Bello Wedding Day

Fredericksburg Baptist Church

Ceremony at Fredericksburg Baptist Church

Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont

Reception at Belmont

Our Wedding

In the year of 2022, there was a northern boy, and a southern girl, who crossed paths during a time only God could orchestrate. Luke was fresh out of college and had just begun a new job in Upstate New York, working as a sales agronomist for Timac Agro. He was living in a small apartment on his own, away from his family. On the contrary, I was living in Northern Virginia surrounded by family, and had been building a career for the past few years with the Department of Corrections. Over the Christmas holiday, Luke drove down to Virginia to check on his Aunt's farm. On the very last day of his trip, we found each other on a Christian app, and began a phone conversation while Luke was driving the 8 hours back north. Due to the distance and logistics, we instantly decided to stay friends instead of pursuing anything romantic...and then proceeded to talk on the phone for 5 hours every single day for the next 5 months. May of 2023 rolled in, and this was getting to be ridiculous! We were best friends at this point, but had never met in person, yet spent hours conversing about our commonalities, values, faith in God, church history, hunting, shooting sports, hobbies, politics, dreams, hardships, bucket list items, career goals and countless other conversation topics. I found quickly that Luke enjoyed debating topics, and his knowledge of history was extensive. He was easy to talk to, and every chat felt like an "iron sharpening iron" conversation, where we were learning, challenging, and sharing information constantly. He was genuine, humble, and passionate about many topics. We decided it was time for a meet and greet, a friendly hike through the Shenandoah mountains (yes, my mother thought he might be a serial killer; I had to convince her otherwise). We spent the day walking through the woods, jumping over streams, and chatting as normal. Mind you, neither of us had shared even a hint of romance, so we both assumed it was a platonic outing. I came home and told my mom he had no interest in me, and we were sincerely just friends, although I was disappointed. The next day, he decided to take a chance and flip the whole script with a goodbye kiss. That was just the beginning of the whirlwind to follow. He got in his truck, drove back to New York, called his boss and requested a transfer, got the transfer approved, and moved to Virginia a couple weeks later. After a year of dating, we eloped in May of 2024, with the intention of having a family wedding at a later date. We went to Washington, D.C., signed the paperwork, and walked out of the courthouse as Mr. and Mrs. Bello! It was a very simple process to get our marriage license filed, there was no ceremony, exchange of vows, or formalities other than our signatures required, per law. However, it has always been important to us that we say our vows in the presence of friends, family and the Lord as our witness, and we are so thrilled that we finally have this opportunity to do so in a church, surrounded by everyone we love. We have already been working on creating a beautiful life with our two little fur babies, enjoying the vegetable garden Luke planted, and settling into Fredericksburg over the last year and a half. We are so excited for what the future holds next! And they lived happily ever after.

Once Upon A Time...

Our Story

Photos

20+ years of friendship! Former Junior Olympic swimming champion, current nurse, wife, and mom of three, sings like a bird in church, and makes incredible baked goods with a sourdough starter from the 1800's. We were practically raised together, as we went to the same school, church, and youth group, and we've got more embarrassing photos and memories than this website can hold. 

Jillian Tulowitzky (Fritsch)

25+ years of friendship! Wife and award-winning marathon runner, surpassed Dave Ramsey for financial planner of the year, and can quote all 3,000 Disney songs by heart! Became lifelong besties and neighbors after 5 year old Monica kept showing up at my door asking if I wanted to play. She enjoys Marvel movie marathons, treacherous hikes through rocky Appalachia, and Kraft Mac & cheese. 

Monica Kamin (Noffsinger)

11+ years of friendship! Sister-in-love, bookworm, mom to Paisley, and Catan champion for 5 years in a row. We were friends at church before my brother had the audacity to steal her from me and marry her. She's now an Air Force wifey, missions coordinator, master mover and packer, and coffee lover no matter what time of day. 

Lauren Fees (Bennett)

28+ years of being cousins! Cat mom to the infamous Pippa and Lulu, classy fashionista, and world traveler. We have fond memories of family reunions in Pennsylvania, with fireworks gone wrong and wrestling greased pigs at the county fair. Nowadays we sing together, explore new cities, and spend quality time with the fam.

Julianna Notto

16+ years of friendship! Taco Bell is life, wife and mom of three, moved to Florida and befriended all of the alligators. Went from enemies in 8th grade to besties in 9th grade. She enjoys makeup, Boba tea trucks, and a girl's night out with all the delicacies a true foodie loves.

Paige Kettell (Chappell)

24+ years of being twins! Defender of the faith and western values. Unofficial Ambassador to the Empire of Japan. Will happily engage in any conversation related to religion, politics, and the social revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Cole Bello

Best buds since 7th grade! National Guardsman, expert marksman, loves a good Traditional Latin Mass, friend of the forest, and destroyer of squirrels. Always ready for an adventure, no matter how stupid the plan is. 

Jon Paolillo 

25+ years of being the bride's little brother! USAF C-17 Pilot, husband and father. Founder of NVDMD - Northern Virginian Dads Metal Detecting (members are Fred Fees & Dan Bennett). Also enjoys a good karaoke night and spending 800+ hours on Call of the Wild.

James Fees

3+ years of friendship, loyal husband of the Maid of Honor. Awesome father of a small army and still recruiting, HVAC magician, lover of the outdoors and our very own personal untelevised sportscaster. Probably somewhere throwing a frisbee and calling it golf. Master of all dad jokes.

Nathan Tulowitzky

Cousin of the bride for 24+ years! A humble, sporting gentleman, who engages in the habitual observation of local NatCaps. A diligent worker, with a sharp sense of humor. Prefers to spend his free time on the ice and is definitely the most “chill” dude at this event. The world could be on fire, and Michael would still be cool.

Michael Gentry

Wedding Party

Q + A

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Thank you all for blessing us already! We do not have a registry setup as we are preparing to move soon and would prefer to purchase household necessities and all of our furniture afterwards. We would sincerely appreciate any contributions towards our cash fund. There will also be a gift box at the reception. Thank you so much!   Electronic Gifting Venmo: @Jenna-Marie-96

Jenna & Luke

Jenna & Luke

Q + A

What is the dress code?

Can I bring a guest or plus one?

Can I bring my kids?

Can I take pictures during the ceremony?

How about the food?