The Couple That Coffees Together…

The Couple That Coffees Together…

When it came time to add a special, personalized touch to their wedding, Erica and Paul Campbell turned to Trade.
by Team Trade | February 26, 2019

When it came time to add a special, personalized touch to their wedding, Erica and Paul Campbell turned to Trade.

When Erica and Paul Campbell were planning their December 8 wedding, they started at the end — with coffee. For this South Pasadena, California couple, the beverage was far more than just an afterthought, it was a focal point. “When we were dating, we drank a lot of coffee. We are both sober, so instead of meeting at a bar, we would spend our time at coffee shops around LA.” Erica told us. “So when our venue had a little spot, my husband had the idea to make it a coffee bar.”

“We noticed at other weddings and events, the coffee from the catering company was always underwhelming.”

Erica Campbell

But no ordinary coffee would do: “We noticed at other weddings and events, the coffee from the catering company was always underwhelming.” And that’s where Trade came in! “We have been loving Trade, because it gets delivered right to the door,” Erica said of the decision to apply that ease of ordering to her wedding day.

The bride, and owner and designer of Be a Heart, asked a neighborhood barista to work the coffee bar (bonus: he recognized several party guests, for added local flair) and stocked it with pour overs from Tandem Coffee Roasters “because I had just gotten it from Trade for my morning coffee and fell in love” and Onyx Coffee Lab Cold Brew — Paul’s choice.

"… a wedding costs a fortune and the coffee bar doesn’t have to.”

In addition to guaranteeing their coffee surpassed marginal wedding standards, there was another advantage to the couple’s hands-on approach: “Everything for a wedding costs a fortune and the coffee bar doesn’t have to,” Erica told us. “Renting a coffee cart can get pricey. So we purchased the coffee from Trade, hired our favorite barista, and bought really beautiful pour over stands that we now get to use in our home.”


“Paul and I met at our mutual friends’ housewarming party. I had been eyeing him, but didn’t know what to say,” the bride told us of this couple’s near missed connection. “I said I needed to say 'bye' to the kids playing around the corner, but I mostly wanted to walk past Paul. When it was really time to go, I asked if he’d like to meet for coffee the following week,” which led to their first date.


“Almost every activity we did while dating started with coffee. We took our engagement photos at the coffee shop at the end of my street, because we spent so much time there.”

“Now that we are married and living together, our morning coffee is our favorite time together,” the bride said. “One of us starts the day with an act of love — making the pour over and bringing coffee to bed for the other person.”

“My wedding planner couldn’t understand why I was asking the barista to be there at the start of the cocktail hour,” Erica explained. “I was like ‘Well, people will want coffee for the whole reception.’”

“We got so many comments after the wedding about how much everyone loved the coffee bar. Some of our friends who didn’t dance found a little spot at the coffee bar to sit and have more intimate conversations.”

— Photo Credit: Sylvie Rosokoff, Sylvie the Camera

_— Additional Photo Credit: Hannah Hoggatt, _ _Hannah Hoggatt Photography _

Follow Us @tradecoffeeco

Make great coffee at home. Support awesome roasters around the country.