Where there's a will there's a way

We loved the energy that Lauren and Brian brought every time they came to visit in preparation for their wedding. You could tell during each visit how excited and happy they were to be getting married at their dream wedding venue! When the big day was coming around the corner and the forecast was acting less than predictable, the positive energy never left them. They knew that no matter what, rain or shine, their wedding day would be picture perfect…and it was!

We planned for all scenarios and were ready to make moves for all weather conditions. When you have a great venue and vendor team to have your back, all situations are stress-free and beautiful! Just take a look at Lauren and Brian’s faces for proof. You couldn’t wipe the smiles from their faces and nothing was going to put a damper on their day.

During her planning process, the bride had a very specific vision for her reception. One word. Wreaths! I remember her bouncing this idea on me several months before her wedding trying to hammer out the logistical aspects of hanging them. Through much deliberation, back and forth, and coordination a plan was developed and the wreaths went up on wedding day! Their wedding planner, Kelsey, did an excellent job in aiding her through this process. We loved working with her for a first time at Keswick Vineyards and we can’t wait to have her back!

Southern Inn Catering served an always scrumptious meal for dinner and delicious Moscow Mules and Old Fashioned’s as the couple’s signature cocktails. Signature cocktails are a great way to add variety to your bar menu in addition to our ever-famous and award winning wines.

The night cruised along with help of DJ Derek Tobler keeping the party alive and guests quickly hit the dance floor underneath of beautiful bistro lights. The couple and their guests were here for a celebration….and it was a celebration they got!

Wedding planner, Kelsey Ann Events. Caterer, Southern Inn Catering. Photographer, Betty Clicker Photography. Videographer, Rachael Curry Films. Rentals, Mad Hatter Vintage & Waterford Event Rentals. Desserts, Jennie Case. Florist, The Proper Petal. Transportation, Albemarle Limousine. DJ, Derek Tobler. Ceremony musician, Keith Askey. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Ceremony tent, Gibson Tent Company. Hair & Makeup, Pretty Weird Beauty. Officiant, Stephen Poore.

Sep 30, 2016 at 8:25 AM Permalink

A Family Affair

Kathy and Brian had started their family years back. This past weekend, on September 24th they further solidified their family in front of all of the people who have helped shape their lives. 

The couple and their guests came from afar, most of them traveling to Charlottesville from Philly and New Jersey. Why they chose Keswick Vineyards with them being from out of the state? It’s simple. It’s gorgeous! So gorgeous to them that they booked with us site unseen. It took little convincing after seeing our portfolio of online photos and our abundance of five star reviews. With the combination of the two, they acted quickly and stole our last Saturday date of September just in time!

Though they may have not seen their wedding venue in person, they certainly made up for it with their multiple visits after booking! We loved meeting them for the first time and enjoyed their reaction to the grounds as they saw it for the first time. To say they were overjoyed would be an understatement!

As one of the first ways to solidify the beginnings of their family, the bride walked down the aisle with their son in her father’s arms. To make matters even sweeter, their daughter (also their flower girl) joined them at the top of the asile for a prayer. It was the first time I had seen anything like that, but I certainly hope it won’t be the last.

The rest of the night went swimmingly. The couple brought in vintage details that they tied together beautifully. Most couples choose to rent their dinnerware through catering for convenience and ease. Not this bride! She hand selected each of her dinner plates, all which varied in pattern. The end result was elegant and beautiful! Similar touches were brought into their escort cards. Antique gold frames were used to hang their handmade calligraphy nametags. Guests loved the cute display!

All of these details need to be captured! For Kathy and Brian, they were with the help of their great vendors. Cindy captured some great behind the scenes photos of their photographer and videographer working their magic! Take a close look at the photos. You’ll see the videographers drone! We can’t wait to see the footage.

Thank you to another great team! Ceremony coordinator, Keswick Vineyards. Catering & Rentals, Harvest Moon Catering, Photography, Alex Schon Photography. Videographer, CY Media Productions. Desserts, Carpe Donut & H.F. Hornberger’s Bakery. Florist, Global Rose. DJ, Mark Allen with Class Productions DJ Service. Hair & Makeup, The Spot Beauty Shop. Transportation, City of Charlottesville. Officiant, Father Jim with Contemporary Catholics. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company.

Sep 27, 2016 at 10:03 AM Permalink

Out of the Box

Jeremy and Kate are the newest addition to our Keswick Vineyards married couples this season. They got married here on Sunday, September 18th on a gorgeous September day which was a great way to end our summer wedding season.

Things were done a little differently for this couples wedding and we appreciated their creativity and unique vision that they brought to their wedding day. Keswick Vineyards offers our couples a wide variety of ways that each couple can make their wedding day personalized and special to them. Of course, there are suggestions we provide along the way so that the “box” isn’t completely left up to interpretation. There’s a lot of room to make with the property what you’d like. One of the many things that adds immense value to our couples is that there is no “cookie cutter” wedding here.

For ceremony locations, we have a handful of equally beautiful options! You can choose to get married right next to the vines for our vineyard view location. The fountain makes for a scenic and classic backdrop for wedding ceremonies. Similarly, our “fall” location is another favorite ceremony location couples choose for its all-encompassing views. With this view you get views of the estate, our iconic fountain, the vineyard, and prominent mountains. Jeremy and Kate loved this option and decided the fall location would be the perfect way to start off their marriage.

Their creativeness didn’t stop there. Jeremy and Kate had an intimate group of guests attending their wedding and, because of this, they wanted everyone to feel that intimacy during their reception. Instead of having all guest spread out equally underneath of the Sperry tent they decided to divide the tent into sections. Their dinner tables were on one half of the tent with their head table closest to the vineyard. It was a beautiful touch! Guests all had stunning clear views of the vineyard while they enjoyed a delectable meal from Harvest Moon Catering. The other half of the tent was “the after party”. This side had cocktail tables and their bar so that after dinner and in-between dancing their couples could enjoy a more bar-like atmosphere. Both their guests and we appreciated the change of pace!

Day of coordinator, Keswick Vineyards. Catering & Desserts, Harvest Moon Catering. Photography, Celestial Sights Photography. Rentals, MS Events. DJ, John Garland with Garland Studios, LLC. Florist, Hedge Fine Blooms. Hair & Makeup, Cool Looks Salon Studio. Transportation, James River Transportation. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Claire Goodwin. 

Sep 18, 2016 at 11:50 PM Permalink

Owl Drink to That

Kathryn and Oliver easily won over our hearts when they first came to Keswick Vineyards. Their love had such a presence that it was hard not to be overwhelmed with joy just as they were together. Their friends and family felt much the same as they came together to celebrate just that…the love.

Love, as is true with all weddings, is one of the many reasons a marriage takes place. With this family in particular, a resounding theme for them was “what’s love got to do with it?” (In the famous words of Tina Turner). The answer? Everything.

Kathryn and Oliver had been together for the better part of a decade (so we found out). When you’re with someone for such a substantial portion of your life, your lives then intertwine. Friend groups are meshed and families are joined. It’s a beautiful thing. Both were very evident on September 17th as we celebrated the love of Kathryn and Oliver.

To make their wedding day just as special as their relationship, it was really important to Kathryn and Oliver to incorporate personal touches into their wedding. They wanted for some of the key people in their lives who have benefitted their relationship to be included. The bride’s mother, for example, sang an opera song to the couple and their guests during their ceremony. The groom’s mother handmade their champagne cork escort cards. The bride’s sister and her friend sang a beautiful a cappella song to them during their cake cutting.  It was these moments combined that truly made their wedding unique and special, not just to them but also to everyone who was there to witness.

One of the many elements we all fell in love with was their owl ice sculpture. The couple loved owls! They had a wedding owl ice sculpture made to be displayed next to their reception bar which read “Owl Drink to That”. What a hoot!

Best of luck, laughter, and love as you continue forward as husband and wife.

We couldn’t have done it without you: Day of Coordination, Keswick Vineyards. Catering & Desserts, Harvest Moon Catering. Photography, Sam Hurd Photography. Rentals, MS Events. Videographer, E-Motion Pictures Wedding Films. Hair & Makeup, Avenue 42. Florist, Verde Natural Florals. Musicians, Plum Blossom Quartet. DJ, T.D. Layman with Sound Enforcement DJ Service. Transportation, Easy Rider Bus Company. Ice sculpture, USA Ice. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Claire Goodwin.

Sep 17, 2016 at 7:17 AM Permalink

Another Wedding Wired!

It was one of those days where everything seemed to seamlessly fall into place. It was one of those days where everything just seemed to be going right (though that’s common for a Keswick Vineyards wedding). When you have the right combination of family, friends, vendors, and venue very little is bound to go wrong!

Our wonderful team of vendors, Keswick Vineyard’s stunning wedding venue, and Meghan and Paul’s friends were amazing on their own. What may have been even more impressive was how large their family was. The groom had a lot of siblings. He was one of ELEVEN. Yes, eleven. Cindy was able to take a photo that really captured just how many siblings eleven is. You’d think they were a wedding party on their own! This past weekend, with Meghan as their newest addition, their family grew even larger.

With that big of a family, you know there were even more guests. Someone had to keep them well fed and entertained! HotCakes catering brought all of the couples favorite comfort foods, including their (now) famous fried chicken and T.D. Layman with Sound Enforcement DJ Service kept the night alive with the latest hits. He’s always a crowd pleaser and his dance floor is ALWAYS full!

Under the expert eyes and hands of Barb Wired, Meghan and Paul could relax and enjoy all the wonderful elements they added to make their wedding super special.  Some of those items were lawn games like corn hole, jumbo jenga and Spikeball, a cozy outdoor living room where guests could enjoy looking at old photo albums, a dessert bar to include three different types of pies, wedding cake and Duck Donuts. They took no short cuts and it truly paid off.

In typical Keswick Vineyards fashion, as guests danced off their full bellies we snuck our couple out to catch photos in front of yet another glorious sunset. It’s something we will never get tired of seeing. In fact, this one in particular was so good, we had to take an extended photo session and bring them down by the pond! After all, it is one of our iconic spots. We couldn’t resist!

Event planner, Barb Wired LLC. Catering, HotCakes. Rentals, MS Events, Photographer, Bethany Snyder Photography. Hair & Makeup, Briana B. Adams LLC and Rouge 9. Florist, Foxtail Cottage Floral. Desserts, HotCakes and Duck Donuts. DJ, T.D. Layman with Sound Enforcement DJ Service. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Transportation, Albemarle Limousine. Officiant, Dave Norris. Photo Booth, Photo Booth of Charlottesville.

Sep 14, 2016 at 3:50 AM Permalink

A Touch of Elegance

The ceremony site typically used for our fall location was brought to life this weekend for Wade and Sarah’s wedding. They chose to modify our usual spot and make it their own with a view that was more angled towards the vineyard so that they could enjoy more of our sweeping mountain views. Though temperatures during the day were a bit steamy, the clouds came just in time and provided a great shade for their ceremony. Not to mention overcast skies are a photographers dream!

The bridesmaids were dressed in gorgeous, flowy plum gowns and the guys all looked very dapper in their tuxedos. The luxurious feel of it all was carried throughout the details of their wedding and we loved it! The bride’s mother and her best friend helped to make sure that the couples wedding day was perfect and just the way they envisioned it. One of the details that was important to them were the chairs. They wanted to personalize and distinguish their wedding party’s chairs for reception time. To do so, they wrapped each of their chiavari chairs in bronze satin bows. It looked beautiful! Similarly, for Wade and Sarah’s sweetheart table they jazzed up their chairs in white tulle. It brought them the perfect amount of elegance!

The night was off to a great start and after the ceremony and cocktail hour guests enjoyed a beautifully plated dinner by Roadside Chive. We love when Roadside Chive comes to cater! Not only because they do a great job and make our lives easy, but also because they treat the vendors to a special vineyard view dinner while guests are dining underneath of the Sperry tent. It’s nice to be spoiled a bit and, of course, to eat with such an amazing team of wedding professionals. Something we could definitely get use to!

Great job to everyone who made Sarah and Wade’s day so great! Catering, Roadside Chive Catering. Photographer, Robert Radifera Photography. Day of coordinator, Andrea Clay. Hair & Makeup, Cville Makeup. Florist, Barnswallow Blooms. Desserts, Mon Cheri Cakes. DJ, Bob Mednikov. Musicians, Scarfullery Music. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Officiant, Caroline Winters Hazelton. Transportation, Albemarle Limousine. Rentals, MS Events. 

Sep 12, 2016 at 7:56 AM Permalink

When They Saw It, They Knew

Dannie and Evan completed our Labor Day weekend with a bang! With the couple being from Charleston, South Carolina, we were very interested in why they chose to be married at Keswick Vineyards versus Charleston since Charleston is ranked as the #1 East coast destination wedding location.  Their response was simple:  Upon looking at countless other venues and searching up and down the east coast, when they came to Keswick Vineyards they could feel it. The beautiful grounds, the sparkling fountain, and the lush mountain views all combined with much, much more made them immediately sold to have their wedding set to be held at the gorgeous Keswick Vineyards.

Dannie and Evan had one of the largest wedding parties we have ever seen. That says a lot considering the volume we experience during our wedding seasons! Have you ever heard of having SEVEN ring bearers and flower girls? Neither had we. But with a family as large as theirs it only made sense. Kids aside, their wedding party was also impressively large. It was clear this couple was very loved and surrounded with many of their favorite family members and friends.

Raspberry, navy, and gold were the couples chosen colors. The bright color pallet really popped underneath of our Sperry tent and they were perfect for the beautiful September weather we experienced over the weekend. Southern Inn Catering kept the crowd well fed with creative appetizers and their usual always mouth watering dinner. Nathan, also known as DJ Fit, ran the show as a first time DJ here at Keswick Vineyards and we can't wait to have him back for more! The evening was flawless and it was apparent to all who witnessed it that day. Not only was everyone elated by the marriage of Dannie and Evan, but also by the company that was there, and the scenery in which they all were surrounded by.

Another great Keswick Vineyards wedding down!

Thank you to our amazing team of vendors for another stellar performance! Catering, Southern Inn Catering. Event Planner, A Grand Affair Events. Photographer, Ashley Eiban Photography. Videographer, CY Film Productions. Rentals, MS Events & A Grand Affair Events. Hair and Makeup, Veronica Vargas. Florist, Cville Blooms. DJ, DJ Fit. Officiant, Bob Moore. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Desserts, Albemarle Baking Co. & Duck Donuts.

Sep 7, 2016 at 5:40 AM Permalink

To Bora Bora!

Bella and Ryan are our latest Keswick Vineyards couple and they kick started our Labor Day Weekend weddings! After spending the afternoon binge watching Harry Potter in the man cave, tears of joy flowed for these two when they exchanged their vows. Guests were commenting that they’ve never seen Ryan so happy and I believe it; he never stopped smiling!

They each wrote personal vows that were read aloud during their ceremony. The love was so apparent and it was felt and shared by everyone who was there to witness it. After they said their “I do’s” the music was cued and Terra Voce played their exiting music which then sent guests off to cocktail hour to enjoy delicious appetizers from Harvest Moon and perfectly paired Keswick Vineyards wine. They even served one of my fall favorites, grilled cheese and tomato soup shooters! A classic that will never get old.

Once guests entered underneath of the reception tent, they were immediately awed by the bright colors of coral and yellow that the couple chose. Their flowers beautifully accented these both and were showcased lovely in their centerpieces.  Dinner and dancing followed and the party then took off! At the end of the night the couple was sent away to their getaway car where they said goodbye to their friends and family before they left for their honeymoon in Bora Bora!

Best of luck to you both and congratulations again Bella and Ryan!

Day of coordinator, Keswick Vineyards. Catering, Harvest Moon Catering. Photographer, C. Tyler Corvin Studios. Florist, Blue Ridge Floral. Hair and Makeup, FBJ Studio. Rentals, MS Events & Harvest Moon Catering. Lighting, Skyline Tent Company. Musicians, Terra Voce. DJ, National DJ Connection. Desserts, Cakes by Rachel. Officiant, Bhavani Metro. Transportation, Camryn Limousine. 

Sep 3, 2016 at 3:53 AM Permalink