Boy I’m feeling old now, little Maddy was married this weekend to her long time friend, partner and boyfriend Dennis.

The ceremony was held at the historic Aldie Mill, just a beautiful setting in late October. I’ve got to hand it to Maddy and Dennis, they did a HUGE amount of work for this wedding; finding the venue, planning, favors, flowers, decorations, the whole shebang! I was so impressed with their flowers especially as they were all handmade by them.

Emily flew in from Denver and Patrick from Texas. Paul & Colleen and Harvey as well as Michael was there, a nice reunion. The day was unseasonably warm, which I guess is probably better than unseasonably cold for an outdoor wedding.

Their choice of caterer was excellent, and about half way through the meal I gave the father of the bride speech, which I had worked on and memorized for many months. I’m so nervous doing these types of things, but I think it came off well. Here is the speech:

Good afternoon everyone, for those I haven't met, my name is Paul McDonald and I'm Madeline's Father, this lovely lady next to me is my wife, and Madeline's Mother, Patty McDonald.  I want to thank you all for being here to help us celebrate this very special day.

Madeline is our first born, and thats always a special relationship for a parent.  Holding that first child after the miracle of birth, and going through so many firsts over the years.  Of course the first born always gets just a little more scrutiny then subsequent kids.  And that was true when we first met Dennis.  But I have to say, Dennis set me at ease right from the start; obviously intelligent, hard working, easy going, very polite.  The day after Maddy had Dennis over for our March birthday celebration in 2016  I polled the family and they all said the same thing, he's a good fit, they are a lot alike.  That really stuck with me, 'they are a-lot alike'.

Dennis, you've really been part of our family for quite a while, but I want to officially welcome you.  We think you're a great match for Madeline too, and I knew that years ago when I saw first hand your kindness with her.  We had rented jet skis on vacation, and Madeline was having some issues working it.  Now some have said I can be a little abrupt or impatient, so when Maddy was having trouble I was evidently not really that helpful.  Thats when Dennis stepped in, calmly told me she just needed some more instruction and time to get used to it, and it worked, and  I was like, wow, he handled that way better than I did, and I realized he really cares for her.

One short piece of advice, which I heard at my brother's wedding and it really is true.  From this day forward in your marriage, every single day is a negotiation.  There is give and take, but there needs to be mostly giving on both your parts.

Now no one knows what the future holds in these troubling times, and I know that twenty years from now many things will have happened that we can’t predict. But whatever happens, and wherever you go, your Mother and I know you’ll always have each other’s love, and you’ll always have ours.   I ask God to give you both a long and healthy marriage, remaining faithful to one another throughout all seasons of life.

I have one last task to perform, and it’s a task that is my honor and privilege. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and join me in wishing the newlyweds a long, healthy and very happy future together. To Madeline and Dennis!

Best of luck to the newyweds! Below are the pictures with captions. I really loved their ‘first look’.