A Life Changing Event

©Jessica Wilding 2010

How Winning the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash 

Would Effect Our Life Together Forever

We are pretty light hearted about most things but whenever it comes to anything important Mike and I like to sit down and talk about it first before jumping in. When I first learned about this contest, Mike and I were window shopping for my engagement ring. We have been discussing it for quite some time we were at the point where Mike wanted me to give him some style ideas so that he could successfully pick out "on his own" a ring that I would truly love. 

When I first heard about this contest I thought, Wow! What a great opportunity but I really wish this wedding was taking place a year from now. At first I was intrigued but hesitant about entering, but I sent the info to Mike anyways just to hear his thoughts. It's one of those opportunities that comes up once in a lifetime so what the heck. 

His response was immediate and committed, "YES we're doing this!"  I knew this was trouble... once we are both excited about the same thing, it's full steam ahead! I can be a bit competitive.
Team Wildobsoning is on it! 

The following day reality set in and I started to have doubts, not about us getting married, but about entering the contest but only in regards to things that were beyond my control. 

Our Cons List

• How would our friends and family react to the sudden announcement that we may be getting married in just a couple of months, without being officially engaged first? Would everyone be as excited as we are or would we run into some hesitation and how would that emotionally effect us?

• I didn't want to feel like this contest was rushing Mike to propose. He's told me many times how important it is to him to propose and how he's had this special way he wants to do it that means a lot to him. I didn't want to jeopardize what he's been looking forward to for years just so we could enter a contest. 

• I wouldn't have control over the planning of the wedding, such as picking the venue, flowers, linens, dinner, etc. I always dreamed of going over every last detail, bouncing ideas off my mom, having her check out venues with me, and making sure everything is just perfect.

• Would our guests be able to come to the wedding with only one months notice? Would they have enough time to make arrangements for family members who are from out of town? 

All these worries were floating around in my head, so Mike and I sat down one night before we entered the contest and talked it out. We brought up every con and weighed it against our pros list. 

Our Pros List

• Winning this contest would allow us to invite everyone! It's most important to us to be able to share the best day of our lives with ALL our family and friends. If we won we could invite everyone, from both our large families and not have to restrict the guest list due to budget. 

• Winning the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash contest makes getting married a reality. We really want to get married but realistically unless we win the lottery, or receive some big inheritance from a long lost relative,  it will not be happening any time soon. We moved back in with family to pay off debt and save money and our first priority is saving for a down payment for a house, not a wedding. As much as it is a dream of ours to have a beautiful wedding we have to be realistic. We can't live in a wedding, where would Mike put his Rockband gear?

• We would have the best wedding story in the world to tell, for years to come. The best part is, everyone will be there to share it with us!

• It would end the drama over the centre pieces. This one is more of a joke but yes we've argued over centre pieces for our fictional wedding, what can I say we are dreamers! I wanted something decorative, funky and memorable, mike wanted to have something practical on each table that the guests would actually want to take home, like a gift card. 

• I can't stress out over a wedding I have no control over. I would be forced to go with the flow and just enjoy myself, which is what I have been learning to do in other aspects of my life over the last little while and I am realizing it is good for me.

• No financial strain on the members of the wedding party to buy dresses, suits, coordinated pieces, etc. or the cash they'd blow at the bachelor/ bachelorette parties. It's tough times out there right now and we understand that people don't have extra cash to throw around.

• The wedding and reception is situated within equal driving distance of both our families. My family is from the east end and Mike's family is from the west end. Toronto is a perfect middle ground.

• It's the #1 gift on Mike's Birthday Wishlist. I always strive to make his birthday an Extravaganza! Whether its scrimping and saving for some new electronic toy he wants or creating a handmade scavenger hunt in our home, I always want to make his birthday special. Mike's birthday is exactly one week after the day of the wedding.  He's taking this as a sign, which I think is cute. That being said, it would be one heck of a Wedding/ Birthday extravaganza!

After weighing our Pros and Cons list it was evident to us that we had to take a chance and enter. Like my mother always says, there are always doors opening and it's your decision to walk through them or not. Sometimes they arn't clear and often don't make sense at the time but there are positives to every experience. It may not be the outcome you wanted but theres some value in the lessons learned along the way. 

We may not win this contest, and I know that everyone who has entered wants this just as badly as we do for their own reasons. We wanted to share our reasons with you. We wanted to illustrate without a fraction of a doubt that this is not a rash decision but rather something we both really want. I feel fortunate to have a forum like this to explain our thoughts, doubts, excitement and dreams. 

I wish everyone who is the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash good luck because I know exactly where you are coming from and I know whoever wins this competition will finally get to celebrate their day in a way they probably never imagined.

Cheers!

Showing off our Carlsberg Pride!

The competition is getting fierce, but I love a challenge. Just ask Mike, sometimes I get a little too excited when it comes to competition. My brain is like a whirlwind of ideas, couple that with my mother, sister and friends calling, emailing and texting saying "what about this idea? Or this... OOOh no wait.. this is better!!"

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to play around in Adobe photoshop and illustrator, especially when it comes to planning events, like peoples birthdays etc. I took the liberty of crafting a possible poster that could be displayed in the beer store upon us winning the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash Competition. I think it's totally sweet, and we look really Carlsberg on that poster. 

VOTE FOR US HERE! 

(you are allowed one vote per day)

The Competition Begins

Mike and Jessica- Carlsberg beer enthusiasts!

"PROBABLY THE BEST CONTEST IN THE WORLD"

 

CARLSBERG "Probably the best beer in the world" GROUP, is hosting a  contest to win a $100,000 dream wedding called "The Big Wedding Bash" which will take place in Toronto, Ontario at the Capitol Event Theatre. This awesome prize includes everything you'd ever want in a dream wedding, they are even including wedding crashers! One lucky couple will be given the opportunity of a lifetime, $100,000 Dream Wedding! Can you imagine a wedding completely paid for?  

HOW YOU CAN PROBABLY HELP US WIN THIS COMPETITION

We need your votes! 20% of the first round of the competition (Until August 20th)  is based on votes.  If we get to the 2nd round it's based on 100% votes. You can vote once per day and we would really appreciate your support. Click here to vote for us!

WHY WE SHOULD PROBABLY WIN

When I first heard about this contest the first thing that jumped out at me was the fact that each couple had to create a "Power Name" compiled of their names. We've had a Power Name pretty much since our first date, yes we are that lame. Composed of our two last names: Wilding and Dobson... are you ready for it...? Wildobsoning! I know, it's snazzy. As lame as it is, I took it as a sign that we were meant to enter this competition. I took it upon myself to create our Power Name Logo in the spirit of competition. I hope you enjoy it.

A little bit about us

WHAT YOU "PROBABLY" SHOULD KNOW ABOUT US:  a brief story

After an awesome night of UFC and Carlsberg beers!

Mike and I met in October of 2008, brought together via an internet dating site. Originally I wasn't a fan of online dating after a couple of bad date experiences but upon the advisement and constant nagging from my mother, I gave it another shot. My mother was right (see I can admit you are right sometimes) and only after a month I started chatting with Mike. After chatting online and talking on on the phone (we once talked on the phone for over 12 hours straight!) we met up for dinner. He came to pick me up from my work and had brought me a DVD of a beloved childhood movie of mine. It was very sweet (pssst..nice move hunny!) He impressed me right off the bat. Half way through our date I figured it was going well as he was attempting to plan our second date before our first date was over! I of course played it cool and told him I had plans for the following day (which was true) but then he insisted on us getting together the day after that.

At the time I was unaware that I was in the beginning stages of Mono which became evident in the following week. Having only known me for a week and despite working 12 hour days Mike spent every waking moment that he wasn't working by my side. He took care of everything from cleaning my apartment to making my food, taking care of my two cats, even taking me to doctor after doctor. He told me how beautiful each and every day despite him seeing me in sweats with no makeup or even the attempt to run a brush through my hair. He won my heart in a very short amount of time. 

Sightseeing and trying to find a pub for some Carlsberg!

From the first day we met we have spent everyday together that we could. I always said that in a partner I wanted someone who was my team mate. Someone who would take on the worlds challenges with me, who I would love unconditionally, and that's exactly what I've found. I've never felt that I had to pretend to be someone I'm not to try to impress him, he loved me for who I was let me tell you it's the best feeling in the world and totally worth all the crappy dates and relationships prior. 

At six months into the relationship we were already talking about marriage and children. We discovered we wanted the same things long term and decided it made sense to move in together and give this relationship a real shot. From that day forward we've been working together to pay off debt and put away any extra money we could to save towards a down-payment for a home of our own. We are very focused and goal oriented in that respect.

Having a wedding is something we wanted to do but financially it wasn't realistic. Paying rent and bills plus paying down debt and saving for a house, there just wasn't any money left to save for a wedding. My mother, who just adores Mike to no end, pulled me aside one day and told me that she had a little money set aside and when we were ready to get married we were welcome to it. It warmed my heart and brings tears to my eyes when I think about it because I know she doesn't have a lot. 

We were presented with an opportunity from Mike's parents to move in with his Grandmother in her basement apartment as a means to fast track our savings. At first we were hesitant as we enjoy our independence and neither of us ever wanted to have to move "back home". But in the sake of being able to achieve our goal of someday owning our own home, getting married and having children we decided it was the most logical move to make. So we did.

Just like this contest to win our dream wedding, we saw a great opportunity and jumped in with both feet. We've made progress with our savings, I'm proud to say that this opportunity to live with his Grandma not only gave us a chance to move forward but also allowed me to becoming closer with Mike's family. After living with me for a year, Mike became very close with my family and it was something I envied. My family considers Mike own of their own and couldn't imagine him not being around. 

The chance to win the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash really is a dream. Having the opportunity to celebrate our love and life together with the people who mean the most to us, without the financial stress often associated with weddings, would be a story told for years to come. It probably would be the best wedding in the world!

Santa was good to us this year, Carlsberg beers! Yes!

WHY YOU SHOULD "PROBABLY" VOTE FOR US:

Anyone who knows us, knows that we are a love to have a good time! We are a silly, fun loving couple that likes to break out into spontaneous unchoreographed dances at weddings that draw everyones attention. 

We want our wedding to be a memorable celebration, a spectacle, an event that everyone will enjoy and winning this contest would allow us to fulfill that dream.

We both have large families and we have talked before about having to limit our guest list because we just can't afford to invite everyone we would like. The Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash would allow us to invite everyone and even have some wedding crashers, which ironically is our favorite movie!

The best reason you should vote for us?
Because you want to come to our "Probably the Best Wedding in the World" Bash!

Not only would you get to share in our mushy love for one another, enjoy great food, Carlsberg Beers, and dancing, but we might be able to convince our dear friend Scott Mclean to perform his Scotty Dance, which is always a crowd pleaser! Here is a video from Joel and Kelly's wedding of Scotty after many Carlsberg beers!