The Sweetest Thing!

It’s hard to beat the beauty of a fall October day in Virginia.  Anyone who works in the wedding business knows how crazy busy it is for us.  On top of having triple weddings every weekend in October, I have numerous birthdays in our family.  This year, our youngest was turning 16.  I happened to mention it to this bride, Lyndsey, when she did her final walk thru.  I mentioned how long her wedding weekend would be for me because not only did I have 3 weddings, but also had a Sweet 16 birthday to celebrate.  So, what did Lyndsey do the day before her wedding as if she had nothing else to do?  She baked my daughter her favorite flavor of cupcakes with whip cream frosting (her favorite again) and brought them to her rehearsal along with a card.  Wow!  Do I not have the best couples and families getting married here?  I couldn’t believe she remembered something I just mentioned as small talk and then took the time to make my daughter’s birthday even more special.  Thank you so much Lyndsey for your thoughtfulness! Its the sweetest thing!

Lyndsey & Rick were married on Friday, October 20, 2017 at Keswick Vineyards.  The weather was something a couple would pray for.  Simply perfect!  Lyndsey and Rick chose to get married in what we call our “fall” location.  We nick named it that because of the panoramic views you have and in the fall, they are hard to beat.  Accentuating the view, Lyndsey’s father made these doors that were used as a backdrop for their ceremony.  After the ceremony, they were moved to the reception to be placed behind the couple chairs.

Lyndsey & Rick decided to do the “wine box” tradition during their ceremony.  Rick added his personal touch to what was included in the box.  Most people place a nice bottle of red wine in it.  Not Rick.  He is a bourbon guy so besides the bottle of wine he also added a nice bottle of bourbon!

For the reception, a chandelier was hung just over the dance floor.  This is one of my favorite looks because it is so pretty to see the couple do their first dance under it.  A very long head table with farm tables was also used.  And, one of my favorite little detail from this wedding, pretzels that were decorated to be a bride and groom were at each place setting.  They are adorable!

Another successful wedding thanks to the magical team of:  
Event Planners:  Keswick Vineyards
Catering:   Goodrich Gourmet Catering
Wedding Cake:  Cakes by Rachel
DJ:   DJ Fit (Nathan May)
Photographer:   Nichole Haun and her husband Scott see their photos here!
Florals:  Foxtail Cottage Floral
Hair & Make-up:   Jennifer Saunders
Photo Booth:  Grinnin Photo Booth
Transportation:   Easy Rider Bus Company
Rentals:  MS Events and Skyline Tent Company

Oct 20, 2017 at 7:15 AM Permalink

#fallforthekossakowskis

Wrapping up our 3rd wedding for this weekend was the marriage of Melissa & Marcin on Sunday, October 15, 2017 at Keswick Vineyards.  The weather was just beautiful for them!  With Marcin’s family visiting the United States for the first time from Poland, I was so happy they got to experience a beautiful Virginia fall day.

Melissa & Marcin had their dog Leo be their ring bearer.  He did such a great job!  Isn’t he adorable?  I just love the “family” photo I took of them.

Melissa & Marcin had so much fun on their wedding day.  I always love it when Photographer Robert Radifera is here.  We have such a fun time working together.  What I love about Robert is he will show the couple a sneak peak of some of the photos he has just taken of them.  I always try to capture that moment.  It is a great thing to do because the couple gets a glimpse of how beautiful they are looking and it just makes taking more photos so much easier because the couple is liking what they are seeing and want more.  So, we gave them more by taking photos in the vineyard, in front of the Estate, by the pool, in front of the fountain, I could go on and on but I think you get the point.  LOTS of photos with numerous back drops.

Guests were able to help themselves to a delicious buffet dinner prepared by Harvest Moon.  Afterwards there were plenty of desserts to satisfy any sweet tooth!  But for those that might not have a sweet tooth, no worries.  The couple had a bourbon bar ready to go in the gazebo for the final night cap. And to finish out the evening guests dance the night away and then sent the couple off with a sparkler departure.

Special thanks to the following vendors:  Day of Event Coordinator – Keswick Vineyards, Caterer-Harvest Moon, Officiant – Bhagavan Metro, Desserts-Cakes by Rachel, DJ-DJ Fit (Nathan May), Photographer-Robert Radifera, Hair & Make-up-The Spot Beauty Shop, Florist-Foxtail Florist, Tent Lighting-Skyline Tent Company, Transportation-Easy Rider Buses and Musicians-Charlottesville String Quartet

Oct 15, 2017 at 11:22 AM Permalink

Prayers Answered!

 must say, I’ve done over 300 weddings at Keswick Vineyards and this ceremony was definitely one that I will remember.  I always love it when the person marrying the couple has a personal connection to them.  So, on Monday, October 9th, Ashleigh and Paul were married at Keswick Vineyards by the grooms father.  Doesn’t get much better than that!  The praise they were giving to God and his greatness was awesome!  They Included scripture readings and hymns that just took the ceremony up a notch to me.  Ashleigh and Paul wrote their own vows and the love these two share for each other was so obvious.  The looks they would give each other were just adorable and they just couldn’t stop holding each other hands and kept whispering to one another throughout the ceremony.  I don’t think there was a dry eye when they spoke of the love they had for each other.  I am so blessed to be able to witness these moments weekly.

At the end of their ceremony they did something I had never seen or heard of.  They did the salt covenant.  The covenant of salt is an ancient covenant mentioned in the old testament.  The couple puts salt in their spouse’s mouth to solidify their promise they made to each other and God.  They will then keep the container the salt was stored in as a daily reminder of that promise.

And, as if the ceremony wasn’t beautiful enough, the reception and how the tent was decorated; over the top!  This is the first time I have had a couple put greenery on the center support poles under the tent.  Adding a chandelier over the dance floor and more greenery on each table; amazing!  Pictures really don’t capture how beautiful it really was.

Thanks to the following vendors for helping to create this beauty: 
Catering by The Catering Outfit
Katy Hood as their wedding planner
Maliha Creations for their cake
DJ Joseph Robinson
Ceremony music by Treesa Gold String Trio 
Photographer Elisa Bricker
Videographer The Herrintons         Click Here to see their video!
Hair by Brianna Adams
Make-up by Michandra Myles 
Mallory Joyce for Florals
Skyline Tent Company for the chandelier.

Oct 9, 2017 at 6:47 AM Permalink

Two-Player Mode . . . Start!

What a beautiful fall day they had. They had just enough overcast to keep the heat down from the sun yet giving them the perfect lighting for the best photos with no shadows. There was no limit on where they could go for photos and they took advantage of that, doing a lot of photos in the vines! 

Jennifer and Gregory enjoy video games so they found a way to add some of that to their wedding décor. Take a look at their guest sign in book; instead of the traditional book they had a canvas made that looks like the start of a video game! Each of the guests would then sign their names to each of the little hearts! Also, they had a wagon pulled for their ceremony that had some of “their children” in it. These children were stuff animals that obviously meant a lot to them. After taking photos, Jennifer changed out of her wedding dress and into a red formal dress. She looked stunning, and she definitely stood out on the dance floor!

Special thanks to the following vendors: Wedding Planner, Barb Wired; Officiant Dave Norris;
Caterer Hot Cakes; Musicians for ceremony, Quiet Fire; DJ Derek Tobler; Photographer Jeff
Gleason; Videographer Ian’s Creation; Hair & Make-up by Jeanne Cusick; Floral Designs by
Jacquelyn Collmus; Transportation Buses by University Transit Service.

Oct 8, 2017 at 7:09 AM Permalink

High School Sweethearts

I’m sure Lauren never thought when she was 15 years old that she would end up marrying the boy who sat behind her in French class that would put paper wads in her hood.  But guess what?  She did!  And on Saturday, October 7th, Lauren and her high school sweetheart Cody were married at Keswick Vineyards.

They chose to be married in front of Edgewood Estate with the fountain, vineyard and mountains as their back drop.  What a beautiful day Mother Nature provided them with a soft cloud cover and gentle breeze to keep every guest comfortable for this outdoor wedding.

During the ceremony they did a unity candle.  With that, both Mothers come up to the alter and light individual candles.  They then hand them off to their respective child (the bride or groom) and then the couple light one “unity” candle to symbolize the joining of two families into one.

After the unity candle the couple proceeded to do the wine box.  For the wine box the couple picks one of Keswick Vineyards award winning wines to be placed in a box that won’t be opened for 1 or more years.  Besides the wine in the box the couple write love letters to each other that neither have read before.  They are sealed in this box.  This wine box is to remain sealed until a designated time like their first anniversary or fifth or tenth anniversary.  At that time, they will enjoy the bottle of wine while reading these love letters that they wrote on their wedding day.  If the couple hits a bump in the road and are having some doubts about each other, they are to open that box at that time, have some wine, read those letters and hopefully that will re-lite the marriage.

Thanks to the following vendors for all their hard work:  Southern Inn Catering, Pearls Bakery, DJ Fit (Nathan May), Photographer Tyler Corvin, Foxtail Cottage Florist, Albemarle Limousine and Rev. Bhani Moore.

Oct 7, 2017 at 7:03 AM Permalink

JMU & Rock-N-Roll Weddings Ties

Starting off our four day wedding weekend is Brittany & Joe’s wedding on Friday, October 6th.  Thankfully, they did the old southern tradition and buried a bottle of bourbon to ensure beautiful weather for their fall vineyard wedding.  As you can see by the photos, it worked again!

  Brittany and Joe did a few unique things at their wedding that I haven’t seen before.  Lets start with their flowers.  Instead of each bridesmaid having a bouquet, Brittany had each bridesmaid “wear” their flowers.  Some had a collar, a ring, a bracelet, hair piece, etc.  No one had the traditional bouquet.  For the boutonniere, the guys had shot gun shells to hold their flowers.  Why shot gun shells you ask?  Well, they love Guns –N- Roses and thought this was a great way to bring a piece of that rock band into their wedding.

  For their guest book they had a hand drawn map of the local area featuring Keswick Vineyards and other favorite spots of theirs and had guests sign the matte around it.  To continue the “map” theme was a framed map that had states that the couple had visited to assign which table each guests would sit at.  Versus having table numbers, the tables were a state and had a picture of the couple at that state to give it that extra personal touch.

  But the highlight for this wedding was definitely when the JMU mascot Bulldog arrived and helped escort the couple under the tent for the reception!  The couple even got to share their first dance with the bulldog.  It was just the cutest thing to see the mascot bulldog dance with one of their flower girls.  Precious!

  Thanks to the following vendors for making this night a night to remember for all who attended:  It’s Your Day wedding planner, Officiant Josh B. Klotz, Caterer Roadside Chive, DJ Derek Tobler, Photographer Katie Lea Photography, Make-up by The Studio, Hair by Adrienne, Blakemores Flowers and A&A Limousine for transportation.

Oct 6, 2017 at 6:28 AM Permalink

Falling for October!

Wrapping up our third wedding this week end we celebrated the marriage of Lyndsay & Shawn on Sunday, October 1st.  What better way to begin the month of October then to have florals just loaded with fall colors and using pumpkins as vases.  The vibrant colors of the brides bouquet just popped against her dress. 

I just loved what this couple used for their guest book.  They had a canvas that had some silk grape leaves on it.  Guests would sign purple wood circles and then stick them to the canvas to create a grape cluster.  Afterwards the couple will hang this in their home.  Pretty creative huh?

I also thought it was a great idea to have little cards that had the flavors of each cupcake.  They were held up with corks like you would do escort cards.  This way everyone knew which flavor of cupcake to take.  I also like how they didn’t forget their dog Ginger.  Ginger couldn’t physically attend their wedding so they had a ceramic piece of Ginger on display at their dessert table along with a photo of the three of them.  I just love those little personal touches!

Finally, the food.  You can’t go wrong when you have Exchange Events under the direction of Jaclyn catering your wedding here.  I couldn’t pass on the shrimp and grits and I know the bride and her guests couldn’t get enough of the hush puppies!  Also, each guest had a box of New Jersey taffy waiting for them at their table. And to finish off the night the couple had a s’mores bar for guests to help themselves to.  What a great way to finish off the evening.

The following photos were taken by owner Cindy Schornberg, to see the professional photographer's photos check the link at the bottom of the page.

Special thanks to the following vendors:  Keswick Vineyards as their day of coordinator, Officiant Dave Norris, Exchange Events Catering, Desserts by Passionflower Cakes, DJ Mark Allen, Photographer Jodi Gray, Hair & Make-up by Zaheda Rahman, Colonial Florist, Rentals provided by MS Events and lighting by Skyline Tent Company.

Check out Jodi Gray's Photographs Here!

Oct 1, 2017 at 11:10 AM Permalink

Chinese Traditions & More

One of my favorite things about hosting weddings at Keswick Vineyards is being able to witness different cultures and their wedding traditions.  On Saturday, September 30th, Katie and Ben were married surrounded by their family and friends.

The day started out with the Chinese tradition of a tea ceremony.  The events that led up to the tea ceremony were so much fun for everyone to watch.  It started with the groom and his groomsmen skipping their way to the pool gate.  On the other side were the bridesmaids.  Ben had to convince them that he was worthy of Katie’s hand in marriage.  So, the bridesmaids had several games he had to pass in order for them to grant him access to her.

For the first game the groomsmen strapped an empty Kleenex box around their waste.  Inside the box was jingle bells.  They had to shake their boxes so the bells would come out for the groom to catch in his box.  The amount of bells caught would represent how much he wanted to marry Katie.  He passed that test!

For the second game the bridesmaids figured out a way that Benjamin would never forget how to spell Katie’s name.  Each groomsmen had to put on a diaper.  With a sharpie in their mouth, they had to each write a letter on the back side of a diaper to spell out her name.  He also passed this test!

Finally, Ben had to practice on his groomsmen how to make Katie’s toes curl.  The bridesmaids would direct different locations for Ben to lick whip cream off of each groomsmen.  Ben and his groomsmen were all very good sports and he passed this test also which proved he was cleared to marry Katie.

From that point, the formal tea ceremony started.  Each set of parents were presented with some tea from the couple as they kneeled and received blessings from their parents.  Now, a quick bit to eat and it was time to get ready for the Western American ceremony.

Katie & Benjamin chose to be married closest to the vineyard with the mountains in the back ground.  The weather was just picture perfect.  As they exited the ceremony guests blew bubbles to join in the celebration.  While the couple went to take some more photos, guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers.

Once under the tent, dinner and dancing was on the schedule to last the rest of the evening.  If you will notice, they decided to change the color of our up lighting in the tent to purple.  To finish off the evening, Katie and Benjamin enjoyed taking some funny photos in the photo booth.

Thanks to the following vendors for making this cultural wedding day one to remember by all who attended:  Catering by C&O, Wedding Planner Anh Dang, Chandler’s Bakery, DJ Dennis Payne, Videographer Emotion Pictures, Photographer Kelly of Kay Pea Photography, Hair & Make-up by Transformations Artistry, Flowers by Willow Branch, Photo Booth of Charlottesville, Rentals by MS Events and Transportation by Richmond Limousine.

Sep 30, 2017 at 7:02 AM Permalink

The "Best Day"

The marriage of Amanda & Evan on Friday, September 29, 2017 started a three wedding week end at Keswick Vineyards and what a beautiful day it was!  Amanda and her bridesmaids spent the afternoon in our bridal suite getting their hair done while enjoying some wine.  The guys all relaxed in our “man’s cave” while watching football, playing pool and of course, enjoying some refreshments.  What a great way to have everyone in one space to begin the celebration.

For their ceremony, Amanda and Evan did the sand tradition.  With that, they each have a bottle with a different color of sand in it.  One at a time they pour a little of their sand into a container.  Each color of sand represents their two separate lives.  Then, once they both have done that, they both pour at the same time their bottles of sand into the container to represent that the two of them are forever blended together and cannot be separate any more.  They will then keep that glass container on display in their home to always remind them that they are inseparable.

Some of their décor I really loved.  1st, the making of a bar using 2 wine barrels and a wood table top.  They added an extra feature of hanging a frame from the center of it to give it that little personal touch.  Next, their table numbers which they made.  Using wine bottles, they put number stickers on the wine bottles, spray painted them, then removed the number stickers and put some lights inside the bottle that were attached to a cork with an on/off switch.  LOVED them!  And finally, the 3 picture frames used to mark their 1st day, the yes day, and the best day.  How cute is that?

Thanks to the following vendors for doing such a fantastic job:  Karissa Coffey as their wedding planner, Catering by Goodrich Gourmet, Officiant Rev. Ed Martin, Desserts by Natalie Mongold, DJ Andy Wilfong of Party Masters, Videographer Christy Stevens, Hair by Lauren Perkins, Flowers by Zoie, Transportation by Camryn Limousine and tent lighting by Skyline Tent Company.

Sep 29, 2017 at 11:42 AM Permalink

Kim and Mikes Intimate Wedding Day

What a wonderful way to wrap up a triple wedding week end with Kim & Mike’s wedding on Sunday, September 24, 2017.  Kim’s day was off to a great start when her BFF Bridal Crew arrived at the bridal suite at Keswick Vineyards with robes, balloons, food & drinks for everyone!  I’m so happy that I was in the room when they arrived to capture that special moment.  You could see the total delight on Kim’s face.  I knew her wedding day was off to a great start!

While all the bridesmaids enjoyed the treats brought by the BFF Bridal Crew, Make-up/hair artist Jeanne Cusick began to work her magic making each girl a princess.  I just love a table full of make-up!

Outside Barb Wired, the event planner for this Virginia vineyard wedding, was busy tending to the details.  I just loved how they made a personal wine label for their table numbers.  I’ve never seen a wine bottle used exactly this way before and I thought it was a perfect fit for a vineyard wedding.  I also liked how they used Keswick Vineyards corks to hold each escort card.  On one side the names were hand written while on the flip side was the table number.  Again, just a little winery detail to tie the wedding decorations with the venue

I often get asked what a wedding looks like that is smaller in size at Keswick Vineyards.  Well, you can see for yourself.  Kim & Mike had 60 people attending their wedding which made it very intimate for all.  They decided to divide the Sperry tent to allow one side for dining and the other as a lounge for later in the evening.  The bar and rented lounge furniture from MS Events was just the perfect touch for the other side of the tent.  Guests were able to hang out in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying some award-winning wines and music. 

Special thanks to the following vendors for making sure every detail was just perfect for this wedding:  Event Planner – Barb Wired, Caterer – Harvest Moon, Desserts – Passionflower, DJ – Derek Tobler, Photographer – Rachel Haggerdy, Florist – Secret Garden, Rentals – MS Events, Tent Lighting – Skyline Tent Company, Hair & Make-up – Jeanne Cusick

To see the Photographer's (Rachel) Blog from this wedding Click Here!

Sep 24, 2017 at 8:21 AM Permalink