our great oak tree where Emma and Matthias have Signature Drinks featured at the bar. I love these because I know when I am at an open bar, I draw a complete blank and have no clue what to order! Every time I see a signature drink at a wedding, I get excited as they sound so tasty! It’s also a great way to make the experience unique to you. I also absolutely love the artwork that Emma and Matthias had for their drinks, so beautiful!

When it came time to enter the tent for the reception, guests made their way down our beautiful stone staircase, only Emma and Matthias had run a gorgeous garland down the center railing! This coupled with the adorable seating chart that said “Heart you to the moon & back” made the entrance to the reception unforgettable. What made it really unique though was the table numbers, they weren’t numbers at all, but instead names of wine varietals! The table cards were printed with the Edgewood Estate logo of Keswick Vineyards and mounted onto a cork base to make a great table “number”. My favorite is Viognier, but I wouldn’t complain about being at table Merlot either.

All in all, it was a great wedding with a lot of great personal little touches that made big impressions. Congratulations to the happy couple and thank you to all the vendors who helped make it so special!

Wedding Planning by Elise Scheeren, Laurel Elise Events
Catering by Goodrich Gourmet
Music by The Bloom Trio and DJ John Garland
Photography by Kate Greer (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Cakes by Baked & Wired
Florals by Colonial Florist
Ceremony by Melody Porter, Living for Love
Hair and Make up by Clystia Taylor, Vanita Beauty
Transportation by Easy Rider Bus Company
Rentals by MS Events
Tent and Lighting by Skyline Tent Company

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An Estate-ly Affair | Kelley & Tim

 There was nothing in the ordinary when Kelley and Tim tied the knot on October 11th, 2019 at Keswick Vineyards. Kelley wanted her ceremony to be something different and unique, so she went for a ceremony spot that has only ever been done once before (years ago) and she did it in fashion. Her long dress draped down the front steps of Edgewood Estate and the people in their lives most important to them standing in cascading order down the stone staircase. It was a beautiful sight to behold and certainly unique!

During the ceremony, another element that really stood out was the handfasting ceremony where they quite literally “Tied the Knot”.  This ceremony reaches from old Celtic traditions in Ireland and Scotland before that. Traditionally, when two people tie the knot and become hand-fasted they are telling everyone of their intent to marry and they are now bound to one another. This was often done when a ceremony could not take place immediately and the couple would remain hand-fasted as husband and wife “unofficially” until the full ceremony could take place. Today, handwrapping or handfasting is a common part of many Celtic ceremonies and beyond as a beautiful tradition that signifies the union of the two persons.

The outstanding elements of Kelley and Tim’s wedding did not stop there. At the ceremony they also had a painter who rendered their ceremony with her artistic style in real time. She stayed through the rest of the evening and continued to finish her beautiful work! It was such a joy to watch the painting progress throughout the evening and how she captured the beauty and excitement of the moment! At the reception, Kelley and Tim treated their “grateful” guests with a massive array of pies! There was no way you could pick just one flavor, they all looked so great!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this wedding extraordinary!

Wedding Planning by Water & Wine
Catering by C & O
Photography by Meaghan Stramara (the photos in this blog were taken by Cindy Schornberg)
Videography by This is Double Take
Pies by Floozie’s Pie Shop
Florals by Lake Anna Nursery
Ceremony by Claire Frances
Hair and Make up by Studio FBJ
Transportation by Albemarle Limousine
Rentals by MS Events
Bistro Lighting by Skyline Tent Company

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Karen and Anthony say "I Do"!

Karen and Anthony officially became husband and wife on Sunday, October 6, 2019.  Celebrating this special day with them was their intimate group of friends.  With it being fall and the vineyard and trees just starting to turn colors, Karen and Anothony chose what we call our “fall location” to have their ceremony at.  Guest couldn’t help but be taken by the breath-taking views Keswick Vineyards has to offer.  Framing this ceremony view was our wood pergola beautifully decorated with florals.

Of all the wonderful reviews and acknowledgements we receive at Keswick Vineyards, there is one “employee” who often is not given their due recognition (and I am not talking about the man behind the fountain, though he deserves some appreciation as well). I’m of course talking about our beloved greeter, Indy!  As a rescue, Indy is still a little skittish, but over the years she has warmed up to all of our guests here and especially to our couples!  As you can see, Indy especially warmed up to Karen and made sure she was front and center to welcome her guest.

Aside from having one of the best greeters their guests could want at their wedding, Karen and Anthony also had very nice favors made for each of them. These green glass coaster favors were etched with the state of Virginia and a little gold heart over Charlottesville. Along the bottom was of course the date of the wedding as well. Talk about a favor that will get some use! What a great idea!

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a wonderful evening under the shining Aurora tent. Even with a smaller wedding size, the tables were arranged in such a fashion that it filled the space nicely and the tent looked warm and inviting. During the reception Karen and Anthony continued to treat their guests with a wonderful display of Apple-Cider Donuts! What more could you want from a Virginia Fall wedding???

Thank you to all those who helped make this day so special:

Event Planning by Marylee Marmer
Catering by Goodrich Gourmet
Music by Primetime Sound
Photography by Nikki Santerre
Donuts by Carter Mountain Orchard
Flowers by Marylee Marmer
Ceremony by Kimberly Bishop
Hair and Make-up by Avenue 42

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From High Note to Down Under | Ashley & Casey

Keswick Vineyards had the pleasure of celebrating with two performers when Casey and Ash tied the knot on October 5th, 2019.  From opposite sides of the globe, these two world travelers met on a cruise ship while performing; Casey a dancer and Ash a pianist. To honor their origins, they decided to have two weddings in October; one at Keswick Vineyards located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia and the other in Australia!

The ceremony they had here was a small, intimate one with Ash’s Best Man and Casey’s Maid of Honor to be the only ones standing up with them when they said their vows. Casey & Ash chose to have their ceremony under Keswick’s 300+ year old oak tree.  At this site, it feels like the wedding is being hugged by Mother Nature and provides that garden-like feel.  Included in Casey & Ash’s ceremony was the wine box with love letters ritual.  With this, the couple has a wine box engraved with their names and wedding date and select an award-winning wine from Keswick Vineyard to be placed in it.  The couple then places love letters they have written to each other into the wine box and it is hammered closed and not to be opened until a future date like their 1st or 5th anniversary.  At that time, they will open the box and read those love letters that they wrote on their wedding day while enjoying the bottle of wine.

One cannot talk about this wedding without talking about the back of Casey’s dress though. Absolutely stunning! And with Casey being a professional dancer, she definitely had a back to show off!  Casey mentioned that this was her favorite part of her dress and we definitely agree!

Some guests also got involved in memorable outfits. With Ash being a professional Pianist, one guest wore a dress shirt that had piano keys printed on it but that wasn’t all.  Inside his paisley black printed suit jacket was photographs of Elvis Presley!  This is the second “photo-jacket” we’ve seen, and both have been within a week of each other.

There are two details from this wedding that I really loved. First, they rented “farm-style” cocktail tables to be placed around the fountain for cocktail hour.  Many have done cocktail hour in front of Edgewood Estate before and I really love seeing people interact with the space that way, but these farm-style tables were a unique addition. Secondly, their welcome sign, which was beautifully decorated, also had a schedule of events! What a great way to let guests know what’s coming and what to expect. (It also let us, and the other vendors know when the donut truck would open.  Who doesn’t love Carpe Donuts in the fall?!)

Thank you to all those vendors who helped make this dream wedding come true!

Catering by The Catering Outfit
Photography by Alisandra Williamson (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Desserts by Carpe Donut
Florals by The Posey Detail
Ceremony by Virginia Wedding Vows Kathleen Ayers
Hair by Mackenzie Miller
Transportation by Easy Riders Bus Company
Rentals by MS Events
Lighting by Skyline Tent Company

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