Our Wedding Blog

Keswick 9/29/19 Keswick 9/29/19

Loving a Little Lavender! | Christopher & Cecilia

When Christopher and Cecilia got married at Keswick Vineyards on Sunday, September 29th they only had 61 guests in total. It was one of our smaller weddings this year, but both the ceremony and the reception were so full and alive! The love that this couple shared is evident in every single one of their photos, even after 11 years they still giggle like teenagers when they’re together. Christopher told me how through their whole relationship they have been equals, which is why he did not even get down on one knee when he proposed! So, for the ceremony they retained that equality in coming down the aisle together. It was a powerful and unique set up, using the fountain as a centerpiece to create two aisles that merged into one, just as the two families were becoming one!

Lavender was big theme in this wedding, from the blueberry/lavender lemonade by The Catering Outfit, the dried lavender being thrown at the ceremony, the lavender colored cake by Maliha Creations, the lavender colored linens and bridesmaids dresses, down to the color of Christopher’s tie and the lavender art on the escort cards! What a beautiful way to tie everything together.

One of my favorite parts of the décor though was the light-wall draped behind Cecilia and Christopher at their reception. The drapery of this wall matched the drapery that we already have strewn through the tent and the twinkling lights added a magical element that we could not take our eyes off! We wish the two of them the happiest ever after imaginable! What a treat it was to play such a huge role on their wedding day.

Thanks too to all of the vendors who put this spectacular event together!

Wedding Planner: Courtney Hildebrand of The Catering Outfit
Officiant: Munni Krishna (Friend)
Caterer: The Catering Outfit
Desserts: Maliha Creations
DJ: Derek Tobler
Photographer: Lindsey Paradiso (The photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornerg)
Videographer: Ian's Creations
Photo Booth: Richmond Photobooth
Hair: Top Knot Studio
Make-up: Gohar Make-up
Transportation: Easy Riders Bus Company
Rentals: MS Events

Keswick 9/28/19 Keswick 9/28/19

Planned to a "T" (but with a surprise!) | Kim & Jesse

When your bride has a background in coordinating and has hired you to be her month of coordinator, you know you better bring your “A” game for sure and that is exactly what Keswick Vineyards did on Saturday, September 28th, 2019 when Kim and Jesse were married. It was a pleasure to work with them both, but we quickly learned that Kim had a solid vision of their wedding day and did a great job making sure we knew exactly what it looked like. From many spreadsheets, timelines and photos that Kim provided us, we felt very confident in making her dream wedding come true.

Kim knew every detail of this wedding but there was one detail that she was unaware of. Jesse had a custom suit jacket made that was lined with photographs of them. At their first look, Jesse surprised her when he “flashed” her his jacket. It took a second for her to really see what he had done but then you could see her reaction and yes, the tears of happiness started to roll. Way to go Jesse!

I remember when Kim & Jesse toured that they really wanted an outdoor ceremony up close to the vineyard but also really wanted a Catholic priest to marry them. They didn’t think that was possible. Well, I told them we could make that happen here and we did! Not only did they have a Catholic priest, but their outdoor ceremony was simply beautiful with the décor of an arbor with intricately woven florals. The cherry on top for this ceremony was having Rue, the couple’s dog, present to be their ringbearer. Rue is definitely their little girl and is so spoiled but what a sweetheart she is!!!

My favorite detail to this wedding hands down was their head table. Their florist, Tourterelle, nailed it! They had blue tapered candles with glass cylinders protecting the flame going down the entire center length of the farm tables. Accented with blue water goblets, blue napkins with a knot tie and gold colored flatware just made this head table breathtaking!

Lastly, because I have such a sweet tooth, the candy bar was a close favorite too. Who could resist filling a bag with such favorites like licorice, gummy bears, chocolates, suckers, tootsie rolls, taffy, gumballs, etc.? I know I couldn’t!

Thanks to the following vendors for a flawless event:

Wedding Coordination by Keswick Vineyards
Catering by Harvest Moon Catering
Music by DJ Andy Wilfong of Party Masters
Photography by J&D Photography (the photos in this blog were taken by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videography by Paper Boys
Cake by Paradox Pastry
Florals by Tourterelle
Ceremony by Father Martin
Hair & Make-up by Moxie Hair Lounge
Transportation by Blue Ridge Tours
Additional Lighting by Skyline Tent Company
Childcare by Local Nanny Network

Keswick 9/27/19 Keswick 9/27/19

Two Ceremonies, One Wedding | Taylor & Payam

Have you ever heard of a couple having two ceremonies on their wedding day? Although it is not common, it does happen and that is exactly what Taylor and Payam did at Keswick Vineyards on Friday, September 27th, 2019.

Keswick Vineyards is the perfect venue when you just need more time during the day to accomplish your dream wedding or weddings. Most vineyards/wineries that have a tasting room require you to wait until their tasting room has closed before you can start your ceremony which usually means around 6:00pm. That is not the case at Keswick Vineyards. Because our tasting room and parking are totally separated and not near one another, our couples can start their ceremony at any time which allows them to spend more time with their guests. So, with that, Taylor & Payam did two ceremonies: A traditional American wedding and a traditional Persian wedding.

For the American wedding, Taylor wore such a simple wedding dress that not too many brides could pull off. Perhaps it was her similar looks to Taylor Swift or her natural beauty, but Taylor with that bright red lipstick left everyone speechless. Along with Taylor and Payam were 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen making this wedding party of 18 one of our largest.

Once the American wedding was over, guest were told to turn their chairs around to enjoy the traditions of a Persian ceremony. Taylor & Payam took their seats at the top of a table covered with items that each represent something. An example would be the decorative eggs which represent fertility and healthy children. The table is symmetrical with each side a mirror of the other side. It takes hours for this table to be precisely set. One of the first traditions that the couple does once they are married is to dip their pinky in the honey and share with their spouse. This means that the couple has started their life together with sweetness. It is always such a pleasure to witness other cultures and how they perform their wedding ceremonies.

As entertaining as these ceremonies were, guest continued to be awed by the delicious food and wines being served during cocktail hour and dinner. And as many of our weddings have done this year, the family brought Persian cookies to be displayed on a table along with a cake. There was definitely no shortage of sweets!

Lastly, guest danced (a lot!) and enjoyed taking photos inside a photobooth to forever capture the amazing wedding of Taylor and Payam. Congratulations to you both!

None of this would be possible without the help of the following vendors:

Wedding Planner: Barb Wired
Caterer: Harvest Moon
DJ: Primetime Sound & DJ
Photographer: Amy Jackson (the photos in this blog were captured by owner of Keswick Vineyards, Cindy Schornberg)
Videographer: Amanda FInn
Pastry Chef/Desserts: Albemarle Baking Co.
Florist: Gregory Britt Design
Officiant: Taylor’s Uncle, Andrew Merrow
Sofreh Aghd Officiant: Payam’s Aunt, Niloufar Pourtaheri
Sofreh Aghd Table: Platinum Sofreh
Hair/Make-up: Anne Kibler
Transportation: A&A Limousine
Rentals: Harvest Moon
Additional Lighting: Bistro, Skyline Tent Company
Photobooth: Photobooth of Charlottesville

Keswick 9/21/19 Keswick 9/21/19

A Little Touch of Italy | Marissa & Connor

Keswick Vineyards had the pleasure of celebrating Marissa and Connor’s wedding on Saturday, September 21st, 2019. What a fun group they were! Friends and fun were definitely the most important things for this couple and boy did they have a lot of friends! Their wedding party was not small by any measure. How wonderful to have so many of their friends stand with them at their gorgeous ceremony. It was another beautiful day for their ceremony with the sun shining and a few puffy clouds in the sky. The arbor they rented from us was decorated flawlessly by Faded Poppy (I love the drapery!!).

At the reception their large wedding party all sat together creating one of the largest head tables we have ever seen! This was a really great look made possible by renting elegant farm tables from MSEvents and accenting them with long garland. This created an almost Tuscan style reception with one long table seating so many people. You have to love the bold place settings as well; what a great contrast against the natural wood.

To continue this Italian theme, the couple had Exchange Events create an Italian menu including Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Risotta with Shrimp, and the most amazing meatballs (my new favorite appetizer!). So, don’t think Exchange Events is limited to the best barbecue you could possibly eat; they do so much more!

My favorite part about the reception though had to be the Pittsburgh Cookie Table. We have seen more of these lately as the trend grows, where the couple and the family bring dozens (and dozens!) of homemade cookies and spread them out on a table for dessert (the coconut ones were my favorite). The night concluded with everyone dancing the night away under the beautiful bistro lights in the Aurora tent.