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Being a Pittsburgh kid myself, I was most enlightened to discover that the lovely little farm of Destiny Hill Farm, {growing lavender, flowers & berries} is just outside of Washington, PA {slightly to the southeast  of Pittsburgh}.  When KC Bell & Mike Fritz set out to plan their day, tops on the  list was the overall feel for everyone, that of a sweet summer’s day where folks could kick up their heels, dancing or even frolicking in the fields around them!  The barn was draped in low hung light strands while tables were dressed in burlap with accents of pewter plates.  Perfect country touches were everywhere from the absolutely gorgeous silver cake base to the twin ladders strung escort card display {love this!}.  Our sweet couple embodied that of country chic, while KC was the vision of perfection in a Melissa Sweet gown with barrel curl locks that gently tumbled down her back.  KC & Mike’s wedding was the perfect amount of country & brilliant amount of chic!

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What Storyboard Likes…

Color As An Accent– More often that not couple’s focus on a color and the next thing you know their wedding looks like that of an homage to said hue.  Such is not the case with KC & Mike’s country perfect wedding!  While purple is indeed the color of choice, its how it was used that really makes it stand out.  Sure the girls were clad in flowing floor length purple gowns, but beyond that you would be hard pressed to find a solid shade, instead sweet tonal ranges of purple used in just the right places.  The lavender fields naturally provide a gorgeous soft light purple glow, while items like the floral arrangements weren’t afraid to sample a few different saturations of the purple hue.  Mixing deep purples with light as well as buds that only show off a touch of purple at the tips of the petals.  Even the sweet Petit Gâteau {wedding cake} is given the purple ombre touch with shades of cream, lilac & lavender!  The overall effect is purple as an accent color & it couldnt be more gorgeous in its restraint!

Bull By The Horns– Out with the deer antlers and in with the bulls head!  I have stopped myself from making no less then 20 bull by the horns jokes and I think I should be applauded for this!  I must say however, while I am a huge fan of the deer antlers, I am looooving the bull’s head!  I think the thing I love most about KC & Mike’s using this lil guys as their prop, bull’s heads defiantly have such a strong old west influence, that their chic bridal style almost elevates the bulls head and in a very unique & gorgeous way, the two different worlds work beautifully together!  Nothing beats a great prop and KC & Mike found the perfect one to toy with!

Simply Sweet {Bridal Style}– I can’t get enough of KC’s bridal style.  I have to imagine that KC is the vision  that a lot of bride’s get in their mind hoping to achieve when their day comes.  Simple yet sophisticated, elegant yet playful.  The Melissa Sweet gown is absolutely lovely on KC’s slender frame with just the right amount of drama in the fabric pulls & florishes.  Wanting not to over complicate things, KC kept it light in the jewelry department, pairing the gown with pair of lovely drop earrings that beautifully meshed into her barrel curl locks.  Keeping with a more rustic country feel, KC simply allowed her hair to be worn loosely down with only a few choice pieces held back.  Her makeup was kept light which is oh so very important ladies!  When you have such a young lovely face there is no need to cover it all up  in heavy makeup!  There is an elegance & sophistication to KC’s look, one that I can see many a future bride pinning away to provide inspiration for herself!

 

Novella of the Bride…

Mike and KC are both Pittsburgh natives. We went to high school together, but didn’t start dating until several years later when we reconnected in Washington, DC while we were both living there after college.

We wanted our wedding to feel very laid back and welcoming- a fun summer day with all our loved ones.  Mike and I first visited the farm with our families in the cold winter months. If you have ever been to Pittsburgh- you can imagine the grey, cloudy skies. Needless to say it was hard to image what the farm would look like for our wedding reception, but we had a vision of a beautiful summer day, surrounded by our families and friends in a place where everyone could walk around and enjoy the scenery.

We had a ton of help from both of our families. My Mom and Mother-in-law both helped us collect family wedding day photographs to display the day of the wedding. I can still remember my Mom working so hard to find ladders to display the photos and helping to decorate the farm. The day before the wedding all my nieces and nephews ages 2-15 came to the farm to help decorate. They loved running around the farm, riding on a golf cart with Mimi York (the coordinator at the farm) and watching the horses. These special touches made us feel right at home. I imagine most weddings you show up and everything is already prepared-this wasn’t the case with our wedding. Our families put a lot of time and effort into making the farm feel like our own. When we arrived we felt like we were being welcomed home. The staff at Destiny Hill were all lined up to greet us when we arrived- it really made us feel special. Mimi York from Destiny Hill Farm was amazing to work with along with the Cameron Family- the owners of Destiny Hill Farm. They really went out of their way to make our day everything we imagined.  Also our very dear friend Joe Olivito designed our wedding invitations. His creative ideas and  invitations (and save-the-dates) gave us the so many ideas in terms of the look and feel we wanted for our wedding.

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “My favorite moment was getting ready to walk down the aisle with my Dad by my side. It was such a special moment when I saw Mike.”

Vendor Love

Ceremony Venue: St. Louise de Marillac Parish | Reception Venue: Destiny Hill Farm  | Wedding Dress: Melissa Sweet | Hair: Caruso Hair & Esthetics | Makeup: Origins | Groom’s Suit: Men’s Warehouse  | Invitations: {Joe Olivito}In Love With Love Invitations  | Music: Kelli B Entertainment | Florist: Pete Donati & Sons and Destiny Hill Farm  | Caterer: The Golf Club of Washington  | Baker: Prantl’s Bakery | Photographer: Pat Furey Photography