The Wedding

*There will be many pictures in this post. Bear in mind that this is about one onetrillionth of the wedding pictures in existence.

Toaster and I couldn't sleep the night before the flight to Hawaii. We ended up getting up at 3am and watching Spongebob. Suffice it to say that when we arrived at my parents' house 27 hours later, we were all kinda tired.

The three days before the wedding are an exhausting blur. We did go to the beach on Saturday, a whole pack of us: Dave, the kids, my niece, my sisters and brother and calabash brother and sister-in-law and his mom and dad. 'Twas the sunny frolic before the storm. (And there was no frolic for the rest of my family--they were all mowing the lawn. It's a big lawn).

Sunday was more yard work (some folks went golfing. And by some I mean around 20. That was one long golf game). Also ironing. I hate ironing, but I'm a very good ironer, because I go slowly. Which is why I hate it. Vicious circle. Then party, during which my sister Hannah and I soundly defeated my brothers in Scene It, then more Scene It at surprise bridal shower. We are a family that memorizes movies for fun.

Monday was get flowers, get food squared away, make sangria (not that I did that. My sister did that), make dessert (my mom did that), get marriage license, have rehearsal (actually necessary, as it turned out), have rehearsal dinner (Volcano Thai Thai. Yummy.)

All that was nothing compared to Tuesday. We tried as hard as we could to do everything humanly possible before the day of the wedding, but there really was only so much we could do. Those folks who lazed the beach sacked up and drank a lot of coffee. The tent guys came at 9 to set up the tent. We'd long since been doing stuff (what, I can't exactly remember). Others flowed in and out--Dave's mom and aunt, friends, my aunties and uncles, cousins--a culmination of months of work done by my family. There was so freaking much to do. Toaster was a trooper--he carried stuff, organized stuff, kept an eye on things--he worked all day. RockNoodle had the very important job of entertaining and watching my niece Lauren, so her big strong father could be free to carry stuff.

We finished everything at 3:55. The ceremony was set for 4. (It actually ended up being at 4:20, because my uncle who saved the day by putting up some last minute lights had to go get changed).

I, of course, ran to go get dressed at 2:30. RockNoodle and I took a damnfast shower and ran downstairs, where my cousins Emma and Katie were set and ready for hair and makeup. It was actually giggly, girly fun, the likes of which I haven't experienced since prom. My sister and Maid of Honor Hannah got eyeliner on her dress, and was getting her makeup done by Emma, her hair done by Katie, and her dress scrubbed by Auntie Kathy all at once. RockNoodle was slightly overwhelmed by it all (what a slapdash introduction) and asked for a hug every few minutes--from whoever had hands free to give one to her. We were set on the mark of 4:00.

And then I had 20 minutes with nothing to do. My cousin Lloree asked what she could do for me--I asked for glass of wine. She came back with a bottle. Now there's forethought. I think I drank half of it in those 20 minutes. My sister Puanani came back for quick hug and hello--the who I think got beautiful in ten minutes--and nearly ruined the carefully applied mascara.

And then Uncle Bob arrived and we were a go.


That's my dad there, Judge Van De Car, walking me down the aisle. (See that small child on the right there? Pay attention to him.)


And there he is again, marrying us.

When he got to the objecting moment, said small child let out a wail. I kid you not. The timing was impeccable.

But like it or no, Malu, the deed is done.

After that, it's back to blur. Hannah put on a slideshow a la Love Actually (though without the funereal aspect, obviously), my mom and aunties and uncles and cousins did some sort of craziness dance type thing that bore more resemblance to that one dude in the beginning of All That Jazz than the last scene in A Chorus Line, Toaster's best man speech was lifted directly from The Princess Bride's Mawwaige, Dave and my brother (also Dave) headbutted (multiple times), toward the end there it was Battle of the iPods as no one else wanted to listen to Born to Run (whatever), my brother nearly killed himself (and others) doing a drunken Tom Jones dance, and, uh, other stuff happened too and it was all really really fun but I can't describe it in great detail.

However, I have more pictures.


This is the aisle, designed and executed by Toaster. It was beautiful. Shells collected and shipped over from Cape Cod and Island Beach, New Jersey.








My bouquet, made my Auntie Annie. Who also made all the other bouquets, and the centerpieces, and picked up all the food and beer. And did other stuff too. All of what you see in this bouquet grows in her backyard.


The cakes, made and designed by my mom. The one on the left is missing its bottom--there was more. And they're a little shiny at this point. I get the sense these photos were taken somewhat late in the evening.



We always sing The Doxology in Hawaiian before any full-family meal (lots of other people are singing too, not just me and my dad. I tried to teach Toaster and RockNoodle, but, well, time got away from us).

First dance.


Much dancing.

And more dancing.

Our not-at-all-new but now official household.

My enormous, wonderful, beloved family.