Tracy and I have been looking over the list of possible invitees for a while now, but the time has come for us to nail down the list. Invitations won't go out until late in the summer and our "Save the Date" cards have already been sent; but we know we have to have the whole list nailed down so that we can make and plan other events. The wedding guest list will primarily consist of family friends, personal friends, family and some close business colleagues. Some of you that are reading this may not get an invitation, and we hope you understand that putting this list together has turned out to be more difficult than we had anticipated. We want as many of our close friends and family to be there as possible to enjoy this special event, but we do have to draw a line in the sand at some point. So if we seemingly overlook one of you, we do apologize; it wasn't meant as an insult or that we don't care. The venue has a limited seating capacity and we want all of our guests to be comfortable.

We have also decided that we won't be inviting children. There will be some children there, but they will be members of the immediate family; but in general the guest list will be limited to the guest and his/her spouse or significant other. We love children, but again it is simply a matter of how many people can we invite to the event and keep the venue comfortable for everyone.

Just one more in a list of difficult decisions; all of them important and worth making... but difficult none-the-less.

Okay, with just under 12 months until the wedding (assuming we have it on the 4th as we currently plan) there is just SOOOOO much to do. How can we plan it all in 12 months? Okay, so that is said with a little tongue in cheek, but in all honesty there are a lot of decisions to make and so many of them have to be made in the next month or so. Seems crazy to have so much decided so early on, but in the "Event" planning business I guess there is just no getting around it.
We are still working on choosing the wedding location. It is down to two locals, both offering different atmosphere's and slightly different weddings. Basically we are looking at the Belo Mansion in downtown Dallas and San Martino Winery in Rockwall; the winery where I proposed. Each is distinctive, with the Winery probably being the more romantic of the two; but also offering more logistical issues to work out. I think we are happy with either, but don't have full proposals from both yet. So stay tuned, you'll hear about it HERE first!

Other plans in the works include photography, videography, "Date to Remember" cards, invitations and programs. Much of this we plan on doing in some part ourselves. That will be in part to save some money and in part because we both enjoy the creative side of life. For example Tracy is going to design the invitations and "Date to Remember" cards. I am planning on editing the wedding video. That isn't to say we will do each of these 100%. For example on the video I will have to hire someone to take a majority of the video, at least for the wedding and reception. I have some ideas on the other events, probably making use of friends and family to help capture the moments. For invitations and the like, we may look at designing then having them printed or using some pre-printed materials and then completing them ourselves.

So there is quite a lot to plan. The video for me is going to be big, really big. The last time I did a wedding a caught only 1 hour of video. This time around I am looking at catching several more just of the wedding, plus the video that will be captures at the rehearsal and other events leading up to the wedding.

For the photography I think we have found someone very talented to do that work. Still have to work out those details, but as soon as I have it set in stone we will let you know.

The updates will keep coming. Stay Tuned!

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, but Tracy said yes when I proposed earlier today. As planned I proposed at the winery in Rockwall. We arrived there around 1:00 this afternoon after dropping off Courtney and a few of her friends off at the new mall in Garland. Tracy had no idea of my plans, although the owners of the winery did know I was planning on proposing soon and were extremely happy to hear that I was about to propose there.
We ordered ourselves each a glass of wine, the chardonnay Reserve for myself and their brand new Merlot for Tracy. We sat down for a few minutes and then I suggested that we go for a walk. I had already asked the owners if it was okay for us to take a stroll on the property and they had given me resounding approval. Tracy and I ventured on to the beautiful property that was covered with some kind of Pine tree to see what the winery's landscape had to offer. After walking for a short while we came to a hill top, and in the distance you could see Lake Ray Hubbard. It was a gorgeous open stop, but not exactly what I was looking for.

Finally we came across a patch of fully grown trees and I knew I had find the right location. Tracy and I talked for a short while then I asked her to hold my wine glass for a moment. At that point, I fell to one knee spoke an old Irish prayer and presented her with the engagement ring. The moment I dropped to my knee she knew what I was doing, but I could tell that I had completely caught her off guard. She had no idea that today was the day.

With tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face I placed the ring on her finger and she told me that she would indeed be my wife.
Shortly I will be adding Tracy as an editor to this website and she will be able to tell you in her own words what she was thinking and feeling. Both of us, in the coming months, will continue to do the same. Plus we have our own individual websites as well to talk about the daily comings and goings of our lives. Tray's site is Coffee Talk and mine is simply KellysWorld Times. Not to be out done Courtney has her own website called Girl Talk. Please check out these sites as well, and be sure to stay tuned to this website over the next 12 months as Tracy and I prepare for the event of our lives.

Well, yes I am giddy with the prospect of finding some code that makes this site work and look better, but what I am really giddy about is that tomorrow I pick up the ring. I know Tracy will love the ring and it isn't a small diamond nor a run-of-the-mill ring. Even if it was back before 1920, it sure isn't anymore. As an antique it will be very different. As a family heirloom it will be romantic. Everyone so far that has seen the photo of the ring provided in an earlier post entitled "The Ring" has been very impressed.

I can't say I am not a little nervous that she might not like it, but I think it is unlikely. We looked at a bunch of rings and she gravitated towards the faux antiques on several occasions. They were bigger and flashier in most cases, but all had the same kind of look as this ring has and of course it is a real antique.

I don't know yet when I am going to give her the ring. Probably not for a few more weeks. I want to finish the Wedding website and think of the best possible way to propose. I spoke with a friend some today about that and got a few good ideas.

While I haven't made a lot of decisions, I have made one... I won't do it in public or around our friends. I do want to schedule a party or a get together shortly thereafter though so she can talk about it as much as she wants with them all at the same time. I think she would enjoy that a great deal.