Happy Anniversary Chris and Laura!
All my blogs up until this point have been focused on the workings of the winery and the wines, but today I would like to make an exception and chat about a very special couple who are celebrating their one year wedding anniversary.
I first met Chris and Laura in the tasting room in January of 2010 on what was a miserable winters day. Along with my wife Kathy, who was the manager on duty that day, we quickly learned that they were looking for a wedding venue, for they were to be married in August of 2010. Out came the computer and many hours were spent showing them photographs of the property and our own wedding photos from the previous year.
This was a bit of a tough sell, for Keswick is definitely beautiful, but with leafless vines, inches of snow on the ground, and no actual wedding venue up and running yet, it would take some imagination to envision what your wedding ceremony would like. It was with some trepidation that we hopped on the golf cart and spent the next hour or so fighting our way through snow, talking about where the tent would be, where Laura would enter from, where their first dance would take place and so on.
They are a lovely couple and time spent with them was truly a pleasure. A few weeks later I had the chance to meet the folks, everyone knows you have to get the Mom to love the place, but they were just as lovely as Chris and Laura and with the help of photographs and lots of personal experience from our side, we felt confident that we could make their day truly special. Holy cow, they booked with us and we were to have our first, non-family wedding on the property!
Chris and Laura were such a wonderful couple to work with, plans kept changing as our wedding venue started to come together- artificial grass was put in, the beautiful sperry tent was put up, tables and chairs were ordered, an event planner was hired- and they just went with the flow with everything and kept us inspired and excited about this new venture we were undertaking. Thank goodness for helping hands from Barb Lundgren and Cindy Schornberg, who are way more experienced at these sort of things. With preparations and details taken care of, the big day duly arrived.
Laura looked radiant and Chris looked dashing, I even got to drive Laura around in the golf cart for her pre-wedding photographs. By all accounts the nuptials were beautiful, Chris remembered all his first dance steps and these two individuals were to start their amazing lives together. I did sneak a late night visit to the tent to wish them well and their joy together was easily seen.
We might have hundreds of weddings over the next few years, but yours will always be our first, and will always remain a special one for both me and Kathy. From all of us at Keswick Vineyards, we wish you a very happy first year anniversary. May your love continue to grow and may you continue to experience eternal happiness.
Stephen and Kathy
