Elizabeth Furnace Reviews

Elizabeth Furnace is a spectacular wedding venue! A historic property that has been beautifully restored and maintained, it offers multiple gorgeous spaces that will make your wedding unique no matter what time of year or what the weather.

We had planned a May wedding, having visited and seen the lovely gardens in bloom. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to change the date to November. And it was still beautiful. We had our ceremony in the tiered garden behind the historic house. The garden is surrounded by an old stone wall and a wing of the house that is topped by a bell tower. When our vows were completed, the bell was rung to announce the the happy news. The garden is also perfect for cocktails (there’s a bar built into the stone wing, right below the bell tower) and lawn games. We had a small wedding, and the weather was warm, so we ate out in the garden as well. The stone walls were illuminated all around us, and we added some string lights over the table. It was magical. (An old stone outhouse has even been converted into two modern restrooms.)

Had it rained or been cold, we could have chosen from two great options. The stables of the property have been converted into a first-class wedding space. There’s a kitchen for the caterer, a modern dressing room for the bride with all the mirrors and comforts one could want. The smooth concrete floor is perfect for dancing, and the space, with its exposed stone walls, is lovely.

The Charcoal Barn (the property was an iron furnace that produced munitions for the Revolutionary War) is a more rustic space, but also beautiful. We would have happily used it for our ceremony.

Our guests loved exploring the historic property which offers many features that made for great photo opportunities.

EF was as perfect as any wedding could ever host. The guest were happy, the service, food and grounds were amazing. Everything was on time and stress free. It was seamless service in a beautiful setting. JDK staff pulled off a day of a life time. A spacious venue but with a cozy feel. Plus the luck of good weather, what more can you ask for?

Choosing Elizabeth Furnace as our wedding venue was the best decision we could have made! Our entire experience, from the initial planning to the big day itself, exceeded all our expectations, resulting in an experience that was nothing short of perfection. The property itself is a true gem – meticulously manicured and unlike anything else in the area. Its unique blend of elegant, gardenesque charm and contemporary touches left us in awe. From the beautifully appointed bridal suite and cozy groom's suite to the enchanting gardens and the classy reception space, this venue was a dream come true. The venue also offered a multitude of unique photo opportunities around every corner, ensuring that our wedding album is filled with stunning memories against a backdrop of natural beauty and architectural elegance. One of the things we loved most was the seamless and all-inclusive experience provided by JDK for catering. Working with Alyssa, both for the venue and catering, was an absolute pleasure. Her unwavering attention to detail, warm and approachable demeanor, and genuine excitement to be part of our wedding day made all the difference. Elizabeth Furnace made our wedding day truly unforgettable. It's a place where timeless beauty meets modern elegance, and we couldn't be happier with our choice. If you're looking for a venue that will surpass your wildest dreams, this is it. Thank you, Elizabeth Furnace, for helping us create a day we will cherish forever!

We couldn’t have found a more perfect venue. Everything about Elizabeth Furnace was a dream! The gardens are so unique and we got such great photos out there. We didn’t get to say “I Do” in the gardens due to rain but the Charcoal Barn was just as beautiful. Our guests couldn’t believe that was our back up option! The reception barn was perfect, in addition to the bridal suite and grooms quarters! A cherry on top was the wonderful staff from JDK who made it so we didn’t have to lift a finger all day. They were very helpful throughout the day with making a decision about the rain, setting everything up just as we imagined, kept the day moving along according to schedule, and even did all the clean up at the end including putting everything in our cars so we truly could enjoy every last minute of our wedding. Our guests even mentioned how fun and helpful the staff were! 150% would recommend this venue and wish we could do it all over again!

I couldn't have asked for a better experience working with a venue! They were accommodating, helpful and of course, the property was well-maintained.

This fall, I attended the most spectacular wedding at Elizabeth Furnace. I have seen many venues in the PA/DE/NJ region, and Elizabeth Furnace stands out as one of the most beautiful venues I have ever experienced. The stunning estate offers a timeless elegance that is most unique, together with all the appropriate modern amenities. The grounds are meticulously manicured and the myriad of historic stone structures have been beautifully restored and provide a grand backdrop. My favorite was the stable adorned with magnificent chandeliers, where the dinner reception was held. The tiered lawns, perennial gardens and fruit trees made for a dramatically beautiful spot for the garden wedding and elegant cocktail reception. The menu was superb, and the event staff carefully orchestrated every detail with the greatest precision. It was a magical, unforgettable evening!

We had a beautiful fall wedding at Elizabeth Furnace and it was truly the magical experience I always hoped my wedding would be. The catering company has amazing food, the staff is so sweet and helpful, and the grounds are breathtaking! If you go with Elizabeth Furnace for your special day you and your guests will have an experience they will always remember in the best way!

Book this place immediately! I actually had a guest telled me they loved the property so much they wanted to live there:) As a backdrop for photos it is amazing, and the flow throughout the day and flexibility with backup areas for inclement weather were great. It is in a rural location so their was no noise or light pollution to worry about. The exclusive caterer (JDK) was one I would have picked anyways, and they were amazing. Highly recommend!

My husband and I only toured one place for our October wedding. We found Elizabeth Furnace's website during our initial planning process and immediately booked a tour. After touring the absolutely stunning grounds of Elizabeth Furnace, we knew we did not need to look any further. We canceled our other venue tours and booked with them the following week. Not only did the breathtaking grounds help with our decision, but the exclusive JDK group hosting as catering and event staff sealed the deal. On our wedding day, the bridal and groom's suites were the perfect size for getting ready and also spaced out so we were not running into each other before the ceremony. Many of our guests and family members approached us during and after the wedding stating how beautiful the venue was. We would not have been happier at any other venue.

My daughter was married at Elizabeth Furnace earlier this year. The entire venue is stunning -- the formal gardens, lush lawns, mature trees, and the myriad of stone buildings. From getting ready, to the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception, the staff at JDK took care of every detail and executed flawlessly, leading to a relaxing and carefree day for all. Highly recommend Elizabeth Furnace!

We had our wedding at Elizabeth Furnace in May 2022. Julianna made the planning process so easy. The gardens are gorgeous with all the flowers blooming. I could not have asked for a better venue or team to help make my wedding dreams come true!

My husband and I had the pleasure of getting married at Elizabeth Furnace this past October and it was PERFECT! The venue was gorgeous and the staff was very accommodating throughout the entire wedding planning process. We were able to work easily with our coordinator to create the day that we had always imagined. The day of the wedding, the staff took care of the decorations and guests so that my husband and I could just simply enjoy our day and they did an amazing job! Their in-house decorations complimented our vision perfectly. Our guests are still talking about the beautiful setting and the delicious food. I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else; this venue is absolutely breathtaking! Highly recommend!!

My husband and I just had our wedding at Elizabeth Furnace and we are still on cloud 9 from the entire experience. The venue is gorgeous, unique, rustic, and incredibly well maintained. Our guests have been raving about its beauty since the day. It was easy to get to and had plenty of parking. The JDK catering group we worked with was incredibly professional, friendly, and experienced. They made the entire process easy and FUN for us. They were communicative and maintained a great attitude all year long. We looked forward to every visit to the venue. I wouldn't even know where to begin with describing the decorations and food! Everything was stunning and the food was "the best wedding food" many of our guests ever had. We would recommend Elizabeth Furnace and the JDK Group to any love birds looking for not only a gorgeous wedding venue but an amazing overall planning experience.

We hosted our daughter and son-in-law’s wedding at Elizabeth Furnace in September. The various historical buildings and formal gardens are STUNNING, and provide the flexibility to totally customize the day. We can’t wait for the photographs! The JDK team were very responsive and caring throughout the whole process, and the day-of execution was flawless. Bravo Elizabeth Furnace, and thank you for a wonderful, stress-free experience!

Elizabeth Furnace was everything I could have asked for for my daughters wedding. The minute we toured the venue we knew it was the perfect place for Eliza and Jeff to celebrate their wedding. The garden was perfect for cocktail hour, we also had a tent outside the stable with food stations and games. The guests could easily move from indoor air conditioning to mingling and games outdoors. The venue is absolutely stunning, with a mix between outdoor garden and beauty, historic architecture and with an updated modern facility. JDK was amazing, they were easy to work with, accommodating our ideas for a more mix and mingle event. The food was amazing and beautifully displayed. JDK also did the flowers for us, we requested wildflowers and again it was perfect for the vibe we were looking for. I would 100% recommend Elizabeth Furnace - It was the Best EVER!

We toured a dozen venues in the Philadelphia and Lancaster region, but once we saw Elizabeth Furnace we instantly knew we had found the perfect setting for our special day. EF really has it all aesthetically -- 4 tiers of manicured lawns with a beautiful assortment of flowering beds between the tiers, a dozen beautifully restored colonial-era stone buildings with slate and wood shingle roofs scattered throughout the property, and old-growth woodlands surrounding the 34-acre property. As my now husband and I are history buffs, we were excited to learn that the property was originally a colonial village built in the 1750's to support the iron furnace operation which made wood stoves and then munitions for the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The property's historical importance is reflected in the fact that it is one of only 2,000 Registered National Historic Landmarks in the country. Yet 4 years of meticulous updates to the property have transformed it into a full service wedding venue with all the requisite modern amenities. The bridal suite was very modern with floor to ceiling windows, an entire wall of mirrors and counter for makeup & hair, and comfy seating. The groom party had their own modern house to get ready. The reception stable was fully climate controlled which was important given that the weather was unusually hot that day. We were married outside in the tiered gardens, but it was extremely comforting to know that EF also has wonderful indoor options as well in case of rain. The JDK team was a pleasure to work with from the outset and took care of every detail. They are the venue's exclusive caterer, and our guests all raved about the hors d'oeuvres and food. In addition, we used them for bar service, flowers, tables, chairs and table settings. All their products and services were top-notch, and it seemed so much less stressful than hiring individual vendors for those services. They also provided a day-of-event lead which saved us from hiring and paying for an outside wedding coordinator. While we at first thought JDK's quote seemed a little high, we came to the conclusion that they were really a good value when we took the time to understand all the other products and services that were included in addition to the food catering. In summary, I can't recommend Elizabeth Furnace highly enough. The property is truly unique and JDK was a joy to work with. We couldn't have asked for anything more - Thank you! And if you have guests from out of town, Rock Lititz Hotel and The Wilbur are two recently constructed hotels 5 minutes down the road in Lititz. Our guests thought the hotels were great, and Lititz is a quaint, walkable town with wonderful food options and artisan shops. In 2013 it was voted "Coolest Small Town in America"!

I had the pleasure of getting married at Elizabeth Furnace over the summer. Working with the team from the venue was seamless, and in the light of COVID they were so accommodating and gracious. We picked Elizabeth Furnace because not only was it so beautiful, but there were many options for where we could have the reception and ceremony, outdoor and indoor options for both. This was important to me because having everything outdoors makes me nervous knowing it could downpour. Knowing that if it rained we could easily have an equally beautiful wedding inside as we would outside took a lot of stress off my shoulders. We ended up getting married in the stunning, lush Coleman Gardens (it was always a dream of mine to get married in a garden) and having our reception on the lawn due to COVID rules. My husband loved the grooms quarters for him and his boys, and the bridal suite had everything my girls and I needed to prepare for the day, including a whole wall of mirrors with a countertop for doing makeup and hair, a kitchenette, private bathroom, and couches to relax. Our pictures turned out better than I could have hoped for thanks to a wide variety of backdrops this property provides, like the stone walls of the barns, barn doors, woods, gardens, the wrap-around porch, and pond—there is not a single angle at this venue that doesn’t have wonderful photo opportunity. I want to thank the team at Elizabeth Furnace for all the care and attention to detail on our big day. It truly was the best day of our lives, and surely we could not have pulled it off without all of them working so incredibly hard behind the scenes. I highly recommend this venue to anyone and everyone wanting a magical, stress-free day; you will not regret it!

Elizabeth Furnace was a dream come true for us! JDK (the caters that come with the venue) were also incredible. We live 2.5 hours away from the venue so our planner, Andrea, was willingly to work with us and meet over Zoom for most of our meetings. She made sure the details of our wedding were taken care. The venue is stunning. We were married in the tiered gardens mid April…. Everything was blooming and made for gorgeous photos. It poured on and off the day of my wedding and they let me make the final decision about having it outside within 3.5 hours of the start time. We took a gamble and held it outside and it paid off! The food and cocktails were amazing! Loved that this venue was a BYOB… we were able to take back unopened bottles to our local store and got money back which we all know you usually never get money back from a wedding. I also loved that we weren’t held to meet a minimum headcount. We had 75 guests there, while other venues in NJ that we looked at wanted 130 minimum head count. We only wanted closest family and friends there. The bridal suite was so accommodating. It looked like a beauty bar with wall to wall mirror, high stools, and electrical outlet in every spot. It also had a private bathroom for the bride abs bridesmaids to use and plenty of counter space and a mini fridge! I can not say enough about this place! It’s romantic, rustic, and charming and our guests raved about it and didn’t mind traveling outside of state to see this gorgeous vision of a venue!
Love, Heather and Don Grasso

I had a few challenges with communication other than that I will always recommend this venue. It was truly a spectacular day and the venue is absolutely stunning.

So glad we chose to have our wedding here! Effortless, charming, and unique are some apt words to describe Elizabeth Furnace. Not stuffy or overly rustic. I think the atmosphere contributed a lot to everyone feeling relaxed and happy.

Some things to point out about the place as you look for a venue that works for you:
-nice large parking lot - an often-underappreciated feature of a venue. Didn't want guests showing up stressed because of transport/parking challenges!
-road noise. If you choose to use the Coleman gardens there is a little but not bad.
-super cool getting ready rooms. The girls room has great natural light, moveable furniture that your makeup artist and photographer will thank you for, and plenty of mirrors with ~qUaliTy~ beauty lighting. And the decor in the guys room is gold. But note these rooms are not designed for large bridal parties!
-long walkways and a few steps. This only applies to the garden area but might need to think about workarounds if you have disabled guests since there are a few shallow steps to enter the garden, and no stilettos because of the gravel.
-red accents and photo spots. I just wanna say I was kinda meh about the red accents at first and felt like it limited my color scheme options, but they look really good in pictures. And the variety of textures and little nooks in this place yielded such a fun gallery (thanks to some great photographers @carina.danielle).

This property is managed exclusively by JDK events. At a high level, JDK provides food, furnishing, linens, small decor items, and staff in their package. I was skeptical at first, but I think it was definitely good value now. The food was excellent; guests are still telling me how good it was. All staff was incredibly polite and professional. We especially liked the bartender for her fun personality! Our event coordinator Lexi was a pleasure to work with and had great presence of mind the day-of. Great at interacting with excited moms and an indecisive bride. My only regret is not having a more complete understanding of what's provided earlier on in the planning process (e.g. JDK will set up your personal decor items for you, move things between ceremony and reception, etc.).

Overall a wonderful experience! Good luck to all the wedding planners and thank you EF! Now...off to go bother my dear husband...