Wedding Blog
I started Weddingbee because I felt like brides could use honest, personal feedback about the wedding industry… and I felt like wedding magazines just weren’t doing the trick. There’s something about blogging that’s just honest and personal.
I just want to clarify: we at Weddingbee would never do anything to jeopordize the editorial integrity of the site. We’ve received many offers for “pay for play” advertising, where advertisers would pay us to write positive reviews of their products. We turn them all down, because that would totally violate the founding premise of Weddingbee.
The Bees that write for the site are equally scrupulous. Our Bees are all volunteers, giving their time freely to share their honest and real thoughts with the community. They also never receive any payment, kickbacks or discounts from vendors! In the vast majority of cases, most vendors don’t even know that a bride writes for Weddingbee until after the wedding. The very few exceptions are usually when copyright is involved - so if a bride blogs about a photographer she’s selected, she will usually request permission to post some of the pictures.
But I totally understand that not everyone is familiar with Weddingbee’s origins as a personal blog, and our focus on integrity and honesty. So we’re trying an experiment: starting today, whenever a bee posts about a vendor… we will post a small editorial note at the bottom, mentioning that there’s no financial relationship between the vendor and the bee (and linking to our vendor policy).
I know most of you already know that we really value integrity here at Weddingbee… but we do get occasional questions about this, and I think it’s important to let new readers know where we stand. I was concerned that a written disclosure might get a bit intrusive, but I just looked over the last 50 posts and only a very small handful have vendor reviews. So I thought we’d try it out.
I hope that this addresses some of the concerns raised by a few recent commenters! Please let us know what you think.
Thanks,
Mrs. Bee
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Share this post: Weddingbee’s Vendor Policy
That sounds like a good idea, although maybe not totally necessary. But it cant hurt. I think your site is great and very real. Like me:)
” They also never receive any payment, kickbacks or discounts from vendors! ”
If this is true, why do some bee’s say to tell the vendor that “ms.blank” sent them or that they were referred to them by weddingbee? Just curious…
It never in a million years crossed my mind that a bee would take a kickback…but I guess as the site gets larger and more popular more “legal” things like this will be necessary…can’t hurt.
I agree with JH. And frankly, I always kind of thought the bees did get paid, even if it was nominal. I’m guessing you run this site as your business, Mrs. Bee, and it feels rather wrong to me that you are getting all your content for free.
JH, I have told all of my vendors that I am blogging on Weddingbee. Mostly, because I have enjoyed working with them so much that I want them to see what I write about them. I also want them to know about Weddingbee so that the community gets bigger and bigger.
I would encourage a reader to tell a vendor that you heard about them on Weddingbee, so that they were aware of the value of the site.
I blog here because I really hope that my experiences and insight can help at least one other person. I do not blog for kickbacks or discount.
I second Mrs. Corn! If a reader is inspired to contact a vendor due to one of my reviews, then I would absolutely love it if they told the vendor that they were recommended on Weddingbee. Why? Because I truly enjoyed working with (almost) all my vendors and want to share the wealth!
Us Bees blog here because we LOOVVEEE WB, and expect no payment. Mrs.Bee makes her living off this site whereas most of us have other jobs. She is by no means raking in millions (yet!). Maybe one day when she is, then perhaps she can fly us all out to NYC for a big party, but until then, we blog because its an honor to be chosen and to share our experiences!
JH - i’m glad you asked because this is exactly the sort of thing i wanted to address.
whenever I refer my friends to a vendor (wedding or otherwise), I always tell them to say that Bee sent them. Often it results in better service! And I want the vendor to know that I love their work so I’m letting people know about it.
the bees, and bloggers in general, love to share ideas and great finds with readers. we really do have the best intentions in mind. hopefully this vendor policy will make that more clear! 
I’d like to say that it never ocurred to me to think that you received anything for your comments. They all seem very real and honest. I really appreciate this site and you have no idea how much it’s helped with my wedding planning even in my country. I read you from Mexico.
I never once thought any one was receiving kickbacks for their positive vendor reviews. I love reading Weddingbee and I appreciate all the bees taking the time out of their day to post and share their wedding planning experiences because for people who are planning now, it is both helpful and valuable information. Thanks again!
I agree with Mrs Corn. I love being a bee and it is really such a fun thing to do. Weddingbee is a rare and wonderful site that I found while planning.
I didnt tell my vendor I was a bee until after the wedding but if I can help another bride get a discount (I didnt get any) well then good for her!
I like telling people “say so-and-so sent you” or “say so-and-so says hi” because it lets the people/business I’m refering them to know that I thought their services were good enough to not only use but to tell my friend about too.
I’m not a bee but I tell my friends to mention my name for any referrals I make for two reasons: 1) Chances are, they’ll get better service and better prices and 2) You never know when you’ll need a vendor’s services again…after all, there’s plenty of reasons to throw parties
For me, blogging has always been purely a hobby and a way for me to express myself — and the opportunity to share my blog with Weddingbee has been a real honor. The community has been really supportive throughout the whole planning process and I have loved it!
The main reason I wanted to be a ‘bee in the first place was to share my ideas with other girls in the same boat. The commitment to blog on Weddingbee has never been a suffocating one, or what others might consider “job-like” (not insinuating at all that my full-time job is suffocating!!), but instead, a privilege. I think all of the bees sincerely appreciate Weddingbee as a resource for our own weddings, and we’re eager to contribute in return.
And yes — I refer people by name because I hope they will receive better service because of it, and for that reason only.
j - I have to be honest - your comment did sting a little, because I have truly poured my heart and soul into weddingbee over the past two years.
We are not financially in a position to pay our Bees - Weddingbee is still just one person (me!). Hopefully there are other compensations for participating on the site… and of course as the site grows, I’d like to add more.
In the meantime, I try to be as transparent as possible - not only to the bees, but to the entire Weddingbee community. I hope that posts like these help peel the curtain back a bit, and give you a sense for how seriously we take issues like editorial integrity and reader trust.
I agree with what the other bees have said! I think there is power to saying that you hear about a vendor on weddingbee as well. That way, they are more incentivized (however you spell) to provide you better service, b/c it’s a reminder that thanks to wb and other forums, brides can share information! Good service will be rewarded and vice versa for bad service.
As for blogging, it is just awesome to be able to contribute to the community as a bee! Many brides out there have blogs on their own, but it is such an honor to be able to share your wedding journey with the much larger readership that weddingbee provides. Not only can we offer tips and help out other brides, but there’s the moral support aspect that we receive too!
I think its perfectly acceptable for Bee’s to disclose to their vendors of their “Bee” status, for whatever reason they choose. All of us Bees want to see this community grow larger and larger, and who better to spread the word (besides brides) than actual wedding vendors?
When I first became a Bee, I asked Mrs. Lemon how she approached her bee status with her vendors, and she said she did not disclose, and many of her reasons made sense to me, many included below. I ended up choosing not to disclose.
The reason I have not disclosed my Bee status to my vendors is because I want to be able to write whatever I want about them, without worrying that they will know what I wrote, and use that information against me…for example, if I say that my XXX vendor is lazy and doesnt return my calls, I dont want that vendor NOT showing up on my wedding day to spite me! A little paranoid on my part, but to each their own. Also, I refrain from disclosing my status because I would hate to recommend a vendor to weddingbee readers, only to find out that they were treating me “better” than any other bride…it kind of taints the review/experience.
I will DEFINITELY disclose my bee status to my favorite vendors after the wedding is over, (and not disclose to the vendors i didnt care for…after all im not here to make enemies) and after money/services have been fully exchanged. I think vendors really appreciate and enjoy it when their clients appreciate their work.
I CONSTANTLY tell people that I refer to tell them that I sent them. I think its a wonderful way for vendors to know that you’ve appreciated their services, and in turn, I’m recommending them to everyone I know. I would hope that people would do the same for me if they appreciated a particular service that I rendered for them. Not everyone is out here to “gain” something, and its particularly pessimistic to think that people only make referrals because they stand to benefit from them.
If youre wondering why I blog, and I suspect why ALL bees blog, its because I put a lot of time and effort into planning all the elements of my wedding, and I get a lot of satisfaction in sharing my finds with others. I blog for my friends and family to share in my experiences, and its a great kickback to see that thousands of other people can share, and maybe even benefit, from my experiences.
Mrs. Bee, I didn’t mean to *sting* you. I don’t think the editorial integrity of Weddingbee would be hurt if the bees received (nominal) compensation–it would be like any website that pays freelance writers. Weddingbee’s jewel is the honesty of the writing, and I think you’re smart enough to be able to tell if someone wanted to be a bee just to get good press for their vendors or is really a vendor herself (hey–have ANY grooms ever applied? that would definitely be a new perspective!). I understand if you’re not in a position to do that yet though, of course. I LOVE that you have in the archives your original postings….and believe me, during my procrastination times I have gone back and read them all.
i think noting your vendor policy is a great idea. i think JH and j’s comments about how they thought weddingbee works (even though they may be in the minority here) justify it! you’re doing an awesome job with weddingbee!
As weddingbee expands and we get new readers, the vendor policy link is a nice touch even though I don’t think it’s necessary right now. If we have devoted readers, you can see that this is very much a personal blog of women who are sharing their experiences and opinions in wedding planning.
JH - We’re not hired bloggers as can be seen by the application process. I just happened to be a blogger (4 years before wb) who was getting married and wanted to share some of my creative ideas in order to help other gals in the same boat as me. Being asked to blog for WB is an honor and has been beneficial not just for other brides but for me. My blog is a personal journal of mine and I get readers to interact with and it helps them out too.
I have never received nor asked for discounts or kickbacks. I didn’t even know what a kick back was until a reader brought it up. My vendors didn’t even know about weddingbee until other brides inquired about them and told them that some “miss snow pea” talked about them. The only reason I had to tell them about it is if I were posting their personal contact info or photos of theirs.
I’m proud to be a bee which is why I would tell a brides to let so and so know mrs. snow pea sent them and let vendors know that I am really excited about their talent that I would recommend them to another bride.
In addition, vendors have actually told me that they do NOT wish to go to wedding sites for this same reason. It would be looked badly upon in their industry by their own peers as though they are trying to get something out of it and that’s not why they do it either.
I agree with all the other Bees here. I enjoy blogging and writing on WB. WB is a unique website made up of real women, blogging about real wedding issues, and I am honored to be part of it.
As for kickbacks and such, honestly, I never mentioned that I was a Bee to any of my vendors, except for one who happens to be a blogger herself and a freelance florist.
I am confident that as WB grows bigger and better, Mrs. Bee will find ways of compensating us(if she hasn’t done so already), but honestly I’m just happy to be on the ride!
I’ve been reading weddingbee right when it started with only a few Bees, and I’ve always loved it. I trust everything that everyone writes about, which is why I tell all my engaged and already married friends to read this site. It’s a great place to find inspiration, reviews, and support from people all around the world. I wish Mrs. Bee and all the other Bees nothing but success!
can’t you just put a quick blurb as to the vendor policy on the main page? It looks so ridiculous on each of the posts — see my comment to Ms. Onion’s flower post.
Where does the line get drawn? How come the last post about Gucci shoes doesn’t have a editor’s note - how do we know she is not getting a kickback from Gucci?
I love having WB to read and am completely addicted to it, never once would have thought that any of the bloggers received kickbacks or discounts on anything and if they did receive nominal compensation for their time, that still would not change my mind mind about their objectiveness. I love having something other than the knot to read
I agree with Jen. Perhaps you could just include it as a general policy on the main page. Because there are so many posts referring to many different vendors, seeing it on almost every post would be quite bothersome. I guess it’s not a big deal but I don’t even like seeing the same disclaimers on work e-mails all day every day! 
I think it’s really good that you’re making this extremely clear. If you adhere to a specific policy, then its important to let readers know about your integrity so that there’s no question–esp. on the Web.
And I don’t think the blurbs look too clunky on the individual posts that include vendor reviews (even when I saw it for the first time on Mrs. Onion’s post). I think that’s where they belong. But if you’re still thinking about ways to tweak the Ed. Note, you could see about putting it in its own text style–perhaps WB green or gray or slightly smaller to somehow show that the note is part of the site’s structure/background/foundation (in appearance & content).
Ms. Bee, your comment here:
“Weddingbee is still just one person (me!)”
is exactly the problem I have with this site. How can you possibly say that, with all the wonderful ideas and creative energy your bloggers bring to this site, merely as your “volunteers?” May I ask how you thank them for being the driving force behind YOUR site?
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Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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