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!