Young Love

Jeff Stoner Video

Meet Patti and Danny, a long long time ago and now!

These two were friends all through out their growing up years and there wasn't a dry eye in the house during their wedding at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes.

How cute are those matching bathing suits!!!!

I saw this on my friend Jeff Stoner's facebook, he video'ed their wedding, and I just knew it was too cute not to share with you!

(I totally think about the pictures of take of G and Z, and using them as blackmail at their wedding.... I wonder if Patti and Danny's parents thought that too?)

The Awesometastic Bridal Blog Loves Uncommon Goods

I am not gonna lie, we get tons of requests to post about random products. and most of the time, it's just same ole' same ole. Wine glasses, everyday favors, gifts that are just blah. So when when we got this email, I thought, with a roll of the eyes... it's the same thing as the one before, but it wasn't.

Uncommon Goods really sticks true to it's name, they have every wonderfully wacky thing in the book, plus some more!

We poured over their website and found so many great wedding gifts. (Okay, some of those gifts are for us. Reward yourself, right?) But the customized wedding poster and custom tree trunk wine box are our favorites! So fun!

It's the gift that keeps on giving with a wine section for your first, third and fifth wedding anniversaries.

I want to know what you think... is this something you'd want to get as a gift?

Helping Aaron

My Gorgeous Sister and Aaron

My personal Superhero, Awesometastic Man!

I cannot thank ya'll enough, we (our awesometastic readers, friends and all around amazing peeps)came together and helped a little boy that is near and dear to my heart!

We collected over 112 hats and jillions of toys- check out Aaron in his Avengers hat!

(Warning Sappy'ness ahead)

Aaron's Mommy is my sister's bestie, and this kid has come into my heart, and has tugged on my heartstrings in such a way that I just feel drawn to help, has that ever happened to you before?

Aaron is a new 5 year old little boy, and right now he wants to grow up and be Buzz Lightyear. He is the coolest, strongest, happiest, most courageous person I know! He has undergone spinal surgery to remove a tumor on his spine, Chemo for weeks, 2 bone marrow tests, countless days of Laser Beam therapy (Proton Radiation), has a radiation burn on his back as big as my 8 month old son, and still manages to melt my heart with his smile!

Your gifts, financially, toys, hats and snacks have been amazing!

And I just wanted to say thank you, again and again, from the bottom of my very touched heart. If you want to keep up with Aaron and his progress of kicking cancer's bottom, you can read more about him here - Aaron's Site.

Help Aaron!

Photo of Aaron by Yap Originals

Check out this handsome-sauce covered kid! His name is Aaron, and he has cancer. But cancer doesn't define who he is... Cancer is just a diagnosis he has. Aaron is a Buzz Light Year Loving. Lego mainiac kid you just want to squish with kisses.

He is doing better than when we original introduced you to him.

It was right around....here.

Aaron and I wearing like 6 hats each, and playing with toys from YOU!

We collected a TON of hats for Aaron and he has a great time playing dress up with his Mom and Brother.

Now, Aaron is undergoing his Proton Therapy (a form of Radiation) at Shands Jacksonville and I am going to travel up there the week of the 4th of July.

And the reason I am telling you all this is because I want to collect a TON of fun games and gift cards and games and puzzles and games... ya know, the stuff that 5 year old boys love!

So, I need your help. Send me gift cards, board games, card games, snacks whatever you'd like. He loved the stuff you sent last time, so do it again, and if you didn't get a chance to send stuff before, send it again. (the only thing I ask is that it is a new toy... we are concerned with germs)

Thanks again! You guys rock my socks off!!!

You can send the stuff to:

Hats On!
c/o Melissa DiStefano
2608 West US Hwy 90, Suite 102
Lake City, FL 32055

Tie the Knot

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While filling a vase with sand is great and symbolic you can't get much more real than literally tying a knot.

This couple is tying  a fisherman's knot, the strongest knot, which won't come undone even if the rope breaks and only gets tighter with pressure.

If you have done this at your wedding, I'd love to see pictures!!!!!!

How's that for awesometastic symbolism?!

Party Theme: Sprinkles!

So, I have an issue, I love sprinkles, lots of them... I really don't care of how they taste, but I could nuts using them as decor... so when I saw a sprinkle themed party, I sort of got a little too excited.



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This party theme really has no age requirements. Sprinkles could be used for any get together, baby shower, birthday party, bridal shower, you name it, sprinkles make any occasion colorful and tasty!

Any one with me on the fun'ness of sprinkles?

Cupcake Cake

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First of all, this cupcake cake is way too pretty for a one-year old!

Ok, we're just pouting because we want one. But really two-digit ages have more cupcakes, so that's a valid reason for having our own cupcake cake right now, right?

So maybe I can do this for my Fourttiesadhgdkafjgit.... (intentional typo)

I am still deciding what to do for Zachary's first birthday, maybe something like this? Maybe?

DIY Photobooth

Style Me Pretty

As much as we love a good photo booth, there's just something whimsical about a simple frame hung on a tree branch! Perfect for an outdoor wedding or party!

So sweet and Rustic Chic.

Don't forget you still need someone to take the pictures.

Icy Beverage Display



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A boat-load of drinks will keep all your guests well hydrated throughout the entire party, plus how cool does this display look for an outdoor cookout?

One of my favorite Destination Wedding Planners found this boat for one of her clients Rehearsal Dinner and I am in loooovvvve with it! What a great way to display your drinks have a fantastical conversation piece.

I am pretty sure you won't have to refill it a gazillion times!

Bridesmaid Proposals

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Your bridesmaids deserve their own proposal from you too, and what a better way to do it than a bottle of wine?! It's a cute keepsake that's personalized and it calls for immediate celebration!

And the best part, you get to drink it too, plus, plus plus.

How did you ask your bridesmaids?

Wedding Party Balloons

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I know I am jumping the shark, I totally do, but I love big fat overdone balloons!

Big, bright balloons add the perfect amount of pop (pun totally intended) to an otherwise basic wedding party photograph. It's a great prop you can have tons of fun with, and it also can mask any scene you may not want as a background in your photos.

Are you over the balloons, or do you love them as much as I do?

Fun Ice Cubes

Flower Cubes

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Get some citrusy goodness or just plain pretty cubes when the hot summer sun melts away the ice cubes in your party's punch bowl. Not to mention, how gorgeous is this presentation?!

So simple. What a great touch for a signature drink!

What do you think?

Proposal Photographed- Find Engaged Couple

I found this story via my sister, and she is the most unromantical person I know... so the story had to be special, if she was intrigued.

So I was intrigued.

An amateur photographer was practicing at the Washington Memorial when she spotted was she thought was going to be a proposal, and low and behold, it was!!!!!!!!!

So she photographed this very intimate moment, hoping the images would come out well. And now she wants to find the couple to give them their proposal pictures.

How sweet, right!

So, if you were proposed to, and this is you, someone is waiting to hear from you with your pictures!



Mini Food - Sliders, Beers and Sammies

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These bite-size savory treats are perfect for a groom's party or even a football get together. And those mini beer mugs, can you say awesometastic?!?!

I just can't get over how much I love mini food, mini grilled cheese, mini beer, mini soup, maybe becasue I feel like I can eat 98 of them and not feel guilty... okay, that's a slight exaggeration.

Am I alone in my love for mini food? Who's with me?

Bridesmaid Photography



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As the saying goes, sometimes it takes an army. (It really doesn't, a good wedding planner can get you into your gown lidkey split)

But this makes for a great picture of all the bridesmaids together for a more unposed picture. This way you get all the girls getting the bride ready.

HINT: Have all of your Bridesmaids be in their dresses when you get dressed, this way they aren't in PJ pants and a button down T-Shirt for pictures of you getting dressed.

Awesometastic Kid

Photo by: Verve Studio

It is great to have friends, dear, amazing, talented friends! Krystal of Verve Studio took this uber adorable photography of Zachary flying.

Believe it or not, our own little Superman turned 8 months this past week. I cannot believe how fast time is flying. Flying - get it... flying!

Our little family has grown by leaps and bounds, and so our our little blog! I feel SO blessed!

He's pretty stinkin' cute, right?

Save the Date with Paint

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Get a super cute save the date picture by making a fun day out of your engagement photoshoot with a giant white canvas or a wall and tons of paint!

I love this!!! There are so many Save the Date ideas and this is just clever and totally adorable!

Would you consider doing this for your Save The Date?

Wedding Monogram

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Love this idea of wearing a monogrammed necklace with your new initials at the reception!

Another thing we love about this monogram is that you can carry the monogram through your entire wedding, think about invitations, menu cards, cake, dance floor, return address labels, favors, yeah, we can go on and on....

Plus, what bride doesn't want a little more bling, right?!



Hanging Flowers



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A Simple BBQ, Rehearsal Dinner, Wild Flower themed wedding with a rustic chic feel, then we feel this decor is for you! How fun are these hanging bottles, it leaves you plenty of room on the table and has a rustic chic feel.

Sometimes you just want something different, and here you are. It would also be great with some local wild flowers.

What do you think?

Polaroid Guestbook

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Looking through all of the Polaroids later would be so much fun and a ton of laughs! Much more creative than a plain old guestbook!

The idea is to use this board as a place card board, and your guests will exchange their placecard for a poloroid of themselves, so it's sort of a placecard-photo-booth-guest-book-fun-time thingie.

Which I love, what do you think?

Sparkler Cupcakes



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These cupcakes just scream celebration! The simple cupcake liners and frosting also let the sparklers take center stage whether they're part of the menu at a wedding or a crazy cool birthday party!

You can turn the ordinary into extraordinary with a just a super fun touch, and plus 4th of July is right around the corner!

Succulent Bouquet

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How gorgeous is this bouquet?! Succulents in bouquets has been a big trend lately, and for a good reason, it's romantic and fresh!

This bouquet is great for many reasons, it's not a big ball of flowers, so it's unique in its form. But you can plant the succulents after the wedding, and keep them forever!

And you can't go wrong with an added peacock feather in the mix!



Baseball Strawberries

These would be awesometastic at a tailgate party or a rehearsal dinner if you or your honey were into sports, played sports or were a lover of all things baseball.

I think these would be fun for a DIY sports themed birthday party, perfect for summer! Yum!

What do you think?

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Wedding Flip Flops

Crank up the tunes and throw on your dancing shoes! No party should be held back by a pair of painful heels, but hey that's just our opinion.

One of our clients provided adorable bags for her guests to put their heels into, and we had a shoe check (instead of a coat check), and everyone put on a pair of flops and danced the night away.



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Mini Caprese Bites

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These mini caprese bites are perfect summer finger foods and look awesometastic on any party platter! We're pretty sure we could eat a whole plate of these in a couple minutes, okay seconds.

Are you up for mini food, or do you think it's a fad?

Mismatched Bridesmaids Dresses

There's something really unique about not having a completely uniform bridesmaid party.

The girls' personalities can shine through and they can wear a dress they'll feel confident in too, all while keeping the bride in the spotlight of course!



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What do you think, same dresses, unique dresses?

Real Weddings: Stephanie and Nick

Stephanie and Nick are simply classic and fun, and gorgeous. They got married in St. Augustine, strolled downtown the historic roads and alleys.

A gorgous day, with gorgous details and incredible memories!Dive into the depths of darkness in an elevator

Wedding Planners: MasterPiece Weddings
Venue: Casa Monica
Photographer: Footstone Photography
Linen and Floral Design: PRI Productions
DJ: Gnys Entertainment
Ceremony Music: String Group

Cake: Defores

Dinner Party

It is no secret that I love food, I love to bake and I love to eat. I love simple, and delicious food. But really, who does.

I can't lie though, I do occasionally enjoy some fru-fur french food.

I digress.

My dear friend Inge and I have been trying for almost a year to get our families together for dinner. And a few weeks ago, we finally did. Except I messed up the dates and it wound up being 8 of us, and Gabriel had a snotty nose. So he stayed home. But really, it was amazing!

The dinner the friends it was just perfect. So perfect, I had to tell you about it.

It all started with these cup cakes, they simply delightful cupcakes. I wanted to make something that looked fabulous but tasted even better, so, I got out my Martha Stewart Baking Handbook. Found a recipe using strawberries, since they are so in season right now. And immediately got to baking. Although they were a bit more labor intensive than I thought, the frosting was Orgasmical! Seriously... (I'll post the recipe at the bottom for ya'll, just incase you want it).

Again, I am digressing.

Dinner Party.

Okay, so Inge had a dinner party, she was making the main dish, and the other two couples made side dishes and I did baked the Orgasmic Cupcakes as a bonus.

There were no rules, just knew that Inge was making a Beef Tenderloin. One of the many things I love about her is that she is very conscience of what she eats and what she feeds her family. Organic, Grass Fed, Not Processed, all fresh, things you should eat that are better for your body.

The eight of us got to talking about Organic Foods, and how a can of bread crumbs has 61 ingredients.... most of which have more than 20 letters. Really... it's Bread.Crumbs. Bread????

Soooooooooooo, making a longer story longer, Teresa, one of the guests at dinner has a blog, My Food Plans, she shares her views on food, recipes, fun stories about great places to eat, and did I mention recipes! I've been pouring over her blog and her recipes all day, cannot wait to get started making her French Lentil recipe!

Did I mention Inge's Tiramisu? Hooooolllllyyyyy Yummmm!

Dinner Party......

Moral of the Story: Don't stress about making a dish for a dinner party, it doesn't have to be fancy to be delicious. Everything everyone made was incredible, the food and company were a perfect blend.

Simple Food, Made Simply, Made Local, Made Delicious.

Cupcake Recipe: (per Martha Steward Baking Handbook)

Ingredients

• 3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 8 large egg whites
• Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
• 24 small fresh strawberries, washed (hulls intact), for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until just combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; set aside.
4. In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With mixer running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not overbeat. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg-white mixture into the butter-flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
5. Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each with a heaping 1/4 cup batter. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack. Invert cupcakes onto rack; then reinvert and let cool completely, top sides up. Frost cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream, swirling to cover. Cupcakes may be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Garnish with strawberries just before serving

Awesometastic Details and Giveaway: Food Accessories

It's difficult enough to make a menu, but then trying to add in details to food gets tricky. Katie had personalized paper straws and cupcake flags made to make all the food stand out and it looked amazing!

Did you have personal details like these? Enter our giveaway by submitting pics to Melissa {at} awesometasticblog{dot}com.

All of the giveaway rules can be found here.



All photography by Verve Studio and Cupcakes by Share your Cupcakes

Awesometastic Details and Giveaway: Flags

We're still doing our awesometastic details giveaway, so get those pictures in to Melissa {at} awesometasticblog{dot}com!

Here's a DIY detail from Katie's wedding that we thought was adorable! She made flags to wave after the ceremony and at her and her hubby's reception introduction instead of typical rice or bubbles, too cute!

Verve Studio