Baby Lucia Visits Her Family Tree
October 4, 2024
It’s always a pleasure to welcome Rebecca and Dan back to the Inn, but their visit on October 4th was especially meaningful. For the first time since her arrival at the end of last year, the beloved couple brought their beautiful baby girl, Lucia, to visit their Woodsgate family tree.
Now about nine months old, Lucia was beautifully dressed for the fall day, the copper and tan tones of her autumn gown emphasizing the red highlights of her baby-fine hair.
Dan and Rebecca looked lovely as always, glowing as they always have, both as a couple and now as a full-time mom and dad.
Climbing the stairs to Woodsgate’s ceremony site, this time with Lucia in company, Rebecca and Dan experienced a new wave of emotions, glimpsing the woodland sanctuary that has seen so many “I-do’s” over Stroudsmoor’s four decades in a new light.
“We were overwhelmed with happiness and nostalgia!” our beloved bride said. “Woodsgate is such a beautiful venue and it is so special every time we visit, but bringing our daughter Lucia there for the first time made this visit extra special! As our family grows, our connection to Stroudsmoor grows with it.”
Just as we’ve been blessed to add Dan and Rebecca to Stroudsmoor’s ever-growing family tree, Rebecca reminisced on just how quickly the DiStasio family has grown in the three short years since hers and Dan’s Woodsgate nuptials.
“We first revisited Stroudsmoor as newlyweds, then while we were pregnant, and again with Lucia and each visit has been memorable in its own special way! Bringing our daughter to the place where we started our lives together takes the cake!”
The DiStasio Family Grows at Stroudsmoor
Just as Stroudsmoor values the growth of its family and the Pirones who founded it four decades ago, so too do we thrive on the growth of the families whose roots lie here.
Rebecca, thinking about the significance of Lucia’s first visit, shared, “While we can’t even fathom thinking about our infant daughter as a grown adult just yet, I thought [during the visit] how amazing it would be if Lucia herself married at Stroudsmoor one day!”
The former bride further added, following Miss Lucia’s visit to her family tree, “We hope to bring her, and her future siblings, back to Stroudsmoor many times throughout their life so they are familiar with the place their mommy and daddy got married!”
Though three years have passed since Dan and Rebecca shared their “I-do’s” at our beloved Woodland Chapel, we—like them—still reminisce on that very special day. Rebecca and Dan, however, following the birth of their baby girl, look back on their wedding day now in a new light, reflecting good-naturedly on what mattered most to them three years ago versus now, living and learning life with their baby girl.
Looking back, “I think as we’ve become parents,” the couple reflected, “we’ve truly realized not to sweat the small things.”
A person’s wedding day can certainly become stressful, but when you put it all in perspective on a grand scale, Rebecca explained, “All of the things we worried about on our wedding day: florals, music, food, even dresses and suits, while it did create for a beautiful day and moment, truly didn’t matter on the day that bonded us forever.”
She continued, “What truly mattered, and still matters, is the commitment we were making to each other! We’ve learned to not let ourselves be overwhelmed if things don’t go as planned, take each day and moment as it comes, and grow with the changes we experience.”
DiStasio, Party of THREE
Dan & Rebecca Welcome Baby Lucia to the Stroudsmoor Family
March 23, 2024
Nearly three years have passed since Dan and Rebecca DiStasio celebrated their Woodsgate wedding with us at Stroudsmoor. Since then, life has been busy for the couple, buying their first home, adopting a puppy, and, most recently, welcoming their first child, a baby girl, into their growing family! Below see pictures of their sweet girl, Lucia Lee DiStasio, born on December 30th, 2023 at 12:03 a.m., just in time to celebrate the New Year!
Reflecting on their newest adventure, Rebecca shared,
“[Lucia] came a little earlier than expected but she was healthy, happy and has been since! She is now almost 3 months old and is growing so (too) quickly!”
The new mom also spoke about what life has been like with Lucia, and how hers and Dan’s relationship has grown since becoming parents.
“At the time of our wedding, we knew children would be in our future but we weren’t quite ready yet. However, Dan and I have always made a great team! Before being parents, we always picked up each other on the hard days, taking on chores or “to-do’s” that the other couldn’t handle due to rough days or a busy schedule. We truly have always balanced each other out. After finding out I was pregnant and then having our daughter, that bond has only grown stronger!”
As many parents know, welcoming a baby into the world can take a toll on a couple’s relationship, the responsibilities of caring for a tiny human clashing with the time the new parents once used to focus on each other. Dan and Rebecca, however, have been very successful in balancing their roles as new parents with their love and devotion to each other.
“I tell Dan all the time that this is my favorite version of us. It feels like we are exactly where we should be. We feel complete!
Of course, life with a newborn can be hard, but we never once felt like we couldn’t lean on each other during the tough times. They say a lot of couples fall into the ‘roommate phase,’ where the parents just kind of co-exist, letting the spark between them temporarily burn out, but we have only felt our spark grow even brighter!”
Not long before welcoming Lucia Lee into the world, Dan and Rebecca returned to the Inn, where they visited the ceremonial tree that they planted on the day of their wedding. That was in the fall, immediately following their second wedding anniversary. This spring, as the DiStasios’ baby girl continues to grow and thrive, we hope to see the couple back at the Inn, and meet Dan and Rebecca again, this time as parents, not only husband and wife.
Rebecca concluded, “I love being a mom. I love watching Dan be a dad. I feel like I am doing exactly what I was meant to do in life. I am fully soaking in this amazing time with our little girl, and plan to for a while, but I can’t wait to watch our family, and the bond between Dan and I, grow over the years!”
Babies Abound: Another Stroudsmoor Couple will Welcome a New Family Addition this New Year
Dec. 14, 2023
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Rebecca and Dan Distasio, though not just because we’re rejoicing in the holiday season. This winter, the Stroudsmoor couple is also preparing for the arrival of their first baby—a little girl.
The Distasios were married at Stroudmoor’s Woodland Chapel on October 30th, 2021, celebrating their reception at our oldest venue, Woodsgate. Two years after their grand celebration, Rebecca Distasio reached out to her former Event Planner, Linda, to share all of the joyous updates in her life since hers and Dan’s wedding day.
In an email to Stroudsmoor Country Inn‘s Director of Event Operations, Rebecca boasted that even two years after saying “I do,” she and Dan are “still dreaming about [their] picture perfect day!”
Following their vows and a tropical honeymoon in Jamaica, Rebecca and Dan have been busy building their own life and family. The mama-to-be shared that since their woodland affair, “we have since adopted a puppy, bought our first home and are now expecting a baby girl this January.” She added, “crazy how much can happen in a short amount of time!”
With so many exciting things happening at once, Rebecca and Dan decided to return to the Inn, enjoying lunch together at The Moor and paying a visit to the ceremonial tree they planted at their wedding. After their visit to the Inn, they wrote to their former planner:
Dear Linda,
We can’t thank you enough for the wonderful lunch at the Inn! We are so grateful and blessed to be a part of the Stroudsmoor family! We hope you are doing well and that we get to see you soon! Enjoy your holiday season.
Love,
Rebecca & Dan Distasio
See photos of their growing family below.
At the Inn, our Event Planning team strives to give each and every one of our couples their dream fairytale wedding. For the Distasios, that vision not only became reality, but it also set them up for the next chapter of their Happily Ever After.
Speaking with Linda, Rebecca gushed, “Married life is amazing. We are truly each other’s best friend and are so incredibly happy together.” After playing such a huge part in the Distasios’ wedding, we’re happy to see all of the big ways their story has continued.
When Dan and Rebecca grew their little family by four furry feet last year, they couldn’t have predicted their (now) not-so-little puppy Luigi would become a big brother so soon. Nor could anyone foresee just how excited he would be for his little sister’s arrival.
Other photos show Dan and Rebecca with their happy pup outside their very first home—but this photo is extra sweet because it also features Rebecca’s growing baby bump, as well as baby girl’s ultrasound photos.
More recently, the couple also celebrated their baby shower in preparation of Baby Girl Distasio’s January arrival, which Mama-to-Be said is “coming so quickly.”
Rebecca Strelec & Daniel DiStasio are Married at Woodsgate
"From the décor to the food, every single detail created our dream wedding."
Rebecca and Daniel were married on a gorgeous autumn day in the Woodland Chapel at Woodsgate. Woodsgate is the oldest and most historic of the Inn’s 24 buildings. Once a barn for winter storage, Woodsgate is now restored to invoke a rustic-chic vibe for many a couple seeking a natural environment for their celebrations.
We have taken the past couple days to unwind from our amazing day and are finally settled at our Honeymoon destination, Jamaica! We just needed to reach out to you and thank Stroudsmoor for EVERYTHING! Our wedding day was absolutely, beyond perfect. From the décor to the food, every single detail created our dream wedding.
We are on absolute cloud 9 and we owe it all to you! You made the wedding planning process seamless, organized and very fun! Every question I ever had was promptly answered and I was always reassured that our vision would come to life. The day-of service was absolutely amazing.
We had so many guests RAVING about the food and many of them said it was the best, most unique wedding they’ve been to yet! We can’t thank you enough for all of the work you put into our wedding day. We are so grateful to have had a great, hardworking team behind us at Stroudsmoor. From the beautiful floral and décor, to the readiness to answer all questions, to the comforting personalities that helped me stay extra calm throughout the day. Huge shout out to Belkis as well who was absolutely incredible, always making sure we were well fed and had a drink in our hand!
I will forever treasure our wedding day. The rain let up, the sun came out, and apart from a few chilly gusts of wind, it was the best possible weather we could’ve asked for in Late October! Thank you for storm-watching and ensuring we’d have a beautiful ceremony no matter the weather, but we were ECSTATIC to be able to use the beautiful Woodland chapel!
I also want to thank you for handling our gigantic bridal party with ease. We have a great group of friends behind us, but it can get hectic no matter how well-behaved everyone is! They truly appreciated all of the guidance and help you provided throughout the rehearsal and wedding day processes.
WE LOVE YOU! I could go on and go thanking you up and down for every little detail, but please know that you are all so incredible. Stroudsmoor is an absolutely beautiful property and business with even more beautiful people behind the scenes. We are so, so grateful and couldn’t have had the amazing day we did without you.
Please let us know if there is a place that we could leave a raving review, as you absolutely deserve it.
Thank you all so, so much again.
Wishing you all the best,
The New Mr. & Mrs. DiStasio!!!!!
Vendors and Services Provided
| Officiate | Eve Wagner |
| Photographer | Will & Dee Photography |
| Videographer | Frankie Carll Productions at Stroudsmoor |
| Floral and Décor | Stroudsmoor Floral and Décor |
| Reception Entertainment | Frankie Carll Productions at Stroudsmoor |
