The Copper Horse Barn Wedding, Ephrata PA, Lancaster County Weddings

It’s no secret that I love coffee. We have some friends who own a local roastery, so I’ve had conversations about how coffee is made, instead of just “how is coffee so good.” Did you know that coffee beans start out as a fruit on a tree, called a cherry? The cherry has to be picked and then dried and prepped to get it to the green colored seed, or bean, most of you are probably familiar with. Once you finally have a green seed, it needs to be roasted. This part here is super important for the flavor of the coffee. There is a perfect temperature and a perfect timing to roasting coffee beans. If you don’t add enough heat, or if it’s not in the heat long enough, the bean will still be green and pretty much good for nothing. If you add too much of either, the bean is charred beyond tasting like anything but… well… charcoal. That perfect amount of both heat and time though, and the shell cracks, just a little bit. The shell takes on that rich chocolatey color, and the flavor is realized. It astounds me how delicate the balance is to make a great coffee bean, and eventually a great cup of coffee.

Relationships are a lot like that. I’m sure we all know of some relationships where there doesn’t seem to be enough heat, and the couple that seem more like roommates than a couple. Or where there is too much heat, and all the neighbors can hear them yelling all through the night. But, there is that special balance, the perfect amount of heat, where joy blossoms. When you find that person that puts off just the right amount of heat, that feeling of a fall night standing in front of a bonfire so close that you can feel the heat prickling your skin, you get a “look”. I know you all know what I mean, we see it in movies all the time, where two actors try to capture it. But, there is something different about seeing it in person. It’s unmistakable, it’s vibrant, it’s beautiful, and it’s so obvious that Alex and Emily have it. They are the perfect temperature to bring out the best in each other. It was amazing getting to see it in their faces on their beautiful wedding day. It was awesome getting to hear the maid of honor and best man talk about it in their speeches. It was an honor to help capture that feeling for the future for them.

And if you didn’t know, coffee was a big part of Alex and Emily’s dating history, so they decided to feed my addiction as well as the other wedding guests by having a coffee truck there to serve an assortment of delicious coffee drinks. Needless to say, having a coffee truck at this wedding was a huge hit! And I haven’t even mentioned the venue yet. Alex and Emily got married at The Copper Horse Barn in Ephrata, PA, which is nestled right in the heart of Lancaster County farmland. The last time I was there was almost 5 years ago, shortly after the venue had opened and before it was officially named The Copper Horse, so it was really neat getting to be back for another wedding! Alex and Emily had the perfect weather for a gorgeous fall wedding and it was so great getting to help them celebrate with their friends and family! Enjoy this little recap of their wonderful day!

First Look!

Ceremony time! Emily’s brother walked her down the aisle, and it was the sweetest thing. This ceremony was wonderful from start to finish…there was laughter, tears, funny stories, and a beautiful time of communion…it was perfect.

A bit of portrait time after the ceremony… And then the coffee truck arrived for cocktail hour and the reception so of course we had to get pictures including that!

Time for the reception! Emily’s vision for a purple accented reception turned out beautiful, complete with one of the best cookie tables I’ve ever seen! I only included a couple pictures of it, this was probably only a third of the cookie table! There was no shortage of cookies and coffee at this party, it was my kind of party! :)

And of course we had to sneak in some sunset pictures, we had the perfect weather for it! Keep scrolling for some champagne popping too! And then back to the reception for more celebrating before ending the night with a sparkler exit.