Zakon je ZAKON! - Now it's forever!

Tako. Dočakali ste mojo in kmalu še moževo zadnjo objavo na t. i. Dnevniku neveste - najinem ABridalBlog-u. Morda zadnji, petindvajseti objavi sledi še kak epilog, ki trenutno ni v planu, ampak naj najprej povem še kako besedo o tem, zakaj sva sploh začela pisati ta blog.

Na začetku pravzaprav niti nama ni bilo povsem jasno, zakaj piševa poročni blog. Gre predvsem za to, da sva želela deliti veselje in pričakovanje najinega poročnega dne. Želela sem pisati o sami organizaciji, pa se je v mojem primeru vse zelo močno prepletalo s poslom in celo zelo zasebnimi cilji ter čutenji in prav je, da je mogoče prebrati tudi kaj od tega, čeprav pri pisanju nisva utegnila biti tako ažurna kot sva si želela. Poroka je poseben mejnik v življenju in glede na to, da sva se zares spoznala (kot fant in dekle z željo, da bi se nekoč poročila) šele lani septembra, sem vsaj jaz čutila, da moram nekako izraziti (če ne kar opravičiti) dejstvo, zakaj bo Aljaž moj mož in da misliva to narediti čisto zares. Čisto, čisto zares :) 

"Domače" poročne fotke

V času priprav na najino poroko sva imela čast izvedbe glasbe na treh porokah. Vsi poslušalci so bili navdušeni! Kot Kristina Angelika - po poklicu krajinska arhitektka, v srcu pevka in novopečena podjetnica sem imela za poletje visoke cilje glede glasbenih nastopov, vendar jih z Aljažem nisva uspela vseh uresničiti. Še dobro, da sva pridobila številne kontakte, ki nama bodo na skupni glasbeni poti prišli še kako prav. Sedaj, ko se je po najini poroki vse skupaj končno vsaj malo umirilo (še dobro, da se poročiš praviloma le enkrat v življenju, ker to je lahko res VELIK projekt!) že načrtujeva malo bolj v naprej in prepričana sem, da bova v prihodnje lahko polepšala še veliko porok. Naslednja je že 20. septembra na Vrhniki, pravzaprav pa greva tisti dan pet še na eno APZ poroko. Pestro!

Za vedno

Poleg petja na porokah imava tu pa tam še druge glasbene izzive, posebej naj omenim glasbo, ki tolaži (petje na pogrebih). Odziv je tudi tukaj zelo pozitiven. Pa da ne pozabim na svojo primarno dejavnost: najpomembnejši cilj je sedaj dokončanje magistrske naloge na študiju krajinske arhitekture in nato končno zelo aktivno delovanje na področju Koroške, ki je popolnoma osvojila moje srce. Če lahko zaupam svojemu občutku pa naj povem, da je tisti krasen poročni dan na Koroškem osvojil še koga! Korošci so fejst, narava tukaj je božanska in čeprav nimamo hitre ceste/avtoceste, se imamo na Koroškem zelo lepo! Pridite kaj pogledat!

Pisanje bloga je bilo poleg "uradne" priprave na zakon (ki sva jo opravila pri iskreni.net) čudovita izkušnja, še posebej je bilo zanimivo brati objave drug drugega. Nekaj najlepšega pa je odziv prijateljice, ki dolgo ni omenila nič, nato pa sva dobila sporočilo, ki ga bom kar objavila:

Hey, mladoporočenca!

Na žalost včeraj nisem mogla biti z vama, kljub temu, da sem celo poletje planirala, da pridem na THE wedding na Koroško.

Vidim, da sta žarela od sreče in da je vse teklo po načrtih - z vremenom vred. Po mojem sem bila vajina najbolj zvesta bralka bloga in zdaj čakam na grand finale

Želim vama zares veliko lepih trenutkov na vajini skupni poti. Mislim, da se ne motim, da ta citat zelo lepo opiše vaju... Naj bo to moje "darilo". Nikoli ne pozabit, zakaj se imata rada in zakaj sta si rekla tisti usoden "Da!".
Zdaj pa pogumno naprej!

Naj se na koncu v imenu obeh zahvalim vsem skupaj in vsakemu posebej za vso pomoč pri organizaciji najinega poročnega dne, za vse spodbude in popestritev najinih življenj do točke, kjer se nahajava sedaj, ter seveda za vse lepe želje in ČUDOVITA darila, ki sva jih prejela. HVALA, HVALA, HVALA vam! Rada se pohecava, da imava v nebesih "veze", zato smo tudi imeli SIJAJNO vreme (po tako kislem poletju!). Vse skupaj nama je bilo še posebej všeč, ker vas je bilo res ogromno, ki ste se naju spomnili tudi preko emailov, Facebooka, smsov in še kje. Upava, da bova lahko vse dobro, ki ste nama ga namenili, četudi le s svojo prisotnostjo ali skromnim sporočilcem, kdaj povrnila. Še enkrat ISKRENA HVALA!

APZ objem

Če je lahko ta poroka in najina zgodba, v kateri uživava prav vsak sedanji trenutek, spodbuda za to, da še kdo naredi ta odločilni korak, potem sva dosegla namen bloga, ki ga sedaj ponosno končujem z zadnjo mislijo in piko.

Tudi vi lahko uresničite svoje sanje, le pogumno!
Kristina Ravnjak

The Last (and First) Step

If this wedding and our story can be an incentive for somebody to take this definitive step, then the purpose of this blog has been reached. We've enjoyed every step of the journey so far and we're excited to see what life as husband and wife has to offer!

Looking back at the beginning, it's hard to say what was the overall purpose of these writings (at least in the beginning). When Kristina first came up with the idea, I agreed simply because of the fact that I miss writing. But looking back on it, it turned out to be so much more. It gave us an additional opportunity to talk certain things out before getting married and I think that this blog, rather than just describing the wedding preparations, became a part of the preparations itself. So, thank you, the readers, for your attention, support, and feedback! :)

But now that it's all said and done, what else is left to say? I guess, onward to newer challenges. :) Although planning and getting ready for the wedding was a lot of fun, it was also very stressful in a lot of ways. But fortunately, we received a lot of help, financial and otherwise, from a lot of different sources: parents, relatives, friends, random benefactors, etc. We've met some great people along the way who have helped inspire us to think big! So, thank you, everyone, who's had a hand at making our special day truly extraordinary! :)

With all the decorations in place, the wedding dress and suit pressed to perfection, the rings shiny, and the bans in tune, it was time to kick off August 30, 2014. Honestly, we didn't have a clue as to how many people would attend the ceremonies, but everything still turned out great. Thank you, everyone who took time to come all the way to Koroška to be with us! And also, thank you, everyone else, who didn't get this chance, but who still sent us good vibes and the best wishes (see message above)! :)

The wedding ceremony, especially the one in the church was my personal highlight of the day. The truly heartwarming sermon delivered by our mutual benefactor, Mr. Jožef Kastelic, was made that much more memorable by the singing provided by APZ Tone Tomšič with singers and guests from KAPZ Mohorjan, especially Nežka P. (accompanied by Žiga B.). Thank you APZ Tone Tomšič, , conducted by Sebastjan Vrhovnik, and thank you, assistant conductor Peter Smolič. And lastly, thank you, Benjamina Kolar for displaying your prowess on the church organ! :)

A big thanks for a couple of surprise guests at the party! :)

Thank you, everyone, who's been with us on this wonderful path, thank you for all the advice, wishes, help, support, and, of course, thanks for all the PRESENTS! :) You've made our path to an independent life a lot easier.

And last but not least, we would like to thank God  for the plan that included us, you, and a sunny August 30, 2014!

Aljaž - a husband

Sedežni red - Seating arrangements

Red mora biti, pa čeprav slab?

No, tudi s sedežnim redom nisva pretiravala, čeprav mi je všeč ta ideja. Naredila sva zelo prisrčna darilca za svate, ki bi lahko odigrala tudi vlogo obtežitve za balone, napolnjene s helijem, na katerem bi bilo izpisano ime svata. Luškana ideja, vendar je za najin žep predraga.

Tako sva danes sestavila omizja - goste sva razvrstila v skupine, kakor bodo sedeli pri posamezni mizi. Na koncu lahko rečem, da so seznami, ki jih ravnokar tiskam, le najina usmeritev, vsak gost pa lahko za sebe presodi, če mu dodeljeni prostor ustreza in se v nasprotnem primeru prilagodi situaciji (se s kom po želji zamenja). Nič ne bova huda, želiva pa si, da na obljubljeno "pravo koroško gavdo" pride večina povabljenih gostov (mimogrede, tisti prijateljski par, ki sta imela rok poroda na 30. avgust - že zibata svojo drugorojenko, ČESTITKE!!!).

"Krencle", ki so ostali še od t. i. lepe nedelje, sem pomagala
plesti tudi jaz. Zdaj so sicer že suhi, vendar je tudi zaradi te
posebne okrasitve cerkev sv. Petra zelo slavnostna.

Enakega reda pa nisva uspela vzpostaviti pri povabljencih na uradni del (civilni in cerkveni obred). Pa saj ga tudi nisva hotela. Če že ne moreva vseh, ki so nama kadarkoli in kakorkoli pomagali in popestrili življenje, povabiti na ohcet, naj bo vsaj druženje pred in po uradnem delu primerno za širši krog ljudi. Poroka je veseli, kolikor toliko javni dogodek, predvsem pa ste številni v najinih življenjih pustili še posebej prijetne sledi, vsi, ki si želite deliti ta dan z nama, ste lepo povabljeni, da se nama pridružite. Nekaj prijateljev se je opravičilo, na vse druge pa računava, da si bodo vzeli čas za skok na Koroško. Vse zbrane goste bosta ob 13.30 na domu pozdravila ženin Aljaž in gospodar hiše Franc, potem pa ... boste že videli.

Menda so mlaji že pripravljeni (Aljaž jih je imenoval neznani ležeči predmeti na dvorišču)!

Pa sonce bo!!!

:)

Sunshine reggae

Order is the key to successful cohabitation of people. This is true in all walks of life, and Kristina and I were very aware of that when we planned the seating arrangements for the party that followed the wedding ceremony (notice me using the Past Tense :) ). On the Thursday leading up to the wedding, a large group of my relatives came to set two maypoles with a wooden spanned across them. It was a fitting prelude to the main ceremony.

The maypole fest was eventful, but it was followed by yet more wedding preparations, this time pertaining to the seating arrangement, We didn't allocate individual seating to each guest but we just set up tables of 8 to 12 people, with lists indicating the guests at each table. And each of the guests received a gift, which was a special project for me. :)

But now on to the main topic for today...

Aljaž - in a hurry

Kaj je najpomembneje? - Prioritising

Štiri dni pred poroko. 

Pred nekaj dnevi sem preživela najboljši ženski žur, pa še meni je bil posvečen :) Res, dekliščina je bila nepozabna, zato VELIKA in ISKRENA HVALA sestri Klari in vsem puncam, ki so si vzele čas za moje slovo od samskega stanu! Slikice še čakam, verjetno se bo še katera znašla tu in v zasebnih arhivih :) 

Najbolj mi je bilo všeč presenečenje, ko sem morala na določena vprašanja povedati, kaj mislim, da bi odgovoril Aljaž. Punce so nato prebrale Aljažev odgovor, ki je mnogokrat prijetno presenetil (pojma nimam, kdaj jim je odgovarjal, ker sva skoraj ves čas skupaj, pa se je vseeno videlo, da se je pri odgovorih zelo potrudil). Vem, da bo Aljaž zelo dober mož.

Na vprašanje, če imava zdaj že vse "poštimano" za poroko, hitro odgovorim, da je tako (preprosto predolga zgodba, če želiš komu dopovedat, kaj vse je še za postorit :)). Veliko, veliko pomoči dobivava od vse povsod, nekaj stvari tudi namenoma dava v odgovornost nekomu drugemu in tako je lažje. 

Če vas zares zanima: čaka naju še dokončanje darilc za svate, sedežni red, okrasitve, še zadnji obisk v Ljubljani, kjer poberem svojo poročno obleko in pričo ... To je kar se organizacijskih zadev tiče skoraj vse, seveda o detajlih ne bomo preveč govorili. Včeraj je prijateljica Benjamina Kolar prišla na Koroško in preizkusila orgle v cerkvi, midva pa svoj sprehod do oltarja. Ne da se opisat teh občutkov! Aljažu pravim, da zdaj jokam od sreče, da mi v soboto ne bo treba. No, pa sem sama sebe zatožila :)

In kaj je najpomembneje? To, da se imava rada, da se imava skupaj lepo in da z veseljem pričakujeva dan, ko se bo pravzaprav vse skupaj šele začelo. Pa čeprav že kar malo nervozna. 


Feeling productive

While experiencing a surge of creative energy, I decided to write not one, but two blog posts today! The first one was on "throwables", while this one will focus more on the general status of our wedding preparations. Kristina already spake about her bachelorette party, so I shall say nothing more on the subject. But, I would like to thank the singers of KAPZ Mohorjan, who thew a "drive-by" bachelor party for me. :)

It's true, Kristina and I are getting ready for our wedding together, but if you asked us how far along we are, you'd probably get two different answers. Kristina's answer is implied in her post above, while I tend to take a more leisurely approach to the whole thing. Call it indifference, I chose to call it relying on divine providence, but I'm sure everything will work out perfectly in the end. Word on the wire (in other words, according to my grandmother) is that even the weather will cooperate on that faithful Saturday. :)

All kidding aside, I never really knew what goes in to planning a large-scale wedding, so I'm glad I only have to do it once. But Kristina and I have come to a realisation today: we're doing just fine, we simply need to remind each other of that from time to time. Thankfully, the preparations are slowly but surely coming to and end. 

88 hours and 11 minutes to go. :)

Aljaž - preparation is key

Namesto riža - Doubling as rice

Potekajo zadnje priprave na poroko. Naprsne šopke sem s včerajšnjo pomočjo pridnih rok Aljaževe tete, sestrične in mame danes sama dokončala. Vseh 200. Ponosna sem, da so nekaj posebnega.

Poleg tega sva šla z Aljažem na sprehod v gozd in dorekla "recept" za darilca za svate. Tudi to bo nekaj posebnega, osnovna sestavina pa je nekaj iz sončnic, uganete kaj? Ni liker.

Naj delno izdam le še, kaj bova imela namesto riža (zagovarjam, da je riž hrana in pravzaprav nekako ne sodi na pravo slovensko poroko). Poglejte si sliko spodaj in morda uganete. 

Namesto riža bo tole osnova :)

Ko gre vse po načrtih, potem se lahko veselim vsakega dneva manj do najinega poročnega dne. Danes je kar šlo :)

Old debts

Well, it had to happen sooner or later: instead of keeping up with regular blog work, I'm writing posts that should have been written almost a week ago. But, it does give me a chance to practice the "short and sweet" method of writing.

Written a few days ago, this post is about the confetti (I hope that's the word, because I'm not going to look it up now) that will be used at the end our wedding ceremony. Instead of the traditional rice, Kristina and I have chosen to be doused in spelt seeds , silver fir needles, and sunflower petals.

The story is that the above-mentioned throwables are native (or at least "nativer") to Slovenia than rice, and some churches prohibit the throwing of rice, since it's the main food of millions of people in a world where billions are starving. Anyway, opting for a more "domestic" apporach: spelt, fir, and sunflowers for us, please. :) Btw: the fir needles make the whole thing smell divine, and even though the spelt seeds can be a bit sharp, it still beats the suggestion made by Kristina's future father-in-law, who suggested the guests can throw gravel.

Aljaž - playing catch-up

Poročni obrednik - The Wedding Book

Tole je knjiga, ki skozi cerkveno poroko spremlja vsak par na poti v sveti zakon. 

V njej je zapisan potek obreda v nekaj različicah, najdejo se primeri besedil za poroko in poročno mašo ter tisto najbolj pomembno: opisan je pomen samega zakramenta.

Ko knjigo skupaj listava malo po malo že dober teden, se mi zdi, da so tu zapisane številne skrivnosti zakona, ki pa niso prav lahko razumljive. V nadaljevanju bom skušala povzeti tista dejstva, zapisana v knjigi, ki so me najbolj nagovorila.

Cerkvena poroka je nepreklicna privolitev, s katero se zakonca svobodno izročita in sprejmeta (le tako lahko skleneta veljavni sveti zakon). Smisel zakona je, da mož in žena drug drugemu pomagata na poti k svetosti. Lahko bi rekli, da si prizadevata po svojih najboljših močeh biti vsak dan boljša, bolj sveta. Otroci, ki naj pridejo v zakon s človeško in krščansko odgovornostjo zanje, so najlepši dar zakona. Otroci so dar in ne naša last, pri tem pa je pomembno, da se zakonca za darove zahvaljujeta, Bogu zaupata ter sta pripravljena tudi na odpovedovanje. Le tako lahko otroci in drugi blagoslovi, ki sta jih deležna "kot eno meso" največ prispevajo za dobro zakoncev. Tisti, ki se poročijo v Kristusu, zmorejo najlepše slaviti skrivnost zveze Kristusa in Cerkve, ko ostanejo zvesti Božji besedi, se trudijo prav živeti in to pred vsemi javno oznanjevati. 

Poročni obred

Naj na tem mestu povem, da sva se z Aljažem v smislu oznanjevanja v preteklem tednu trudila v resničnost spraviti idejo, da bi lahko najini poročni maši prisluhnili tudi v živo preko valov Radia Ognjišče (kako bi bili veseli moji sorodniki iz Amerike, ki se poroke žal ne bodo mogli udeležiti! Zagotovo bi bil prenos poročne maše lepa in pozitivna novica, morda prijeten spomin na katero drugo poroko za marsikaterega slovenskega kristjana ...). Žal sva dobila le potrditev, da je ideja nekaj nenavadnega, da česa takega še ni bilo, da pa žal ne bo šlo skozi. Škoda.

V obredniku lahko tudi preberemo, naj bo poroka skrbno pripravljena. Pomemben je izbor svetopisemskih besedil, pesmi pa naj bodo primerne poročnemu obredu in naj izražajo vero Cerkve. Praznični značaj obhajanja poroke naj se izrazi tudi s primerno okrasitvijo cerkve. Še najbolj pomembno pa je, da se bodoča zakonca na poroko dobro pripravita. Midva se bova potrudila po svojih najboljših močeh.

The nuts and bolts...

... or what is a marriage? 

Planning a wedding ceremony and sorting out all the niggly details that go into a wedding day can leave a future husband and wife lacking the awareness of what it is they are actually getting themselves into. To help us answer that question, we've enlisted the help of "The Man Upstairs". In other words, we're treating our future bond as a sacred and permanent commitment to one another. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament sealed by the Holy Spirit, but what sets it apart from the six other sacraments is the fact that marriage is not "cast upon" the husband and wife by a priest. He is merely a witness of the Church, while the sacrament itself is bestowed by the very people committing to it. In light of this, I've spend some time researching a subject called theology of the body (religious or not, I highly recommend it, or if you'd prefer a shorter version, I recommend this book).

Explaining the meaning of a christian (catholic) marriage in detail is the book above. Although some parts (especially the ones about the true meaning of marriage are sometimes difficult to comprehend), it gives a profound insight of what a marriage is supposed to be. First and foremost, it is described as a commitment and an irrevocable consent (you know, the "for better or worse" part), focusing on the two entering into marriage giving each other to their husband/wife and accepting each other as a gift. The crowning achievement and the biggest responsibility of a marriage are children, who are to be taken care of in the best manner possible.

Thinking about these passages has not been easy. In today's fast-paced world, how can you truly commit to something (and someone) for the rest of your life? I don't think it will be easy, not by a long shot, but in the end, anything worth having is worth fighting for.

Aljaž - getting ready for the long haul

Naprsni šopki - Aren't we crafty?

Danes sem ustvarjala ... iz tega materiala:

je začelo nastajat tole:

V prvi rundi sva jih skupaj z Aljaževo mami naredili 20. Zelo sem ponosna na tele naprsne šopke. Dizajn sem si sama izmislila, največ težav pa mi je povzročal zeleni vozel, ker ni hotel nastati vedno enak. Nadaljujem ob priliki, zdaj že znam tako da, ... nekaj cvetličarske žilice pa je tudi v meni, mar ne?

Upam, da se bodo hitro množili.

Finding hidden gems

Finally, I have the time to catch up on my duties regarding the blog. This rainy August has perhaps given me the opportunity to reflect on some things that would have otherwise given my attention the slip. (No, I'm not going to talk about what Kristina and my mother are making, you can find that out in the photos above.)

When Kristina and I were on our way from Ljubljana to Carinthia, we decided to avoid taking the highway and opted for the local road instead. It really gave us the chance to pay attention to our surroundings. And during these times, one can experience a heap of interesting things that would be impossible to catch while cruising the busy motorway. And then it hit me: taking advantage of these opportunities could double as a vacation, but instead of taking a week of, you can experience new things almost on a daily basis. But why am I telling you this?

If you take the old road from Ljubljana, you soon come across the small town (village) of Lukovica, with the settlement Brdo pri Lukovici close by. As I discovered, this was a place I had wanted to visit for some time, since it is the "home" of this magnificent castle. I was sad to see the castle had burned down during World War II and was never restored. Now, only the outside walls are still standing. Standing next to the castle is a sign describing the history of the castle and the town. Hiding in this description is the fact that this sleepy little village is the birthplace of none other than France Marolt, one of the "founding fathers" and the first conductor of the choir APZ Tone Tomšič (you know, where Kristina I met :) ). Not content with merely knowing this fact I decided to seek out his house of birth, and after some clueless wandering around I ended up finding it. And, as if Fate had demanded it, I was wearing my APZ Tone Tomšič T-shirt that day. :)

Sorry, my hair is getting in the way. But the bottom line of the sign reads: AKADEMSKEGA PEVSKEGA ZBORA

Aljaž - can't make a long story short

Povabljene na dekliščino - The hen party

Kot sem že zapisala, bo dekliščina 22. avgusta, torej prihodnji petek. Povabljenih je 20 deklet (poleg mene še 19, kar mislim, da je precej visoka zgornja meja), naredila pa sem kar "fb event" in poleg tega skušala nekatere povabljenke dobiti tudi na telefon.

Koga povabiti je vedno tehtno in mogoče malo zoprno (še kar tehnično) vprašanje, ampak treba se je odločiti. Neke "klape" prijateljic, s katerimi bi se zelo redno dobivala, nimam, vendar to ne bo razlog, da dekliščine ne bi bilo. Najbolj blizu temu je klapa sošolk iz srednje šole, vendar sem jaz v tem krogu bolj neredna obiskovalka naših petkovih srečanj :) Tokrat bom na petek spet zraven, oziroma bodo za spremembo one zraven! Seveda smo si med seboj zelo različne in te prijateljice so mi zadnje čase predvsem spodbuda, da po poroki dejansko naredim svojo magistrsko nalogo. Skoraj vse so že končale študij, ampak na dekliščino pa še nobena ni povabila, ha! Zelo si želim dekliščine tudi zato, ker sicer nikoli nisem zares hodila ven in včasih človek to enostavno pogreša.

Zadnji dan srednje šole

Drugi krog prijateljic izhaja iz vrst APZ-ja, vendar je tu zelo težko določiti, s kom sem si dovolj blizu, predvsem pa je imen enostavno preveč (v šestih letih se vezi tkejo in tudi razpletajo), zato sem imela pri izboru imen iz vrst APZ-ja še kar težave. Odločila sem se za tistih nekaj, s katerimi sem doživela res posebne trenutke (tudi lani poleti, ko sem se malo več družila) in z njimi ostala v rednem kontaktu (pa niso ravnokar rodile ali kaj podobnega, sicer bi bilo verjetno še kako drugače).

Tretji krog prijateljic izhaja iz vrst sošolk na fakulteti. Na krajinski arhitekturi smo si vsi skupaj bili precej blizu, saj nas ni veliko, je pa res, da smo se po končanih izpitih precej raztepli na vse konce in kraje. Škoda. Upam, da kmalu organiziramo še kako "sošolsko srečanje", nekaj sošolk pa enostavno moram videti še enkrat pred poroko, na primer tudi prijateljico iz otroštva, ki je zadnje čase v tujini, pa pride na dekliščino! Juhu!

Ostane še zelo posebna oseba iz konca moje osnovne šole oziroma mojih popoldanskih ur srednje šole. V glasbeni šoli, pihalnem orkestru (in še kdaj kar tako) sva se veliko srečevali. Ampak ker se že dolgo nisva nič videli, mislim da te punce ne bo. Če pride, bom prijetno presenečena. Poleg nje sem povabila še eno kolegico, s katero imava isto pevsko učiteljico. Je zelo prijetna punca, žal mi je, da ne preživiva več časa skupaj. Seveda bi najraje povabila še marsikatero dekle, zato naj na tem mestu povem, da bom vesela tudi presenečenj, torej vseh, ki pridete "samo pofirbcat". Dekliščina se bo začela v Bizoviku in skozi noč nadaljevala v centru Ljubljane.

Klara in jaz pri mojem prvem svetem obhajilu 

S sestro Klaro, ki bo vse skupaj organizirala, si v mladosti nisva bili preveč blizu. Ker vem, da bo naredila zares hud žur, sem na dekliščino povabila še dve njeni prijateljici, ki ju jaz poznam iz različnih srečanj znotraj župnije Štepanja vas. Klara je od mene mlajša tri leta pa je že dobro leto redno zaposlena in zelo uspešna v tem, kar dela, zato mi je postala v zadnjih letih zelo lep vzor. Danes mi je žal, da njenih "prestopkov" v otroštvu nisem zares razumela. Veliko sva si nagajali in bolj ko sem jo odrivala iz svojega življenja, bolj je ona želela imeti moje stvari, denar in podobno. Morda je takrat veljalo, da sem jaz uspešnejša od nje, ampak sedaj že dolgo ne meriva več moči, temveč si pomagava, kolikor si lahko. Lepo je videti prednosti, ki jih imaš, če imaš tako kot jaz kar dve sestri in dva brata (pa čeprav so vsi mlajši). To je vendar čudovito! Ponosna sem na njo in izredno hvaležna za vse, kar naredi zame. Enostavno si ne bi mogla želeti boljše poročne priče!

Klara in jaz na poroki sorodnice Millie v Ameriki

To bachelor party or not to bachelor party?

The question has been plaguing me since I made up my mind about getting hitched. Then, the arrival of the movie The Hangover (and its godawful sequels) even furthered the idea that a guy should have one last blow-out with his mates before tying the knot. I call bulls**t!

Well, not to be so harsh, the concept of a last hurrah might be appealing to some. But those of you who know me can testify that I've never been much of a party enthusiast (at least not in the "hangoverian" sense). My idea of a good time is a far cry away from taking roofies, drinking till my insides feel like making an appearance, sneaking into people's houses, and abducting small children. And no, the idea of being tied to a cross and other similar bachelor-party-esque nonsense is also out of the question for me. If you want to see a great initiation ritual, go to Premantura in the second weekend of August, preferably as a new member of APZ Tone Tomšič. :)

The way I see bachelor parties is a bunch of close friend saying "goodbye" to one of their own as he gets ready to settle down and seemingly forget about those closest to him. The issue for me was that, although I have friends, they're not a closely knit group in their own right, since they come from different parts of the country and I know them from different stages in my life (similar to what Kristina wrote earlier).

That being said, I'm nonetheless thrilled that Kristina is having her soiree and I hope she has fun with it. :)

Aljaž - bachelor till married  

Vsaj malo sonca - Ain't no Sunshine

Od zadnje objave je minilo že kar nekaj časa, ampak priprave na poroko so vedno bolj ... poročne? Zelo naju razveseli, ko lahko s kom v živo pokomentiramo stvari, ki so tu zapisane, nekateri so tudi rahlo nestrpni in želijo izvedeti več, zato je skrajni čas, da blog malo ažurirava.

Midva letos na "morju" (DER See!)

Včeraj zvečer sva fizično oddala eno zadnjih vabil na poroko, saj se do sedaj še nismo utegnili srečati. Gre za mlad par, ki sta se v pričakovanju drugega otroka zelo spontano (v ožjem krogu) poročila 2. avgusta letos. Mogoče jima to spontanost celo malo zavidam, verjetno pa bo bolje, če povem, da ju občudujem.

Njuna skoraj triletna prvorojenka je prava navihanka, na sprehodu po Koseškem bajerju me je namreč krstila v "hecno babo" :) Čeprav je bil najin dan kar precej napet in poleg nekaj posla poln tudi poročne vsebine, je bil ta sprehod zelo prikladna priložnost za "konzumiranje" nekaj sončnih žarkov, ki smo jih v tem poletju bolj malo deležni. Bolj ko se bliža poročni dan, bolj me skrbi vreme, ampak kakršno bo - pač bo. Povabljena družinica pa svojo udeležbo postavlja v 50 % verjetnost (ali pridejo, ali pa ne pridejo), saj imajo za 30. avgust že neke posebne obveznosti na svojem urniku (datum poroda drugega otroka prav na ta dan!). Tako je, ko so enkrat tu otroci, ob tem pa si želim, da bi lahko nekoč tudi midva uresničila svoje sanje o družini.

Včeraj sva oba kupila svoje poročno perilo v trgovini Lisca, Aljaž je v Poročnem kotičku kupil še kravato, jaz pa sem bila na pomerjanju poročne obleke s pravimi čevlji in perilom, da jo bodo lahko še popolnoma prilagodili mojim meram. Z mami in sestro smo se odpravile še k mamini prijateljici, ki mi bo naredila uhane po naročilu (Naraji nakit) in nato je sledilo še nekaj minutk za klepet. Sestra, ki je moja poročna priča, me je zaslišala glede dekliščine in sedaj čaka seznam deklet, s katerimi bom 22. avgusta kolovratila po Ljubljani. O programu nimam pojma, menda to sploh ni moja stvar ... kdo ve, kaj me čaka? Predvsem imam pred očmi to, da do dekliščine še naredim naprsne šopke in pripravim darilca za svate, kar nekaj stvari namreč še kar čaka (in res upam, da ne na zadnji teden).

Medtem ko Aljaž izbira in preizkuša različne vozle za kravato, grem jaz pred spanjem še sestavit vabilo za dekliščino. 


Love her madly

Where will we be, when the summer's gone? Well, that's not a tough one to answer, is it? :) But as Kristina has already pointed out, we didn't have much of a "summer" this year. Rain and the trying to get everything ready for the wedding saw to that. Still, we did manage to get in at least one day at the beach (see photo above). But don't be fooled, we were a long way away from any serious ocean. We took last Friday off and visited a place called "Stausee Soboth". It was great, the sun was shining (for a change) and the crowds were nowhere to be found (possibly due to the weather and the fact that the water has/had not-so-pleasant 18°C). Still, t'was a day well spent! :)

After a short trip to Ljubljana, we came back to Carinthia and now its time to sort out 
the last few details of our wedding (but the really interesting bits have to stay secret, so I'll say nothing more on the subject). One of the things I can reveal is that I'm in the process of selecting the perfect knot for my tie (OK, this news will probably not set the world aflame, but it was big news for me, when I discovered that you can be creative in making a tie knot). The reason for this is that I had to give up on my "dream" of having a cravat and waistcoat, deciding on a plain tie instead. So now I'm discovering ways to make my ordinary tie stand out from the crowd (and bride :P ). 

In other news, Kristina is planning her bachelorette party, so for those of you planning on going out in Ljubljana on Friday, 22 August, beware. :)

Aljaž - waiting for the sun

Vadiva plesne korake - Taking the Right (and Left) Steps

Kot sva že omenila, si nekaj posebnega želiva tudi za prvi ples, ki ga bova zaplesala kot mladoporočenca. Pri Valentini Pšag sva imela do zdaj dve vaji, malo je popravljala najino držo in nama pokazala nekaj lušnih plesnih figur, sicer pa ne želiva preveč komplicirati (niti nimava več veliko časa), temveč predvsem uživati.

Glasbo za prvi ples in slog plesa sva že izbrala, vendar bo do izvedbe pred svati vse skupaj ostalo kot skrivnost, medtem pa vadiva in skupaj kreirava. Aljaž je zelo dober plesalec in ker se jaz sedaj že znam sprostit (to je pač posebne vrste dosežek), nama je vse skupaj v veselje.

Tako kot petje, je tudi ples del izražanja človeka, ki obstaja že od prazgodovine. S petjem in plesom so ljudje že nekoč delili svoje občutke, tako vesele kot žalostne. Ples je dejavnost, ki jo počneva skupaj, imava se lepo in to je najpomembnejše. Moj pokojni oče bi dejal, da gre tudi za "vertikalno izražanje horizontalnih želja" :) tistih pristnih predvsem. Mislim, da ples krepi najino ljubezen, zato bi jo verjetno lahko dali še komu "na recept"! Naj povem le to, da nama je všeč klasika, zato bo ples nekaj v tem slogu, s tem da sva dopolnila besedilo izbrane pesmi. 

Zdaj pa prepuščam vaši domišljiji in ugibanju glede vsega preostalega, kar ni tu zapisano :)

Zaplešite tudi vi, četudi v dežju!

The first dance

Today is Friday, 8 August 2014, which means that the wedding is now only 3 weeks away and I'm not quite sure, why I'm not petrified yet (every Hollywood-made romantic puss-filled boil of a movie says I should be shaking by now). I suppose Kristina and I are probably doing something wrong. But what if we're doing something right? :)

One thing we hope to get right is our first dance as husband and wife. To make sure everything will go as smooth as possible, we've enlisted our good friend and neighbour, professional dance teacher (of all things :) ) Valentina Pšag to help us get the right moves. So far so good, we've dreamed up a (not to simple) choreography, and all that's left for us to do now is practice, practice, practice. 

But getting back to the question from the first paragraph, what if we're doing something right? As mentioned in one of the previous posts on this blog, the decision for us to get married was the only realistic option if we were to have any sort of an intimate relationship. And now that the big day is fast approaching, I'm beginning to realise that our decision to get married will make us outcasts. Why? I think that the reason the number of weddings is on the decrease (stated by several men of faith and government employees) is the fact that marriage presents a "terminal" decision. It's forever. Although one can get a civil divorce, the catholic Church does not accept divorce as an option for a valid marriage. But that's not merely down to a whim the Church might have, but the very nature of a marriage makes it not illegal but impossible to break up (see this book for further reference). But to make this paragraph sensible, I've started to notice that people are afraid to commit. And it's not just marriage and personal relationships. The very nature of the western world is geared towards the expendable, meaning "if it doesn't work properly, just get a new one". Frankly, that sort of an attitude is very disconcerting for me, or, in plain English, the fact that people lack the balls to commit to anything (a career, marriage, a hobby, etc.) pis**s me off (I know, because I'm still growing the cojones to commit to certain activities, and I went through the process of not being prepared to commit in a relationship).

Commitment takes work. Just ask anyone who's been married for several decades, or who's been pursuing a hobby all their life. It's often not easy and it takes dedication and a lot of patience, two major qualities people seem to lack nowadays. Hopefully, many of you reading this blog (hello, future me :) ) will find these words a source of inspiration towards dedication. :)

Aljaž - may I have this dance?

Intervju na radiu Ognjišče - Interview for Radio Ognjišče

Zadnje dni se poleg organizacijskih zadev okrog poroke zelo zavestno pogovarjava tudi o tistih stvar, ki so pomembne za zakon. Mislim, da je primerno, da na tem mestu delim intervju, ki sva ga bila po srečanju s papežem Frančiškom (letos na valentinovo) deležna na Radiu Ognjišče. 

Prijetno poslušanje!

How we became celebrities (well, not yet:) )

On 14 February, Kristina and I attended a not so private audience with His Holiness, Pope Francis. On this occasion, we and another 25 or so couples from Slovenia about to get married went to the Vatican, where Pope Francis spoke to over 20,000 fiances, and the couples received a gift from the Pope himself. You'll find out soon enough what it is. :)

Upon our return, Kristina and I, together with another couple who had been to the Vatican, were invited to give an interview for the Ognjišče radio. You can listen to the whole thing in the link posted above.

Aljaž - not wanting to listen to myself speak

August - zdaj gre pa čisto zares!

The Final Four...

So it begins - the final countdown to the big day. Contrary to the name "A BridalBlog" I decided that today was my turn to go first and write something. And going through this website, I realised that 1 August was a day when truly great things have happened. (the arrival of the first slaves to the USA, the discovery of oxygen, the birth of Herman Melville, the birth of Yves Saint-Laurent, the last diary entry of Anne Frank, etc.). 

And today is a big day for us, because it is giving us the chance to learn a vital lesson about patience and perseverance. What happened was our car broke down and is now being repaired by Kristina's uncle. Hopefully, the surgery will go well and we'll be back to cruising around the country in our little Peugeot. :) Nostalgia aside, that car was our main means of transport and being left without it throws a serious spanner in our getting-around-and-doing-things works. But rather than giving in and whining about it, we try to make the best of a bad situation and look on the bright side of life.

Our bright side of life :)

But why consider this important in our preparations for marriage?

Life's a piece of shit

When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

source

OK, maybe the lyrics are a bit harsh and life isn't a piece of shit (at least not for all of us all the time). But the point is: life has its ups and a bunch of downs. And Kristina and I have decided to celebrate the ups and get back up after the downs together, with today, 1 August, giving us the perfect opportunity to put that theory into practice. Especially since we're going to have a busy weekend (come listen to us sing this Sunday at the church of St. Nicholas in Bizovik) and a car would have come in very handy.

Aljaž  - wishing for a hitchhiker's guide


Dan, ko se vse obrne na pozitivno stran

Tako, avto je popravljen, hvala stric Matic :)
Ko misliš, da gre čisto vse narobe, pomaga, da človek malo zadiha in pogleda na težave iz različnih perspektiv.

Z Aljažem sva ravno prišla s Koroške in že zaplanirala dneve do nedelje, ko naj bi se vračala tja. Zelo na hitro sem se zmenila za prvi plesni termin s sosedo (petek ob 14.00), za katerega je v kolobociji z ostalimi obveznostmi in odvisnostjo od avtomobila kazalo, da bo propadel. Žal bi zelo težko v najin urnik spravila kak drug termin, ki bi bil sprejemljivo zgoden pred samo poroko, a kot kaže, se vse vedno uredi v najboljše dobro!

Plesna učiteljica Valentina Pšag je oseba, ki mi je v zadnjih treh letih najbolj blizu, pa se kar nekajkrat zgodi, da pravzaprav ne moreva v miru poklepetati, čeprav sva sosedi. Zelo sem vesela, ker sem si dovolila zadihat in ne preveč skrbeti za avto in ostalo (kazalo je zelo slabo, vendar se je k sreči dalo hitro popraviti). Ko sem tako vsa v skrbeh klepetala z Valentino, me je še posebej v dobro voljo spravil klic duhovnika, ki naju bo poročil. Jože Kastelic, za katerega sva v času spoznavanja ugotovila, da je SKUPEN dobrotnik obeh najinih družin, je bil prav takrat na Koroškem (verjetno na ogledu in kakem sestanku glede same poroke, ker sva si ga "izposodila" od drugod). Rekel je, da moli za naju in mislim, da je to tisto, kar je zares pomagalo. 

Tako sva včeraj popoldan preživela najbolj čudovite ure učenja plesa! Po večernem skoku v Ljubljano na pevsko vajo sva dobila nazaj popravljen avtomobil in presenetljivo prijeten dan zaključila v družbi sosedov, ki so naredili hišni piknik. HVALA za take ljudi in HVALA za ČUDOVIT dan!

Kristina (tokrat na drugem mestu objave :))

APZ poroka - APZ Wedding

Veste kaj? Tokrat morda res zadnjič omenjava APZ, o katerem vedno znova piševa. Kar ne gre drugače. Pred kratkim sva izvedela za še eno APZ poroko, ki bo le nekaj tednov za najino, kako lepo!

Foto: Željko Stevanić

APZ poroke (ko se pač poroči prava APZ-jevka ali APZ-jevec ali celo APZ par :) ) so vedno nekaj posebnega, če ne drugače po svoji glasbeni plati. Zbor s svojo zares kvalitetno glasbo, ter seveda obrazi, ki jih ne boš nikoli v življenju pozabil, saj si z njimi delil svoja tako rekoč najlepša leta življenja ... Da ti tvoj posebni dan polepša čudovita družba, s katero si več let prepeval, švical na odru in trdo delal na vajah, spoznaval tuje dežele in ustvaril večna prijateljstva, to je res nekaj neopisljivega! 

Upam, da bodo lahko del tega začutili tudi drugi svati, ki bodo na cerkveni poroki slišali naslednji repertoar skladb:

• Poročna koračnica 
• Pozdravljena zemlje ti blagoslov (Lojze Mav) 
• Gospod, usmili se (Missa in honorem S. Josephi, J. Pogačnik) 
• Taaveti laul nr. 104 (Cyrillus Kreek) 
• Aleluja (Trošt) 
• Bogorodice devo (Rachmaninov) 
• Bogorodice devo (Schnitke) 
• Gospodi (Schnitke) 
• Poj ljubezni (Darlene Zcshech, solo skladba) 
• Otche nash (Schnitke) 
• Jagnje božje (Missa in honorem S. Josephi) 
• Beati quorum via (Stanford) 
• Ukuthula (afriška) 
• Deep river (Ringwald) 
• Aleluja (Handel) 
• An Irish blessing (Moore) 

Žal se morava opravičiti splošni publiki (svatom), ker ne bo veliko slovenskih pesmi (razen seveda zunaj kakih slovenskih ljudskih, ki pa so včasih zaradi naših čednih narečij tudi kar težko razumljive). Rada poveva, da nama je od vsega cirkusa okrog poroke in oblek in še vsega ostalega pač najbolj pomembno to, da na poroki slišiva najine izbrane pesmi in APZ Tone Tomšič Univerze v Ljubljani. Tiste res posebne skladbe bova predstavila (prevedla) kar tu na blogu. Da boste vseeno lahko vedeli za kaj gre.

Še 32 dni.

If Music Be the Food of Love

From the very beginning, the one thing Kristina and I wanted for our wedding was good music. So the decision to ask our friends at APZ Tone Tomšič to help make our big day truly special seemed natural. This was the setting where we first met in 2011, when I joined the choir and where Kristina spent a little over 6 years. The choir is very experienced in singing at weddings, so we believe that even our quite substantial wishlist (see Kristina's post above) won't be too difficult. :)

But when Kristina and I took a closer look at the church where our wedding ceremony will take place, I found that there will be more than enough room for another choir - KAPZ Mohorjan, where I sang for 7 years and was the setting where I first encountered choral singing. Being a part of that choir also made it very difficult for me to make the decision to join APZ TT, since I knew that juggling both would prove nearly impossible. But that decision came after careful consideration (not two mention the 2 years of nagging to come and join APZ from Barbara Slivnik :P ). In the end, it was probably the pragmatical side of me that prevailed. 

My calculation was that during my time in APZ Tone Tomšič I would encounter at least 100 people of my age from every conceivable professional field imaginable. The next logical assumption was that it was statistically necessary that at least one of those people would help better my life in some way. And I could not have been more right! :) But now the time has come to leave the ranks of APZ and move on to new adventures, most likely featuring my friends from KAPZ Mohorjan.

And just so you'll know what our wedding repertoire will be all about - here's a translation of the one of the songs
(thank you, Matej Velikonja, for showing me this wonderful piece :) )

Psalm 104: 1,24
Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
O Lord my God,
Thou art very great.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdom hast thou made them all.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord,
Who has made all things.
Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Now and evermore.
Amen.
source: http://www.gregorywbrown.com/music/psalm-104-from-taaveti-laulud-cyrillus-kreek/

Aljaž - sing for the moment

S poroko spodbujava slovensko gospodarstvo - Helping the Local Economy by Getting Married

Sledi malo daljše razmišljanje o tem, kam in zakaj dajemo svoj denar. Razložila bova tudi, kaj imava v mislih, ko rečeva, da s poroko skušava spodbujati slovensko gospodarstvo.

Včeraj zvečer sva imela z bodočim možem dolgo debato o Bogu, Palestinsko-Izraelskem vprašanju in smislu najinega skupnega življenja. Vse je bilo pomešano, razvilo pa se je iz zavedanja različnih vojn na svetu, krčenja naravnih virov in Aljaževe zgodbe o zgodovini sveta (spomnim se, kako rada sem imela zgodovino, vendar sem veliko tega enostavno pozabila ter zato z zanimanjem poslušala Aljaževo razlago).

Za najino poroko sva že v samem začetku načrtovanja rekla, da bova z nakupi skušala spodbujati vse, kar je slovensko. Odziv prijateljev je bil tudi ta, da sva si torej izbrala drago poroko! Kar malo me jezi to prepričanje. Kako je možno ter v čem je smisel, da je slovenski proizvod pogosto dražji od izdelka iz tujine? Si lahko midva SLOVENSKO vseeno privoščiva? Bova sploh dobila to, kar si želiva?

Veliko razmišljam ...

Nekaj tednov nazaj sem od Vesne Vuk Godina slišala, da je vsak nakup politično dejanje. Takoj sem se strinjala z njo, mislim pa, da sem šele včeraj zvečer dojela, kaj to v resnici pomeni. Aljaž se je v svoji razlagi dotaknil tudi dejstev, da svetovne korporacije, ki jih na tem mestu (še) ne želim imenovati, izkoriščajo NAŠ SKUPEN svet in za tem stoji en sam cilj: PRODAJA – IMETI VEČ! Morda se vse skupaj pomeša še z željo po oblasti, vendar tudi tu zadaj je verjetno skrita zgolj težnja po tem, da ima nekdo več kot vsi drugi in te težnje pravzaprav ne razumem (mi jo lahko kdo razloži, lepo prosim). Mislim, da opisana težnja v določenem človeku – posamezniku nastane zgolj takrat, ko ni zmožen omembe vredne čustvene inteligence. Verjetno se mu to zgodi zaradi napačne vzgoje, življenjskih travm, ki jih ni uspel predelati, ali pa (najbolj pogosto) splošne brezbrižnosti, zgovarjanja, da sam ne more ničesar spremeniti (in zato še naprej kupuje samo tisto, kar je najceneje, in se ne udeležuje volitev). Joj, kako smo zemljani postali skrbeči le za lastno rit!

Kaj ostane pri prizadevanju imeti več kot drugi (lačni afriški otroci, onesnažen zrak, izsekan gozd, vojna opustošenost) človeštvu očitno sploh ni pomembno. Načeloma ima Slovenija kar se tega tiče še srečo. Ker je majhna, ni tako tržno zanimiva. Pa vendar se že čutijo tudi prizadevanja, da bi naše vodno bogastvo privatizirali, torej prodali NAŠO pitno vodo! Verjetno tistemu, ki bi zanjo dal več denarja. Dragi Slovenci, se zavedate tega?

Sprašujem se, ali je Slovenija ena redkih držav, kjer obstaja trend kupovanja lokalnih proizvodov in zakaj. Kako močan je ta trend? Zakaj še vedno zahajamo (žal tudi jaz) v trgovine, kjer kupujemo tuje (tudi prehrambene) proizvode (v akciji!), ter s tem pod vprašaj postavljamo lastno zdravje, kmetijstvo in gospodarstvo? Ali lahko z zavedanjem, da je v Sloveniji MOŽNO ustvariti blaginjo njenih prebivalcev, to dejansko tudi izpeljemo?

Danes zjutraj sem se zbudila sama od sebe nekaj minut pred sedmo uro. Budilke torej danes nisem potrebovala in koliko je še stvari, ki jih imam, pa jih pravzaprav sploh ne potrebujem. S termometrom sem si izmerila telesno temperaturo, saj se učim naravnega načrtovanja družine. Da ne bi zbudila Aljaža, sem po prstih odšla v spodnje nadstropje v kopalnico in se zavedla, da v svojih prvih minutah dneva potrebujem: stranišče, toaletni papir, milo, nekaj vode, zajtrk in nato tale računalnik in internet, če želim svoje razmišljanje deliti z vami. 

Pravzaprav pa za svoje lastno življenje ne potrebujem veliko: obleko, streho nad glavo, vrt, kjer si pridelam nekaj hrane in ljudi, ki me imajo radi.

Kaj pa potrebujete vi?


The Ultimate Question about Life, the Universe, and Everything (D. Adams)

Yesterday I realised that I've come to miss serious political debate, so when the chance for that came with Kristina, I felt the 2 and something hours just flew by. The evening was marked by a brief summary of the situation in the Middle East, especially the Palestine-Israeli conflict, and how, in essence, the whole affair is a fratricide. I also came to remember how much I like history and my ability to tell a story (with a willing audience, of course :) ). What I found especially gratifying was the fact that even my 11 year old brother managed to peal himself away from the TV to listen to my 20-minute tall tale. 

A pessimist might be duped into thinking that the whole world is just everybody killing everybody else. And sometimes it is. And it seems that humanity has become an expert in making up the most contrived reasons for finding new and ingenious ways to kill our fellow man. But taking a deeper look into the situation reveals that the reasons for all the mayhem are usually very "earthly", with the most common being greed. Rest assured, however, that I'm not going to lecture you on how "greed is an evil deed, and sharing is caring". People should figure that out for themselves.

Kristina and I have decided to do our best to stop multinationals from exploiting those bits of our planet that still have something to offer, and to focus on Slovenia. Right now, our home needs all the help it can get in bringing back hope to people, who often seem to have given up in light of everything that's going on. 

When we told a friend that we want our wedding to be "as Slovene as possible", his response was something along the line of "you've picked a pricey option". That may be the case, but, as Kristina has already pointed out, each purchase we make is a political act. And we chose to empower Slovenia with as many decisions as possible.

Aljaž - feeling like politics should be for everyone