Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 4/29/18 Keswick 4/29/18

Evviva Gli Sposi! | Nikki & Rosie

Tanti auguri per una vita felice insieme, Nikki and Rosie! Many wishes for a happy life together, Nikki and Rosie! Nikki and Rosie’s wedding day, which took place on April 29th at Keswick Vineyards, was one where we felt as if we were actually in Italy! They had family visiting all the way from around Sicily to see the beautiful matrimony of Nikki and Rosie. The entire night screamed “elegance,” and was full of dancing and laughter from the arrival of the couple until the very last song of the night.

Nikki and Rosie decided to go with the traditional custom of getting married at a Catholic Church, the Church of the Redeemer, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. When they showed up to Keswick Vineyards, we were completely taken aback by how elegant everyone looked. Nikki wore a stunning lace dress, while Rosie complemented her in an all-white suite and shoes. The bridesmaids were dazzling in a rose-gold sequined dress, while the groomsmen wore sharp black tuxedos with a pink bow tie. We were obsessed with the attire of the entire wedding party!

When guests began to show up and move to cocktail hour under our three-hundred-year-old oak tree, they would go to the “wishing well,” where they would write notes to the newly-wed couple. We also loved the incorporation of the “vineyard” aspect that was added to cocktail hour. On the gift table for Nikki and Rosie was an “N” and a “R” that was concocted of wine corks. Needless to say, Lisa did an amazing job of making Nikki and Rosie’s day absolutely special. She even went as far as saving the day when the couple’s original cake was dropped. She quickly made the call to Chandler’s Bakery, one of our local bakery’s, to make sure that the couple still had a cake for their wedding day. It was a close call, but Lisa made no hesitation in perfecting Nikki and Rosie’s wedding day.

In addition to the cake, Nikki and Rosie also had a dessert table that was placed under the gazebo. The dessert table was, of course, Italian-themed with a various assortment of cookies, cannoli’s, and candies. It was hard for guests to stay away from such an appealing table!

As guests moved from cocktail hour to the reception, they were amazed by how everything was placed. The couple decided to stick with their chic setup, where the table runners and cake table matched the bridesmaid’s dress with rose-gold sequins. A particular aspect of the tent that we thought was quite endearing, though, was the fact that Rosie decided to surprise Nikki with the bistro lighting in the tent. A few days prior to the wedding, Rosie contacted our tent company, Skyline, to see whether they could accommodate to setting the bistro lights up for his bride on their special day. How sweet is that?

We thought that it was so nice that the reception was extremely laid back and that guests could enjoy the reception however they wanted. They, quite literally, “danced the night away,” where they would stop intermittently to eat but danced the entire night. EAT Catering, who Rosie’s family has been friends with for a while and even did another wedding for them, cooked filet mignon for the guests and made sure that the night ran flawlessly. We loved having them here for the first time and look forward to having them back again!

After a long night of dancing, everyone said their “goodbyes” with a sparkler departure as Nikki and Rosie left for their honeymoon in Paris. Congratulazion, Nikki and Rosie! Enjoy your trip to the “city of love” and we hope to see you two again soon!

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

Event Planner: Lisa Cauthorne with Engagements, Caterer: EAT Catering, Pastry Chef: Impasto Bakery, Cake: Chandler’s Bakery, DJ: Jimmy Oliver Events, Photographer: Erik Leise, Videographer: Reel Lyfe Productions, Hair & Makeup: High Tech Salon, Florist: Flowers by Zoie, Transportation: Albemarle Limousine & First Class Limo, Rentals: Classic Party Rentals of Virginia, Lighting: Skyline Tent Company.

Keswick 4/28/18 Keswick 4/28/18

The Blessings of April | Mikaela & Josh

There’s something about spring weddings that just excites you. Mikaela and Josh’s wedding was one of those events that we were just head-over-heals in love with. To begin with, the weather was absolutely beautiful! Mikaela’s mother, Kathleen, let us know that they were extremely easy-going and the only thing that they really desired was for the weather to be perfect. Mother Nature provided exactly that! It was consistently warm throughout the day with a slight breeze that provided a refreshing air to the wedding. Needless to say, everyone was content with the outcome of the spring weather.

During Mikaela’s father’s speech, we were notified of how hard Mikaela worked to make her wedding flawless. And to say that she worked extremely hard is an understatement. Mikaela works full-time and attends graduate classes at night, but still managed to pull off an amazing wedding. She designed all the tables herself, where each table was adorned with a gray overlay and, on it, were floral wreaths with a black lantern centered in the middle. We were absolutely taken aback by the simplistic, yet beautiful, arrangements. On the guest table, lanterns and greenery was also placed to match the theme of Mikaela and Josh’s wedding. Also, on the table was a map of Charlottesville that guests signed. We thought it was such a neat idea to have a map of such significance be a memorable object. We loved all of Mikaela’s ideas and can’t wait to share them with our other couples!

Along with new beginnings of couples are also new beginnings that happen at Keswick Vineyards. Mikaela and Josh were the first to get married at our “fountain fall location.” We couldn’t have been any more thrilled to have discovered a new location for our couples to get married at. The chairs were set up with a slight curve so that all focus was on Mikaela and Josh for their ceremony. They decided to participate in the “blending of the wines” during their ceremony. On the wine barrel that was placed in the middle of the quadrant of the fountain were two wine glasses—one glass of white wine and another with red wine. Virginia, the officiant, had Mikaela and Josh drink out of each glass and then pour their wine into one glass. The “blending of the wine” into the one cup was symbolic of their future lives together, where they now live one single life that is devoid of individualism. We couldn’t have imagined a better way to start their lives off—with a representation of how they will live their lives together.

The remainder of the night was spent dancing the night away! We absolutely loved seeing everyone “getting down” on the dance floor and enjoying themselves. We hope that the rest of Mikaela and Josh’s lives are spent succumbed to this much happiness-- congratulations Mikaela and Josh!

A Special Thank You to the Following Vendors: Day of Coordinator: Keswick Vineyards, Catering: Pumpernickel Pickle, Hair & Makeup: Marci Corle, Photographer: Julie Napear, DJ: Mark Allen, Officiant: Virginia Moore, Transportation: Blue Ridge Tours.

Keswick 4/27/18 Keswick 4/27/18

Two is Better Than One | Amanda & Adria

The start of our wedding season proved to be great again! Amanda and Adria’s wedding on Saturday, April 27th at Keswick Vineyards stunned all of their guests with how beautiful the day was. For starters, Mother Nature made sure that their day was nothing far from perfect! We had sunny skies and a soft wind that blew both Amanda and Adria’s dresses ever so slightly; talk about a picture-perfect day!

The most memorable part of the day for us was the ceremony. Amanda and Adria decided they each would have their fathers walk them down the aisle, opposed to having one of them standing at the altar. Amanda and Adria entered the ceremony from two different locations and then met one other at the base of the aisle and continued to walk together to the altar along with their fathers. The moment was absolutely breath-taking and had the guests (and myself) smiling at how beautiful it was.

Another detail to this wedding that we loved was placing pillars at the very top of the aisle with floral basket on them. Not only did this look beautiful but it was also very price savvy. What made these pillars particularly special was that Amanda’s father made them specifically for her wedding day. We thought it was such a great way to incorporate one’s own personal touch to the ceremony. And what a stunning ceremony at that. Congratulations, Amanda and Adria and thank you to the following vendors for their help:

Officiant: Jeremy McClure, Caterer: Harvest Moon, Desserts: Paris with Passionflower Cakes, DJ: T.D. Layman, Photographer: Emily White with WhatEmSees, Hair & Makeup Artist: Cindy Alwine with Glo-Out Glamor Bar, Florist: Ginger & Blooms, Transportation: Albemarle Limousine.

Keswick 4/21/18 Keswick 4/21/18

2018 Wedding Season Officially Begins!!! | Emily & Michael

Congratulations to Emily & Michael for being the first couple to get married at Keswick Vineyards in 2018! I’m not sure who was more nervous over this day; the bride or myself? The first wedding of the season is always a little more stressful for me because we come out of our winter hibernation and need to get everything up and running again. The list of tasks to do was long, and Mother Nature made it even more challenging this year by keeping temperatures so cold that we had to wait on planting flowers and sod until the week of Emily and Michael’s wedding! We even had the tent installed during a snow storm! As always, everything came together eventually, and Keswick Vineyards was at its full beauty on Saturday, April 21st.

Mother Nature was very stubborn for the month of April by not wanting to let go of winter. Thankfully, she finally gave way to a beautiful, sunny, perfect wedding day. It seemed as if someone turned on a light switch that day. The grass was green, trees were starting to bloom, flowers were bursting with color, the fountain was glistening in the sun, the mountains were crisp and clean in the distance, and there was a slight breeze that made Emily’s veil blow softly during their ceremony.

To start their wedding day, Michael and his groomsmen enjoyed some Benny Deluca’s pizza while playing pool and corn hole. Emily and her bridesmaids were at the salon getting their hair and make-up done and arrived at Keswick Vineyards to finish getting dressed.

For their ceremony, Michael and his father made a beautiful wooden arch that the florist covered with greenery and flowers. Directly centered behind the arch was our fountain. What a spectacular backdrop they had for their ceremony!

Immediately following the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour under our large, 300-year-old oak tree, while listening to musicians play a bluegrass type of music. Throughout cocktail hour, guests found their name on a chalkboard to see what table they were seated at. Once they knew their table number, they looked for their name on a table which had a bag of candy-coated almonds for each of them to snack on.

As guests entered the Sperry tent, they were instantly taken back by the beauty of the tent, draped with bistro lighting. The long head table created with farm tables had greenery aligned down the middle with blue-colored water glasses and decorative china. I just love the look of this head table! What made it look even better was the plated dinner served by Pumpernickel Pickle. Choosing between salmon, beef tenderloin, or ravioli had to be a tough decision for all, but I guarantee you that no one was disappointed.

One of my favorites things from this wedding was the desserts! Michael’s family had made the most delicious cookies. It is a Pittsburg wedding tradition to have a cookie table. What made the dessert table particularly special was a photo of Michael as a child, eating a whoopie pie with his “twin” brother, and on it, there were some whoopie pies that were inspired by his grandmother’s. Guests just couldn’t get enough of those cookies (and neither could I)!

The rest of the evening was spent dancing the night away and then concluded with a sparkler departure to send the couple off on their honeymoon. What an amazing first wedding for us! I can only hope that the rest of our 2018 wedding season goes as smoothly as this wedding and has family and guests enjoying themselves just as much as Emily & Michael’s were.

Vendors: Planning by Keswick Vineyards, Catering by Pumpernickel Pickle, Bethany Snyder Photography, Cake by Pearl’s Bake Shoppe, Bouquet flowers by Faded Poppy and Ceremony Arch by Tourterelle Floral Design, DJ Greg Tutwiler with National DJ Connection, Officiant Rev. Benjamin Burk, Musicians Gene & Gayla Mills, Hair & Make-up by Moxie’s Hair and Body Lounge, Rentals by MS Events, Tent Lighting by Skyline Tent Company and Buses by James Limousine.