Emily & Matt - The Ultimate Hosts

Photo by: Kassidy Leigh Photography

Now introducing Mr. & Mrs. Nesto ...

The Ultimate Hosts!

To know Emily & Matt is to know how passionate they are about curating impeccable vibes for any celebration. & here at The Farm, we had the highest honor of hosting multiple events for the two of them. We were able to witness their creative brains transform The Farm starting with their engagement photos, to Emily’s floral & perfectly Spring Bridal Shower, then with their Rehearsal Dinner honoring Matt’s Italian heritage and finally, with their elegant and classic Wedding Day.
To say we were blessed to host the Nesto’s is an understatement, we are already awaiting their return!

Photo by: Kassidy Leigh Photography

As Emily has been an employee of The Farm, it was no surprise to us that she had a vision for each day. However, as we sat down with both Emily & Matt to learn more about their relationship, turns out these two are the Ultimate Hosts. As a foundation of their relationship, hosting is something they bond over as a way to bring together their friends and family in so many fun and creative ways. A few weeks after their wedding, I sat down with the two of them to help learn more about their relationship. It was clear from the start, that these two were made for each other. Not only could you feel their love for each other, it was clear how much fun they have together. The way their passion for hosting brought them together is something out of a movie, after 6 months of dating the pair moved in together and threw their first themed party. Christmas in July, of course, as they moved in the dead of summer and couldn’t resist a good theme. From that day forward, any chance they could bring their friends and family together they would, all occasions always on theme! They have hosted so many loved ones for various holidays including, Friendsgivings, Galentine’s Days, they even create a full itinerary for when they have “out of towners” join them for Musikfest that stays on the Musikfest theme.
Of course, when they got engaged it was only natural for them to show off their expertise in planning. Luckily for us, The Farm was the beneficiary of those creative juices and we loved how they were able to transform each space in a unique way for their guests to enjoy.

Before the full wedding planning even began, we hosted their engagement photos. Here is where we really began to see Emily & Matt’s love for details and themes. They had a few different vibes to match which we loved seeing how easily they transformed The Farm into each vision. In the above photos, captured by Kassidy Leigh Photography, Emily & Matt embodied an Old Hollywood Glam moment in the first row of photos. As they borrowed a friend’s truck, perfected their our outfits and described the vibe to Kassidy, they nailed their first look. In the second row of photos, you’ll see Matt’s idea brought to life by sporting their favorite jerseys with our Harvest Barn as the backdrop. Finally, completing their shoot with Italian Summer inspiration in mind, they found the garden & did a final outfit change to capture a few more gorgeous shots.
We loved how with just a few changes, Emily & Matt were able to transcend The Farm into different vibes to match each style of their personalities that they wanted to capture in their engagement photos.

Photo by Grossmith Photography

When it came time for Emily to host her bridal shower, we couldn’t wait to see how she would plan for a Springtime Shower. In true Emily fashion, she nailed the Tea Party vibes; perfected with her light blue linens for a touch of “something blue”, mismatched tea cups that we provided and an absolutely stunning “Build Your Own Bouquet” table designed by Flowers From 12th.
For Emily, it is the little touches that aid in crafting her vision. Whether that be the customized “Scattergories” since they are huge board game people, to the photos of her & Matt on the welcome table, the white framed table numbers, each detail is hand selected to help shift any atmosphere to match her style for that theme.
The Farm was happy to be a blank canvas for her first event here.
It was a day to remember for Emily & her guests as they celebrated in our Harvest Barn that had been transformed into the
Tea Party of her dreams.

Next up was their Rehearsal Dinner, that they hosted in our Harvest Barn. It was an epic pizza party to honor Matt’s Italian heritage and they even debuted “Cafe Nesto”. We helped with the red linen napkins to aid in pops of red to help craft that traditional pizzeria vibes while Emily & Matt created custom keychains to introduce Cafe Nesto, and personalized name cards to pull together more of the pizzeria vibes. The simplicity of our Harvest Barn allowed for Emily & Matt to highlight yet another fun theme which their friends and family fully embraced.
(See the third photo! - all captured by Grossmith Photography)

Finally for the main event, the Wedding! Hosted on April 6, 2024 it was the perfect combination of elegance, modern yet classic with rustic touches from our Farm. A few ways that Emily & Matt created this ambiance was through their all black wedding party attire, pops of wild flowers adorning their reception tables, tying everything back together with their black linen napkins was the perfect touch. We also loved that they used the antique china plates from their catering team, 2 Little Piggys BBQ. The gold finished flatware continued to tie in their elegant yet modern aesthetic which was a little detail they made sure to capture. When we all sat down to chat, we joked that Emily & Matt are the curators of vibes so it was no surprise when their photos came back that they were stunning!

We share all of this to not only take you through the transformation of our Farm into different styles but to honor Emily & Matt’s precious love story. As I mentioned they fell in love quickly while working at a local college but these two were meant to be. As Matt grew up in New Jersey, each holiday season his family would travel to PA for their Christmas Tree at the same tree farm each year. Turns out, that tree family is owned by Emily’s family. All of those years of Matt returning to the same place, these two were destined to fall in love. & we are so happy that they did!

It is always so magical to see our Seed Barn restyled to match each couples’ vision. One final moment that Emily & Matt shared with me when we sat down was how much their guests loved seeing how they decorated for each of their events. They had a few of their closest friends and family members that attend all three events & each time, they loved feeling as though they stepped into a different space. We cherish the way our space easily molds to each of our couples day.
As we witness Emily & Matt begin their next chapter, we cannot wait to see how the plan to come back to our Farm with even more visions.
What we do know is that these two will bring the vibes!

Photo by Kassidy Leigh Photography

A special “Thank You” to everyone who made these events happen!
Engagement Photos - Kassidy Leigh Photography
Bridal Shower - Photos: Grossmith Photography, Florist: Flowers from 12th & Catering & Decor: The Farm Bakery & Events Team
Rehearsal Dinner - Photos: Grossmith Photography & Catering: Giovanni’s Pizzeria
Wedding - Hosted by The Farm Bakery & Events
Catering by 2 Little Piggys BBQ
Florist Sonney Floret
Photography by Kassidy Leigh Photography
Videographer Aaron Lee Photo & Film
DJ Holiday Sounds
Hair & Make up Studio 329
Vibes Mr. & Mrs. Nesto

XOXO,
Alyssa
Director of First Impressions

Celebrate love on any day of the week!

Weekends don’t have to have all of the fun..

A couple of weeks ago, we had the honor of hosting Abby & Ian for a lovely Week Day Wedding. The two of them had designed a gorgeous day, including all of the fun you might see on a weekend and brought The Farm to life on a Wednesday afternoon. As they were blessed with perfect weather, worked with an amazing florist, Side Yard Stems, who is actually Abby’s brother and of course, had The Farm’s delicious desserts, it was truly a night to remember.

You can clearly see the love between Abby & Ian in these stunning photos, captured by Ashely Plante from Analog Wedding. Abby & Ian gave the love right back to their guests with thoughtful touches, such as a cigar bar for the groomsmen to enjoy, a candy bar for the kiddos & of course, elegant dresses for the bridesmaids. We also had the yard games out for even more fun! The final touch was to make sure to have one of our fire pits going with a deluxe s’mores bar for everyone to enjoy! Every detail was carefully thought of which made for a truly magical week day evening here at The Farm.

As an exceptional example of how truly special a Week Day Wedding can be, don’t just take it from us, take it from Abby & Ian. So, when it comes time to plan your big day, don’t count out Wednesdays or Thursdays or even Tuesdays! Love deserves to be celebrated, no matter the day of the week.

Thank you to our vendor team!
Photographer: Analog Wedding
Florist: @sideyardstems on Instagram
Caterer: The Pizza Wagon
Bartender: PJ's Bartending
Hair/Makeup: Vanity Studios and Salon

With love,
Alyssa
Director of First Impressions

Every table tells a story....

Our Apple Dumpling Dinner at The Farm in November of 2016 - The year the Amish Crew starting renovating The Barn.

A special thank you to Stacy Salvatori Photography for capturing this special memory.

As I sit here a few weeks before Thanksgiving, I was taken back to November of 2016 , a moment in time where our family sat around the table to share ideas and plans for the future of The Farm. I think about this time of year and how many people have memories around their tables, sometimes good and sometimes not, but they are memories that shape who we are and who we become. The table pictured here, is filled with history. My Mom and Grandmothers china, delicious apple dumplings from my Grandmother Meyers recipe dating back to the 1950’s and a beautiful table made by my Father-in-Law from the old 1800’s barn wood that we took down when we restored the barn. At that time, none of us knew what the future held, but from this moment forward my family walked beside me every step of the way with God directing my steps. He had planted a seed, that I could not stop thinking about, weddings in the barn.

They all sat beside me at this table and many others to listen to the thoughts and ideas that I had for The Farm. They never once doubted me, they never once challenged me, even when I may have gotten it wrong, they just kept coming along side of me and helping me every step of the way. I’m filled with more gratitude that I can even share for these amazing people that I get to call my family. Gratitude by definition is “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” I wish in my heart that each one of them knew just how thankful I am. My husband, my children, my in-laws and my Dad live here at The Farm and all play an active role in supporting this family business. I can truly say that its only through God’s love and grace that we care for each other so deeply. Even though most of the work that they do is behind the scenes, they are truly one one of the main reasons the Farm is such a special place.

So many people thought we were absolutely crazy, but somewhere deep in my heart I knew that God was paving the way to use this beautiful farm for His glory. So today, and everyday moving forward, I thank God for all that He has done here. From the people that He has brought here and the people that He has taken away, this small business has challenged my faith in more ways than I can even share, but I’m beyond grateful for each experience. We are humbled and grateful with each passing day. To be able to continue a piece of my families heritage with the bakery, while getting to serve couples on their Wedding Day, its truly a dream job come true. It warms my heart to think of all of the memories shared around the many tables here each and every weekend. To this day, people always ask me, “I’m not sure what it is, but this place is just so beautiful and peaceful.” I can only say it’s the Lord, “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God dwell in Zion…”. Joel 3:17. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we live on Zion Hill Rd.

We hope and pray that in the chaos of the world, that you find light in the darkness. That you spend time with those you love, sitting around the table and being present in the moment.

In our family, its ok to just have Apple Dumplings for dinner! So I would encourage you all, to start a new tradition this year and try some for dinner or order some amazing pies to create the sweet ending to your gatherings this holiday seaon. You will not be disappointed.

With much love and sincere gratitude,

Becca Lynde

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Order your Thanksgiving Desserts by emailing

bakery@thefarmbakeryandevents.com

or clicking the menu below.

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“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the Lord Himself is God;

it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

and His faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 100: 1-5