Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 5/29/22 Keswick 5/29/22

A BRIDE AND HER VISION

I just love it when our couples have a clear vision on what they want their wedding day to look like. It makes it so much easier on all the vendors to ensure a successful wedding. The wedding on Sunday, May 29th of Lauren & Aaron, definitely had a vision and oh what a vision it was!

Lauren could definitely be a wedding planner and does have some interest in doing that in her future. She definitely hit it out of the ballpark with her own wedding and all the little details that gave you that “wow” moments. Lets start with the ceremony.

Lauren & Aaron got married right in front of Viognier vines at Keswick Vineyards. This has always been one of our most popular spots. Take a look at the floral arbor that framed them at the alter as they said there I do’s. Their florist, Steel Cut, perfection! Not only did guests get to enjoy the beauty of their ceremony location but Lauren had musicians play versus having a DJ. Melodious Strings sounded beautiful not only for the ceremony but also during cocktail hour. So now, lets talk about cocktail hour.

When Keswick Vineyards re-did their cocktail lawn area over their winter break last year, I always pictured that area to have a white circular bar right in the middle and guess what? Lauren fulfilled my vision by doing exactly that and it was even more beautiful than I had pictured. Steel Cut added some greenery to the monogrammed bar along with swagged bistro lights; perfection!!!

And now, the reception. I immediately was in love with the lace overlay linen on some of her tables and the velvet linens on the other tables. The monogrammed linen napkins at each place setting along with a scroll paper hanging from each champagne glass with the name of the guest at each setting was just some of those little details that just takes everything up a notch. And the china she chose; simply elegant! But perhaps my new all-time favorite is having greenery hanging from the swagged bistro lights under the tent and doing nothing on the poles. The greenery suspended throughout the tent had this delicate feel to it tying the outdoors into the tent.

Lauren & Aaron’s wedding was on the smaller side with only 52 people attending. I’m often asked by couples touring wondering if the tent is too big for a wedding of that size. I always tell my couples, no. Just look how full the tent looks for this wedding. By adding different shapes of tables and adding some furniture and doing food stations, this tent fills full. Again, Lauren knew exactly what she was doing and scores an A+ from me!

PS As if their guests weren’t already blown away by being greeted with a glass of champagne when they arrived to all the details, Lauren & Aaron had a food truck come for a late night snack serving ice cream over waffles! What an amazing wedding and I can’t wait to see their photos from Jen Farrielo!

Thank you to the dream team of vendors that brought Lauren’s vision to life:

Wedding Planner Kristen Ridge

Catering by Exchange Events

DJ John Garland

Musician Melodious Strings

Photographer Jen Farrielo

Pastry Chef Commonwealth Cakes

Steel Cut Florist

Officiant Dave Norris

Hair & Make-up by Alexis Nichols of Ave42

Transportation by Easy Rider

Rentals by Paisley & Jade and MS Events

Good Waffles Food Truck

Keswick 5/28/22 Keswick 5/28/22

Man's Best Friend

OK, I know normally our blogs are focused on our couples, but this blog will start off a little different. Jimmy, our groom, is getting married to Lex, our bride, and Jimmy’s dog couldn’t be more excited for their big day. When the time came to line everyone up for the processional, Jimmy’s dog was up front, ready to go! I’m not sure the dog fully understood his directions because he obviously had a different plan.

As Jimmy made his way to the aisle, his dog realized that wait, I should be escorting him on the most important day of his life. The dog made a mad dash for Jimmy pulling his escort with him until he reached Jimmy. He then was happy making that walk down the aisle with Jimmy. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Lex and Jimmy had such a beautiful day for their wedding. Mother Nature took care of them on May 28th. They chose to get married in front of the fountain with Edgewood Estate on their left and the Blue Ridge Mountains on their right. What a beautiful way to frame your ceremony.

One of my favorite details to their wedding was definitely their wedding cake. It was extra special because it was made by the brides Mom! Just look how beautiful it was with that floral arch above it. I’ve never seen that before but I’m definitely a fan of it. Way to go Mom!

Mom was not the only “personal” touch to this wedding. The bride’s uncle did the florals and the grooms friend was their officiant. What could be better than that to have all those important people in your lives play such a role on your wedding day?

I also like what they did for their guest book. Versus having the traditional book, Lex and Jimmy chose several bottles of Keswick Vineyards wines and put a sticker on each bottle that had which anniversary they would open that bottle. So, you had a 1 year, 5 years, etc. and each guest would sign with a metallic pen whichever bottle they chose. What a great way to relive your wedding day.

Lastly, what really makes a wedding a success is when you have the wedding couple on the dance floor. I don’t think I ever saw Jimmy not on the dance floorJ He definitely was the life of the party and partied with all his family and friends. It sure was hard not to get on the dance floor with all of them.

Thank you, Lex and Jimmy, for letting us be part of your wedding day. I can’t wait for you to come back and visit! And thank you to the following vendors:

Caterer and planner, C&O

DJ Carter Ward of Fordson Labs

Musician Andrew Savoia

Photographer Hunter & Sarah

Officiant Gabriel Decker

Florals by Robert Hughes

Hair & Make-up by Jennifer Le

Photo booth by Mox Box

Rentals by Paisley & Jade & MS Events

Transportation by US Coachways

Keswick 5/27/22 Keswick 5/27/22

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain, rain, go away is what every couple in the Charlottesville area were chanting on Friday, May 27th. Severe thunderstorms were forecasted with flash flooding and tornadoes! Kari & Chris informed their vendors that they really wanted to have their ceremony outside, if at all possible, even if it had to be delayed. Because the storms were coming and going, we went ahead and prepped for the rain plan of having the ceremony under the tent but were ready to quickly get chairs outside if that was an option and guess what? It happened! It appeared that the storm cell was going to go south of us so we could proceed with their outdoor ceremony after all! Happy dance!!!!!

Just look how beautiful their outdoor ceremony was. I just loved their little flower girl who did such a fantastic job throwing the petals. She was so cute when she started to pick them up Kari looked like a Barbie doll and Chris definitely reminded me of G.I. Joe so I kept calling them my Barbie & Joe couple (I hope they didn’t mind).

I can’t wait to see some of the professional photos because the lighting was spectacular, and Kari & Chris should be models. Congratulations to you both!

Special thanks to the following vendors:

Wedding Planner Illumination Events Studio

Catering by Goodrich Gourmet

DJ Derek Tobler

Photographer and videographer by George Street Photo

Vogue Flowers

Officiant Frank Goare

Hair by Jessica Cominsky

Rentals by Alpha Lit Richmond

Cake by Publix.

Keswick 5/21/22 Keswick 5/21/22

It Finally Happened!

Congratulations to Isabelle & Michael who finally, after having to postpone and reschedule and delay for 2 years because of covid, were married at Keswick Vineyards on Saturday, May 21st. Isabelle and Michael had family and friends from all over the world attending and I really liked how Isabelle showcased her Bermuda roots with a signature drink that was so refreshing on this unseasonably hot day. As guest made their way to the cocktail lawn area, displayed on a gold and glass bookshelf was pre-poured signature drinks for guests to help themselves to. I really like this idea of having pre-poured drinks available as guests head to cocktail hour. By doing this, it helps eliminate that rush to the bar which usually results with some sort of line. This way, guests can grab a drink and those wanting something else can head to the bar. I highly recommend doing this with your signature drink or glasses of wine.

I thought I would touch a little bit in this blog about how to go about your ceremony processional when you have a father and stepfather. Who escorts the bride? I’ve seen it done in multiple ways so I thought I would just share in this blog how Isabelle did it.

With both her father and stepfather being very important men in her life, Isabelle chose to have her stepfather walk her to the ceremony location and then to have her father walk her down the aisle. This way, both fathers felt proud to be by Isabelle’s side as she entered the next passage of her life - marriage. I would also like to add that it is refreshing when ALL parents can come together to celebrate their child’s marriage and participate in all those family photos as a family unit to be shared from one generation to another.

And one more thing to add about Isabelle. Look at that jewel collar that she wore with her wedding dress for the ceremony. That definitely took her look up a notch! And I can’t forget about Michael. Who can resist a man in uniform? Thank you for your service.