Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 6/25/16 Keswick 6/25/16

When Life gives you a Lemon…Marry Him! | Brittney & Lance

Brittney and Lance (now Mr. and Mrs. Lemon) have a long history and many, many years of memories together. They’ve known one another almost all of their lives, starting back to when they first met in elementary school. Throughout the years, Brittney always had Lance’s back. They were best friends who fell in love. Life brought them together when they were kids, pulled them apart some of their adult lives, but then threw them a bone (or maybe a lemon?) and brought them back together in New York!

Love proves to continually stand throughout the test of time. We see it in the movies often, and while getting to know Brittney and Lance we witnessed it through their story. Admittedly it took their families a bit to jump on the Brittney and Lance train, but once they saw their consistent commitment, constant love, and how they always (no matter what) looked out for one another, it was easy for them to fall in love with them together as well.

To symbolize their two families joining together a couple of traditions took place, the first starting at their ceremony. They blended sand together into a heart shaped contained as an act of “his and hers” coming together. Later on in the evening, a special tribute was made specifically for Brittney. Lance and his Fraternity brothers sat her comfortably in a chair on the center of the dance floor and the men surrounded her, all the while holding hands. They sang to her in hymn. It was such a beautiful moment, and (to me) it was the perfect way for his fraternity to metaphorically say “you’re officially a Lemon”.

Brittney knew all along. So did Lance. Lance’s father in his speech said something along the lines of “You’re now a Lemon and what you make of it is up to you. You can use it to drink tequila or make lemonade, but the choice is yours.” What did Brittney do…..? She married it!

Many thanks to the following vendors! Catering, Mama J’s Kitchen. Event Planner, Kim Lynch. Photography, Shot with A Bow Photography. Florist, Hedge Fine Blooms. Rentals, MS Events. Desserts, Pearl’s Bake Shoppe. DJ, DJ Rayvon. Hair, Megan Lewis. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Transportation, Easy Riders Bus Company. Officiant, Vernon Gordon.

Keswick 6/18/16 Keswick 6/18/16

Meet the Carlisle's | Carrie & Robert

Congratulations to Carrie and Robert who got hitched here on Saturday, June 18th! They've always held a special place in my heart since the moment I first met them. Carrie may not know this, but I call her "my Carrie". She was one of the first brides for me when I came to Keswick Vineyards and for that, as well as many other reasons, she made a huge impression!

Carrie and Robert were very laid back, down to Earth, fun loving, and fancy people. Quite the combination right? Their wedding was a direct reflection of that! They treated their guests to a laid back, fun, and fancy party!

During their ceremony in front of the fountain music was played by The Classical Hillbillies. To introcue the bride down the aisle she had her parade of flower girls and ring bearers in tow. Seriously, how cute were they? They continued during cocktail hour while guests made their way to a plantation style bar setup underneath of our big oak tree for Keswick Vineyards wine and other refreshments. The white bar in front of our big tree really made a statement. I'll be sure to recommend this setup to our future couples! The couple combined their escort seating cards and their favors into one...coke bottles! They had "old school" glass coke bottles with name tags tied at the top which indicated which table guests were at. Also tied around the bottle neck were mini Virginia branded bottle openers. Clever! (And smart...how else were guests going to open them to enjoy?!)

Underneath of the Sperry tent bistro lights glittered the ceiling and a long stretch of a King's table was beautifully dressed in the center right at the head of the dance floor. Magnolia leaves and other floral were a simple and stunning touch. Just the right amount of decor without taking away from the beauty Keswick Vineyards already has to offer!

While a freshly prepared meal was being cooked up right behind the main tent by Exchange Events & Catering, Robert Radifera snuck the couple out for photos deep within the vineyard where the tall grass grows. Cindy caught the perfect action shot of Robert doing his thing!

When they got back to the tent, dinner was served! They dined, they danced, and then they Carpe Donut'd!

Thank you to our vendor friends! Wedding Planner, Meghan Streit with Shindig Weddings. Catering, Exchange Events. Photography, Robert Radifera Photography. Desserts, Carpe Donuts. Rentals, MS Events, Festive Fare, and Stonegate Event Rentals. Hair and Makeup, Melissa Schwartz Jones. Florist, Southern Blooms. DJ, Derek Tobler. Musician, Classical Hillbillies. Photo Booth, Swell Booth. Transportation, Camryn Limousine. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Travis Boone.

Keswick 6/12/16 Keswick 6/12/16

EAT, Drink, and Be Married! | Julie & Andy

When you put two restaurant owners together, what do you get? FOOD! Andy and Julie, owners of several restaurants in Charlottesville, Richmond, and DC tied the knot at Keswick Vineyards on Sunday, June 12th. With two foodies getting married it was no secret that food and beverages were high on their priority list for their wedding!

They were looking for their guests to enjoy “an experience” much like the story of their love. Every part of their day was packed with memorable food and drinks for their friends and loved ones to indulge on. Starting with pre-ceremony lemonade cocktails, followed by fresh hand-shucked oysters during cocktail hour, and ending in a trip around the world with food stations by Harvest Moon, Andy, Julie, and their guests DINED.

The dinner spread consisted of four stations. First, a biscuit bar with friend chicken and fried green tomatoes and spicy pimento cheese. Second, an Asian bar with ramen noodles, garden rolls, and Yakitori agidashe. Next, a trip to Mexico! Individual pork carnitas with fresh guacamole and cilantro. And finally, the main attraction (so much so that Andy personally gave a nod to it during his welcome speech to make sure everyone didn’t miss out)…the Cheesesteaks! Philly Cheesesteaks with shaved rib-eye with all of the fixin’s. We can’t lie, it was a bit of torture having to wait until its grand opening to enjoy the flavors our noses already smelled!

Congratulations to Julie and Andy! Much like a good steak and cheese you two really are perfectly paired.

Catering, Harvest Moon Catering. Oyster Shuckers, Skipjack Purveyors. Event Planner, Crystal Whittecar. Photographer, Sarah Cramer Photo. Florist, Cville Blooms. Hair & Makeup, The Spot Beauty Shop. Desserts, Sweethaus. Photo Booth, Photo Booth of Charlottesville. DJ, Thomas Dean. Musicians, Plum Blossom String Quartet. Transportation, Ambassador Limousine. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Julie Trump.

Keswick 6/11/16 Keswick 6/11/16

Going the Distance | Ashley & Nate

When love's made strong roots you not only can see it but you can feel it as well. When I first met Ashley and Nate an overwhelming feeling of happiness was present in the room. They had a glow! A glow that never once faded even a year after our first meeting when they arrived at Keswick Vineyards on June 11th to say "I do".

Much like when I first met this couple, Ashley and Nate had a mutual feeling of a connection when they met for the first time. Life took them to opposite ends of the country but they had an unspoken agreement to "chat daily, write weekly and travel monthly" to build their relationship. A few years down the road, a few dozen plane rides, and what I'm sure were countless amounts of chats they found themselves together in DC buying a home and starting a life. From there, they were goners and on a mid December day Nate popped the question and Ashley, of course, said yes!

Our amazing vendor friends made Ashley and Nate's day as memorable as their love story. With the right combination of the perfect venue, creative wedding decor, beautiful blooms, award winning wine, gourmet food, a full dance floor, and late night cupcakes any wedding can be as dreamy as this one!

Thank you to all of our vendor friends, time and time again. Catering, Roadside Chive. Wedding Planner, Danielle Fricke. Photographer, George Street Photography. Desserts, Sweethaus. DJ, Mark Allen with Class Production DJ Service. Musician, Billy Caldwell. Florist, Jackie. Hair & Makeup, Kelsea Dayberry. Officiant, Phil Gates with Sacred Ground Ceremonies. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Rentals, MS Events. Transportation, Easy Riders Bus Company.