Another 3 Reasons To Choose Shubelakewych

• Carlsberg is sponsoring the 2012 UEFA Euro Cup....in Ukraine (and Poland). We want to go to the there (sic). The less we spend on a wedding, the more we can spend drinking Carlsberg while watching soccer.

• We listen to indie music like Arcade Fire, The National, Shad and Frank Sinatra.

• Our couple's nickname is ridiculously long and really hard to pronounce. Longest in the contest, we think. 13 letters.

Carlsberg Don't Do Ukrainian Beer, Oh Wait, They Do.

After doing some light research into Carlsberg, we discovered something very cool. Those crafty Danes also own the brands to two local beers that we enjoyed in Ukraine when we weren't enjoying Carlsberg. The brands are called Lvivske and Slavutych. Kinda cool.

Top Ten Reasons Why We Should Win Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash

Number 10
Carlsberg is a neo-classy beer and we are a young neo-classy couple. It’s a natural fit. It’s also a word we just made up. See below.

neo-classy|ˌnēō ˈklasē| adj. relating to or denoting a revived and unassuming version of modern style, elegance and sophistication.
Related words include contempo-mod {kənˈtempō mäd}, hipster-vogue {ˈhipstər vōg} and the less commonly used chi-chi-kick {chē chē ˈkik}.

Number 9
What we lack in outward spiritedness, we make up for in creativity, charm, wit and an ever-present sense of humour. See above.

Number 8
We like each other. Like really like each other.

Number 7
Over the years we've collectively enjoyed Carlsberg and Calrsberg related beverages in at least ten different countries. It seems we naturally gravitate towards the green bottle wherever we are.

Number 6
We have taste. Good taste. Diverse tastes. Without the pretentiousness (for the most part).

Number 5
Law school debt is still accumulating. Exponentially.

Number 4
We have been living together for over two years. We know each others habits, quirks, annoyances to a tee. We’ve adapted.

Number 3
We can get a serious crowd together. All of whom seriously enjoy enjoying a beer or two. All of whom make for a seriously great guest list.

Number 2
We are a one income family. Have we mentioned one of us is a full time student?

Number 1
We love love. A lot. Love as passion, love as subtlety, love as comfort and love as understanding. Love is a complicated, yet effortless idea. We don’t underestimate it’s strength or frailty. Love is balance and that is what we strive for each day.

Sappiness Is Happiness

In case you haven't seen this one already, it's the first video we put up. A slideshow. Photos of us. Love love and love. Enjoy!

(the song is 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale)

Our Engagement: The Abstract Version

You may have seen this already, but if you haven't yet it is a short video clip that briefly, but succinctly illustrates the events that led up to our engagement. Enjoy!

(the song in the video is The Light Is You by Said the Whale)

Our Engagement: The Short Version

Michael proposed to Oresta on the 1st of January, 2010. The deal went down in our apartment in the early afternoon. It involved flowers (tulips), M&M's, a surprised girl and a guy down on one knee holding a ring and asking a question.

She said yes. He was thrilled. Then she was thrilled. In short, we were both thrilled. We drank champagne and ate pizza, distracted occasionally by the shiny new thing on her hand.

It was a very good day. We kept our secret for a few days to soak it all in.

Another Carlsberg Moment....

So I happened to be at the TFC game the other week and I was lucky enough to tape some footage of the Carlsberg Big Wedding Bash promotion - a foot race between 7 women wearing big, white, puffy, flowing wedding dresses. I had to sacrifice getting a beer (a Carlsberg, of course) at halftime to make this recording. Hopefully it was worth it!

- Michael (one half of team Shubelakewych)

(the song in the video is Love Loves to Love Love by Lulu)

Carlsberg Indie Ad

Here's a little Carlsberg promo video that Oresta and I made. Hope you all like it (the song in the ad is Be Gentle With Me by The Boy Least Likely To).

The Story of Two Shu'z - The First Real Meeting

Her Perspective:

The setting was Pub Night at the Canadian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine. I was stuck at a table forced to listen to the self absorbed musings of two less than interesting men - like having a front row seat to two simultaneously occurring auditions by third-rate actors.

Then I see him. My rescuer, my hero. He is coming to take me away from this less than pleasant conversation. Michael, who I had formally met through a mutual friend, walked up next to me, pulled out a chair and sat down beside me. Instead of asking  if I wanted to go get a drink or tell me that there was a pressing matter that needed my immediate attention, he sat down. Right beside me. Effectively blocking any chance I had of saving myself. Could he not see the look of dread and boredom on my face? Nope, utterly clueless, he joined the conversation.

Sitting there, oblivious to my distress, he asked what I was drinking. A Paralyzer, I told him. Michael nonchalantly reached out, grabbed my drink and took a sip. He nodded his head in approval, then set the drink down again.

Needless to say, I was shocked and taken aback. This guy I barely knew, a perfect stranger, shared my drink without asking, without any concern of what I might think. Who does that?!?

His Perspective:

I saw her there, the cute blonde girl, who I remember seeing at those summer camps long ago. I sat down beside her and joined the conversation. Feeling a little parched, I asked her what she was drinking. Some milky cocktail if I recall correctly. I took a sip. We hung out for a while longer that night before I walked her home.

Our Perspective:

Even though our first memorable meeting occurred in 2007 at the Embassy, there were plenty of meetings prior to that fateful occasion. Turns out, we had spent considerable periods of time together in our adolescent years at summer camps, though we never really knew each other and Oresta claims to have no memory of Michael's existence.

 All in all, our first [kinda] real [sure, I guess] meeting was the beginning of something special.

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Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash!

Another blog has been raised from obscurity, but this time the reasons are entirely legitimate . . .

(pause for scoff and ridicule)

We know what you're thinking? Aren't there enough blogs congesting the interweb? How many tired, run-of-the-mill digital diaries do you really need to follow? And are we really interested in another opinion from someone who obviously has too much time on their hands?

(cough, tumbleweed, cricket, cough)

Well, we are here to show that there is at least one good reason to keep reading this blog. And that reason is. . . . . LOVE! That, and a killer party (AKA wedding) with our good friends at Carlsberg flipping the bill.

We are taking part in Carlsberg's Big Wedding Bash! A contest where couples tell their stories of love and acquaintance hoping to win the grand prize - an all expenses paid wedding to take place on October 1, 2010.

So in order to support love and help us win our wedding we are asking everyone, kindly and from the depths of our souls, to VOTE FOR SHUBELAKEWYCH!!!

Vote for us everyday by clicking here: http://www.bigweddingbash.ca/Shubelakewych

Look for this photo of us: