Our beloved Keswick

I think I love our venue *almost* as much as I love my dress which is *almost* as much as I love Sig. Keswick (just kidding!). This weekend, I was excited to read the Washingtonian include it in a recent article of theirs: Grape Adventures: The Best Vineyards in Virginia and Maryland.

Why do I love Keswick so much? It's gorgeous without being over the top. As my mother said it, "It's stately." But one of the most important things about it: It doesn't require we have a tent if we have more than 100 guests. It has a wonderful patio outside its ballrooms (accessed through several french doors) that overlooks their award winning golf course BUT in the instance of inclement weather, the doors can be closed and you won't even know that it's raining cats and dogs. It was really important for us to have the ability to welcome the out of doors - fresh air - natural scenery - into our wedding reception WITHOUT having to pay $4000 for a tent (money that could be well-spent on reception food). Plus, I didn't want to have it in a hotel (as I used to spend lengthy spans of time inside a hotel without any fresh air for days at a time in my old job) with padded walls and someone's bar mitvah next door next to and someone else's family reunion. Not that I have anything against people who have their weddings in hotels, I just wanted something more natural feeling for our wedding. And luckily, we were able to keep the guest list down (we hope) so that Keswick can fit all our guests.

The view from the veranda: The view when you arrive:

I can't wait for everyone to see it and for our lovely picture taking sessions there. :) And I love that we were able to get it after falling in love with it so long ago...in March.