Here at last are the long-promised photos from the wedding. But first, a few words about being part of the Wachdorf/Dubovik family. I am a relative newcomer to this clan, having joined only three-and-a-half years ago, so I don't exactly qualify as an expert. But if I have learned anything about being loved and welcomed in this family, as I have been, it is that it will not be a quiet process. Nor will there be a lot of sleep involved. Basically, you should eat your Wheaties if you're going to hang with this group.

I should clarify my meaning with some background. In my family, as everyone gets older, the way we enjoy one another's company is by cooking gigantic meals, drinking some good wine, having a long conversation during which we usually laugh a lot, and then we either lie around in a daze fom the cholesterol, or we watch a movie, or sit on the pier, or in some other way enjoy a period of silence. Then we go to bed and no one except my dad gets up until we absolutely must eat something or risk failing to meet our weight-gain quota for the visit, which is firmly set at five pounds a piece. Rinse and repeat.

There are some similarities between a Rice family event and a Wachdorf/Dubovik event. Food is involved with the Wachdorfs, and it's good food. There's also a lot of talking. But the fundamental difference becomes clear at 11:30 at night or so. Around this time, my family is usually at least starting to ponder sleep. Not so the Wachdorf/Duboviks. Eleven-thirty is EARLY for these people. Let me tell you a story, in case you don't believe me. On Thursday evening, Dan and I arrived in San Antonio, suitcases in tow, ready to celebrate the wedding of Dan's sister Dinah and her fiancee Chris. However, since we arrived at 11 p.m. and didn't get to the house until midnight, I was pretty much assuming that we would sneak into the house quietly so as to avoid waking up the rest of the family, go to bed, and start the partying the next day. But I had forgotten the basic tenet of Life in the Wachdorf Family, which is: Thou Shalt Not Sleep if thy Blood Kin are Anywhere Within a 150 mile Radius.

Well, Amen. Because when we walked into the kitchen that night, we were greeted by no fewer than 10 family members, who all appeared as chipper as if they had just gotten up from a nice four-hour nap, except that they hadn't. So hugs and kisses ensued, and during that process, I heard words I was sure I must have been dreaming into existence. But no, it was not a dream, but rather my sister-in-law Hannah informing Dan and I that we were expected to leave the house momentarily to join the bride, groom, and friends for drinks. I was on the verge of refusing on grounds that it was, umm, way past my bedtime, when Dan's aunt Jerlene, a woman who has FOUR SONS, said she wanted to come. And I mean, if the woman with four kids wants to go out, your 26-year-old childless self is just going to look like an utter wimp if you don't go. So we went, and it was great fun, and we got back at 2:30 a.m., whereupon the bride, Dinah, and sister Hannah proceeded to talk SOME MORE and somehow sucked me into continuing to have fun with them just exactly as if we were 13 and at some kind of high-powered slumber party, until about 3:30, at which point, I collapsed. Rinse and repeat.

Perhaps that story will explain why, in the one photo in which I appear in the following set, I have a sort of dazed look going on. It might also help explain why it has taken me a week to post these photos ... I've been going to bed at 7:30 every night in a desperate attempt to catch up. But that is totally worth it because we had an absolutely fabulous time at the wedding, and it was the first time I got to spend any significant amount of time with a lot of Dan's side of the family. And it turns out that they are wonderful, loving, hilariously funny people. I wish we lived nearer to them so we could hang out with them more. I'm sure we'd get used to the sleep deprivation, and I know for a fact we'd laugh even more than we do now. So with that, many thanks to the Wachdorf/Dubovik family for taking me in with such open arms over the last few years. I feel so rich.

And now, the pictures.

Dinah, Hannah, flower girl Dani, and I spent the morning at the hair salon getting beautiful before the big event. This photo was taken moments before I went on a Starbucks run that pretty much saved my life. Rest assured that this was not the final product of the hair lady, and that Dinah was much more enthused than she looks here.

A few hours later, we were in the bride's room getting ready to go and being art-directed by a very enthusiastic woman with a European accent who was taking the photos and at one point had Hannah and I holding the back of Dinah's dress aloft so that the train could serve as a backdrop for a portrait of Dinah. Since it was a pretty lengthy train, Hannah and I were starting to feel our arms give out at one point, but we soldiered on, because being a bridesmaid is not about you and your joint pain. It's about the bride, and we were committed to that. In the end, that was the most hardcore moment of commitment Hannah and I had to exhibit, since Dinah was the world's least demanding bride, but here is Hannah helping Dinah get into her dress.

And then, at three o' clock in the afternoon, Dinah and Chris got married, and it was beautiful. Here is the happy couple. Much joy to Dinah and Chris Gilbert.

As ringbearers and flower girl in the wedding were Sammy, Dani and Blaine, triplets and close friends of the Wachdorf family. They nearly stole the show walking down the aisle in their miniature adult outfits and cherubic smiles. Here they are posing for the paparazzi with Dinah, Chris, and Hannah.

Dan and I in our matching chocolate brown ensembles:

The next day, we went to church with the family and then everyone came over to help with some cleanup-related activities, whereupon ensued the Folding of the Tulle. Behold Hannah and Jerlene in action:

There was a great deal of cake left over after the house, and at one point in the afternoon, this resulted in Hannah getting a nice fistful of it smushed into her face by her boyfriend, Josh, aided, of course, by her big brother Dan. Here are Hannah and Josh washing up in the kitchen sink.

And as the credits roll, here are some photos of the family we spent time with during the wedding. To the Wachdorfs and Duboviks and other last names I have failed to remember, thank you for traveling all the way to San Antonio. I know it meant a lot to Dinah and it was fantastic for me to spend time with you as well. Who can we marry off next?
From left are Papa (Dan's grandad), Dan's mom, Angela bending down in front (Dan's cousin), Aunt Kim, Nana (Dan's grandmother), and Aunt Jerlene, the coolest mother of four in the Western Hemisphere.

From the Wachdorf side, Dan's Aunt Diana far right, and her girls Tracey, left, and Whitney, center.

And last but not least, we have Maggie, the Wachdorf dog, who really runs the show. I think it's a sign of what kind of weekend it's been when even the dog looks kind of worn out.