You will now find the photos taken before the ceremony started posted in the Gallery.

There are a ton of wedding photos to sort through, plus I won't have all of the ones that were taken until I get back from our honeymoon. I have the ones that I took and that Lindsey took, but not photos taken by friends and family. As I get those photos I will add the ones I really like.

This evening we had our wedding Rehearsal, and I can honestly say that each and every person had a fun time. As we stepped through each part of the wedding we joked, prodded and even learned a little of what each of us was supposed to do. I predict that tomorrow afternoon, at least one person will flub their lines or be late to the appointed spot; but I don't care. We are making this wedding something that everyone will remember as a good time; and that was my ultimate goal. Read More...

Today at 2:00 we hit exactly 7 days until the wedding ceremony starts. We have been completing the last of the preparations, including packing some of the clothes and items we will need while we are on our honeymoon. I've finished two videos today, one of which is for the wedding. A simple slideshow of Tracy and I growing up, leading all the way up to our recent couple's shower. Read More...

Yes, it's true; the preparations for the wedding are winding down, while anticipation for the wedding is winding up! On September 5th, we hit exactly two months until the big day. Just over a week ago wedding invitations went out, tuxedo rental information went out and we even began to receive a few wedding gifts. We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that wedding gifts are not necessary. That being said, for those that wish to give a gift and our curious as to what to get us; check out the Wedding Registry section of this site.

This week we confirmed with the Harpist, made the reservations for the all the chairs we will need and several other odds and ends. There is still additional planning to do and yes, more money to spend, but the biggest family party of 2006 is nearly upon us. Tracy has been working very hard on putting the wedding together. She wanted to do much of the wedding planning herself and has done an amazing job. Her handiwork has already won praise from many, not the least of which came from myself. I am marrying a truly talented and multi-faceted woman.

The preparations for the wedding continue. Along with all of the other arrangements that need to be made, wedding vows must be added to the list. As with the rest of our wedding we want a traditional flair, without actually being "traditional." So we are combing various books for hints as to what our vows should be. What they will consist of is anyone's guess and the actual vows won't be revealed to all until the wedding weekend.

The vows are important and we don't just want to recite the same words so many have used before, but I do think we will call on the words of others and not just write our own, but with that said I can't rule it out either. In the end we will most likely borrow the words of better writers and combine them into vows that touch us deeply and with both style and grace paint the perfect portrait of how we feel about each other.

While the words will be brief and over shortly after they begin they set the tone for a lifetime together.

Last weekend Tracy and I had lunch at Trinity Hall so we could listen to a harpist the pub has there on the first Sunday of every month. We had been planning on going for several months, and this Sunday we finally did. Her name is Jenny Glass and you can find more information and some of her music on her website TexasHarp.com. This former tax auditor has been performing professionally for 12 years. Her and her husband operate the business together and cater mostly to weddings; although they do all kinds of other events as well, like playing at Trinity Hall. She plays all kinds of Irish & Scottish music, from the historical to the very modern (Danny Boy); as well as classical, contemporary and religious.

The deal isn't yet set in stone, but as if planned by fate she was already scheduled to play at Trinity Hall as our wedding is on the first Sunday of November. So who are we to say no to fate, especially for a wedding.

Check out her site and listen to some of her music. We should be getting a musical sampler from her shortly to help us make up our mind, but from what we heard on Sunday, we think she would be an excellent addition to the wedding and reception.

With a venue chosen and a date set, the wedding detail planning is now under way. Having the wedding in such a non-traditional place makes the planning a little tricky, but also allows us to enjoy a few non-traditional elements in our wedding.

Trinity Hall will provide us with such a wonderful and unique backdrop for our personalized version of an Irish Wedding. We will be incorporating various Irish traditions but with a distinctive twist that will make them our own.
I am including some information on Trinity Hall here, so you can begin to see why we chose it as our venue. http://www.trinityhall.tv/ From the authentic Irish pub interior features such as hardwood floors and woodwork to the beautiful ironwork and gorgeous patio overlooking the winding streets of Mockingbird Station, Trinity is the very essence of tradition. Of course, in Ireland the pub is a gathering place for family and friends and is an important part of town life.

As we research Irish traditions we are trying to decide which are things we would like to incorporate and which we would rather not venture into. For example, we are very interested in using several Irish Blessings we have stumbled across but are less interested in a tradition we discovered of having the bride and groom walk to the ceremony site while guests hurl wedding presents (such as pots, pans and cutlery) at the couple along the way.

We hope to make the wedding as fun and special for our guests as it will be for us. If you know of any Irish traditions you think would be appropriate for our wedding, please pass them along. In the meantime, let me leave you with an Irish blessing for the new year and we hope to see you in November!

My Christmas gift to you all is to happily inform you that not only has an official date been chosen, but the location of not only the wedding but the reception has been as well. Tracy and I are happy to announce that we have chosen a very unique location to have our wedding. The choice of locations was actually difficult and the road to our selection was riddled with obstacles. First there was a pricing problem, many of the locations we were interested in had a minimum bill of $10,000 attached to them, and that was the minimum. While I want Tracy to have a wedding to remember, spending that kind of cash just seems excessive for folks of our age; not that we are old, but we aren't 25 either.

The next obstacle we encountered was physical in nature. We had wanted to get a quote from our favorite winery in Rockwall, but alas, while they were interested in having the wedding they just didn't think they could handle the event yet. They might be able to, depending on whether their new facility is complete in November, but didn't feel it fair to put our wedding in such uncontrolled peril. The wedding there would also have been on the expensive side, while cheaper than some other options we looked at in Dallas.

Finally an idea that had popped up early on in the decision making process reappeared. The location is far less traditional than even the winery would have been, but the establishment has charm and character and has the benefit of being someplace the two of us already enjoy. I actually eat lunch there all the time and have been a regular customer now for nearly 2 1/2 years. This establishment also plays into a recurring theme of our wedding... Ireland. If you know me at all and live in Dallas then you may have already determined that the location I am referring to is Trinity Hall at Mockingbird Station.

Trinity Hall is an Irish Pub designed in the tradition of the actual pubs of Ireland and England. The floors and bars are all made of solid wood and the entire place just has a certain special feeling about it. I know the owners fairly well and they have agreed to host our wedding. We have yet to work out all of the particulars, but we do know the event will be on Nov. 5th, 2006 and be held in the afternoon. More than that I can not yet say, but details should now be more forth coming.

Right now you are thinking, "A pub? Are they nuts?" Well, maybe so, but with my Irish blood and an engagement ring that came from my Irish great grandmother (for whom I was named, Madden) it does just seem like the perfect location. We plan to hold both the wedding and the reception there making the event as easy as possible on our guests. There is plenty of parking, and it is covered to boot (no fees either). Tracy loves the idea and most of those we have spoken to about it feel it an excellent location, all-be-it a strange one. Most are more surprised about having the ceremony there than the reception, but to us having the two events at separate locations just creates more problems for everyone than is necessary.

There is one other benefit too. Each time I go in there over the next year I will know that Trinity Hall is where I am to be married; and once I am married I will be able to go in there anytime and say, "I was married here," to myself. Most don't often get a chance to return to where they celebrated their wedding.

So, whether you are shocked or just think the idea grand, our wedding will be held at Trinity Hall in Dallas. If you haven't been there, I can promise you that it is a wonderful place and they will take first class care of us during the whole event.

We wanted you all to know the important news and we felt telling you on Christmas was a perfect time. We have a long road ahead of us, but we feel the managers and employees of Trinity Hall are an excellent choice to help us achieve our goal of having a fun and friendly wedding.