Wedding Blog
The big news that I hinted at yesterday? We’ve sold Weddingbee!
I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you guys about it sooner; we needed to wait until the deal closed. As soon as it did, I called as many Bees as I could to let them know the news in person. (Can you believe we’ve had over 100 Bees?!) While talking to the Bees, a number of the same questions came up – so I thought I’d answer some of those questions publicly as well.
Am I going to leave Weddingbee?
Nope, I’m going to stay on and continue editing and managing the site. Mrs. Penguin has been helping out with editing and applications for the last few months (thanks Pengy!), and she’ll keep helping out there. I’ll continue to focus on adding new features and growing the site.
What does this mean for Weddingbee?
Weddingbee will have access to more resources, like programmers and designers. That’ll help us launch more cool features faster! I’ll also be getting help on the business end of things, where I haven’t been focusing as much energy (e.g. selling ads, hosting servers, etc.).
At the same time, I’ve been assured that editorial decisions regarding the Bees and the content on the site are still in my hands. I’ll continue to ensure that the site maintains its editorial integrity. 
Why did we sell?
In a word: competition.
There are an increasing number of wedding websites (and wedding blogs) launching! It seems like every week, we get a press release about a new vendor review site or wedding social network. The wedding space has become very competitive in the past year, and will continue to become much more so in the coming years.
Earlier this year, we started to get emails asking if we would consider selling. A lot of the companies were big names in the wedding sector: magazines, media companies, and vc-funded dot coms! A number of the companies were deciding between buying an existing site, and building their own to compete with us. *gulp*
I’m very confident that Weddingbee has something unique to offer, but there’s just so much competition online now! We don’t currently have the resources we’d need to stay competitive and take Weddingbee to the next level. Partnering though, would give us a lot of resources to stay competitive and scale up a lot faster.
But most of all, it’s been a tough two-and-a-half years! Running Weddingbee has consumed my life completely; and I haven’t been able to really take vacations. Mr. Bee and BIL Bee have been working nights and weekends too (they have day jobs), so it’s been tough on all of us.
Who are you selling to?
We’re selling to eHarmony.
Huh, a wedding site and an online dating site?
Yah, that’s what we thought too! Most of our readers are past the dating stage, and are engaged or recently married!
But it turned out our initial thinking was backwards. eHarmony’s stats show that they’re responsible for more than 2% of all the weddings in America. That’s a lot of potential future Bees for the hive! That strategic fit is a big reason they got in touch.
Once we both realized the potential fit, we started talking. They were really flexible about me staying on, and were supportive of Weddingbee maintaining its own team and brand (viva la hive!). And the people I talked to were just really nice. It may sound corny, but I have a soft spot for nice people. It felt like a fit, and so after a long discussion… we got hitched.
eHarmony also purchased Project Wedding recently — you may have received an email from PW about this if you’re a member. We saw Project Wedding as one of the best sites in the wedding industry, so we’re really glad to be on the same team as them!
When I was in LA recently for my cousin’s wedding, I got the chance to meet with Project Wedding’s team: Margaret, Joe, and Srini. They’re all super nice, and I’m really looking forward to working with them. They said that the acquisition has gone well for them, so I’m optimistic about it going smoothly for Weddingbee too.
Am I somehow joining eHarmony.com as a part of the acquisition?
Definitely not. Your information will not be shared in any way with eHarmony.com.
Is eHarmony going to protect the information I’ve put into Weddingbee?
Absolutely. eHarmony will abide by the current privacy policy on Weddingbee and any changes to that policy in the future will be clearly communicated in advance.
Will eHarmony.com start sending me emails marketing their singles matching service?
No.
Will it start to cost money to join Weddingbee?
No, Weddingbee is and will continue to be a free, ad supported site.
Will Weddingbee continue to have same-sex or queer brides?
Absolutely. We have had same-sex and queer brides on Weddingbee in the past, and will continue to add more in the future (if you are interested, please apply here!).
What’s the plan for the future of Weddingbee?
I started Weddingbee to help other brides - that will continue to be the focus of the site. I really love the blogging format, and how it’s so personal and friendly.
Along those lines, I’ve been thinking about adding a new blog site to the Weddingbee family: this one focusing on blog posts by wedding photographers (and other vendors). We’ve been vigilant about not allowing vendors to blog on Weddingbee, as it would take us away from our roots as a brides-only site. But lately, I’ve been amazed at all the great wedding vendor blogs so I was thinking it might be cool to have a separate site where we feature the best posts by wedding photogs, cake bakers, florists and wedding planners. I’m hoping it’d be a fun addition to the Weddingbee family? What do you think?
That’s just one idea we’ve been playing with over here. Most of all, I just want to try and bring innovation to the wedding industry… while continuing to do my best to serve brides.
Speaking of which, I would like to give a huge shout-out and thank you to all the Bees who have helped build up Weddingbee into one of the top wedding blogs out there! I remember when Weddingbee was just a personal blog on Xanga… and then I asked some blog friends like Miss Ladybug, Ant and Butterfly to blog with me (can you believe I once knew every Bee from following their personal wedding blogs?). The first non-friend Bee was Miss Firefly. I met her on the Knot boards, and she subsequently started a wedding blog. Her blog was awesome so I asked her to lunch to beg her to become a Bee. Luckily she said yes!
I can’t believe that people actually apply to blog on Weddingbee now… and that we’ve had 15 generations of Bees on the site. A huge thanks to each and every one of you for all your love and support, from the first generation of Bees to the fifteenth!
I know you guys have put a lot of trust and faith in me over the years, and I promise to do everything I can to continue to earn that trust each and every day.
Please let me know if you have any questions about any of the above! I will do my best to answer questions, both in the comments and in follow-up posts.
Love,
Mrs. Bee
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Share this post: The Big News
so happy for you! and so deserved. i am happy to have weddingbee grow in such an exciting way!!
congratulations! I’ve been following weddingbee from the xanga stages, and hope that not too much will change, but I’m reassured by your post!
Congratulations Mrs. Bee! This is very exciting.
I’m happy for you, Bee. This was an amazing site, full of helpful advice and incredible inspiration.
First of all, congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bee for transforming a personal blog into the popular website and community Weddingbee is today!! That said, I (and I know a lot of the Bees) are concerned about E-Harmony’s anti-GLBT marriage position and have qualms about contributing (as a volunteer, no less) to an enterprise that will help make money for E-Harmony.
I’m continuing to blog because I hope that by supporting queer and LGBT issues in my posts, I will:
1) undermine E-Harmony’s corporate “identity” from within;
2) challenge and subvert a deeply heteronormative company, industry, and institution by demonstrating that beautiful relationships, marriages, and families come in all different religions, ethnicities, races, and sexualities; and
3) help create and maintain a welcoming space for all types of brides and grooms.
I have faith that Mrs. Bee will be vigilant in maintaining an independent editorial voice that will not be censored or co-opted by E-Harmony. In fact, I’m going to hold her to that promise. And I look forward to the day that E-Harmony changes its policies and becomes as welcoming and open as Weddingbee!
Congratulations! Now go take a much needed vacation
well congrats! it seems like it’ll be a great fit and you can finally take a vacation, which i’m sure you’re completely overdue for.
This has been an amazing source of advice, inspiration, and laughter while planning the last few months and I’m sure it will continue to be for many brides. I tell as many people about it that I can! Congratulations!
Congratulations!! I hope the site stays the same for the most part!
I thought this was the news… I think it’s a good thing. It will bring more diversity to the board.
I like the idea of vendor blogs.
P.S. I didn’t realize eHarmony took that stance against same-sex couples.
Congrats (again) Bee!! I am so happy for you guys, and hope you enjoy a nice long vacation soon. Your work getting the site up and running & developing it into such an amazing resource is really incredible - kudos to you guys!!
Once again, congratulations Bee I’ve been so proud to be a part of this community and so happy to watch and help it grow!
I am glad to know that the site will be better supported and Mrs. Bee - I wish you every sucess. I will no longer read weddingbee. E-Harmony is simply not a business I would ever want to support in any way due to their christian right rhetoric and disgusting view of GLBT community. I am sad because I have always enjoyed this site - thank you for being honest with us readers.
Congrats! I’ve been reading forever (and hoping to become a bee someday!) and this is great news to expand the site and take some stress off of your shoulders!
I think you are due for a long, well deserved vacation! Congrats and here’s to more successes down the road! Cheers!
Congrats that is such great news! Start planning your well deserved vacation already!!
@McG: eHarmony does not support gay matching on their website, and has been connected to Focus on the Family, which is very anti-LGBTQ.
Congratulations! This is seriously my favorite wedding site.
Congratulations! I’m very happy for you. I also am so glad to here that the site will essentially be the same with just some added features (which sound great by the way).
@Miss Hot Cocoa: I second that, Miss Hot Cocoa! I am an avid supporter of queer and LGBT rights, and am hoping that same sex marriage will soon be a legal option for couples in all states of the US. My sister is currently planning a same sex wedding in Canada, and I can’t wait for the day when they can become legally married in the US as well. (They are currently living in a state that does not recognize same sex marriages)
Wow! I hope this is everything you expect it to be and that it goes smoothly for you. I’m all excited/nervous for you, if that makes sense.
Congratulations, Bee! I’m so thrilled that you, Mr. Bee, and BIL Bee will be getting the support and resources you so deserve!
Weddingbee will truly only get better from here!
Congratulations Mrs. Bee! You deserve to get all the support possible for this fantasic site.
That said, I was always under the impression that eHarmony is not “Against” same sex marriage. They just don’t match same-sex couples because they don’t have any expertise in that area. I’m taking Mrs. Bee’s word that we’ll still be seeing GLBTQ weddingss and details around here.
Again, congrats to the Bee family!
I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs. Bee on her much-deserved success. I’ve seen first hand just how much both she and Mr. Bee put into making Weddingbee the amazing thing it is; they deserve nothing but great things to be born of it (including, I hope, a nice long vacation!). I know it is with Weddingbee’s readers’ best interests in mind that they have chosen to sell the site; with the resources of eHarmony behind it, there’s no telling what sorts of great features readers are in for.
And I’d like to say that my own experience in the hive has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally - for that I am truly grateful.
That said, I’m afraid I will not be contributing to Weddingbee under the eHarmony mantle, until such time as the company extends its services to support same sex couple matching. I make this (admittedly small) gesture in support of the LGBTQ community, which I believe deserves recognition, validation, and advocacy across all political and cultural fronts…including internet dating.
As a courtesy to those readers whose support and interest fueled their creation, I have given eHarmony permission to keep published those posts which I have already written.
I look forward to the day I will return to Weddingbee, pens blazing, and I hope it is sooner rather than later. After all, a bug can only go so long without a dose of hive love.
Well Mrs. Bee if you think it is the right thing for the hive, then I support you! Congrats!
I’ve been reading since October 06 so I’ve seen a lot of really great changes. Though I miss a lot of the intimate/small feel that Weddingbee had in the “old days” I’m really proud of what you’ve built and the amazing site this has become. My wedding has come and gone and I’m slowly transitioning from wedding blogs to home design and mom blogs but I still remember the day I discovered wedding bee.
You are right, there is a lot more competition these days…sometimes I feel like it’s too much. I kind of liked it better back when there were only 4 or 5 main wedding blogs out there.
But my question for you Mrs. Bee is…are you finally getting a decent salary?? I’ve often thought about how hard it must have been on you to start this blog back in the days when there was no advertising. I hope you get a regular pay check, benefits, and at least two weeks paid vacation each year. You deserve it!
This makes me very sad! On the one hand, I am happy that WeddingBee will be supported. On the other, I am saddened that it will now support an anti-LGBTQ business. I’m torn because I really love coming to Weddingbee, but I refused to give eHarmony my money a year ago when I was dating around (found my fiancé on okcupid!) because of their stance.
I seriously don’t want to give eHarmony anything either, especially not my business. I had been delighted to find same-sex couples on here, especially since they weren’t sequestered to their own section of WB, but rather part of the general group of bloggers.
Thanks for delighting me so much, ladies, for so many months. I’m saddened that I now have to leave your lovely site, but I have to, for my own personal convictions.
In that it means Mrs. Bee, Mr. Bee and BIL Bee will get some time off, make some money and reduce their stress, I’m happy about the sale of the site.
However, in selling to an organization which outwardly counters many of the diverse and compassionate viewpoints which have always been endorsed by Weddingbee, I think this partnership sends a terrible mixed message. If I were to continue to support Weddingbee, I would absolutely be supporting eHarmony and their values (both in theory and in revenue), which quite frankly disgust me. Unfortunately, I think this might mean that my hive days are over. Sad, this has always been my favourite wedding site.
Knot 2.0 here we go…. I am sure it’s a great thing for you personally and I congratulate you… however, no matter how much you promise that this site will stay the same I am sure we will see more and more corporate creep.
Congratulations Mrs (and Mr) Bee! I can only imagine what a HUGE decision this was for you.
@Miss Hot Cocoa: @Miss Taffy: Thank you for staying on at Weddingbee in hopes of inspiring a change within the eHarmony organization. I’ll admit that I felt disappointment in seeing eHarmony as the “money maker” behind WB, but I do not agree that avoiding organizations who do not share my beliefs is the way to change them. Kudos to those who want to change from within!
I too would like to congratulate Mrs. Bee on this, but sadly will also no longer be visiting and supporting weddingbee due to eHarmony’s LGBTQ policies. I wish you all every success, but have to stand by my morals. I’d be curious what Mrs. Gingerbread has to say about this.
I’m so honored and excited to be surrounded by such a creative and talented Bee family! Since being acquired by EH, Bee has had tons of new features and ideas in the works, and she is bringing them to reality so much faster than she ever could before. I know there were so many things she wanted to do, but just didn’t have the resources to bring these features to reality. I’m so excited to see where the hive is going…it’s gonna be awesome!
@BaghdadBride: Can you believe Bee took her FIRST Monday off in 3 years just recently, after I was hired on??? Hopefully with new resources that EHarmony can provide us, she’ll be able to take…maybe…ANOTHER Monday off soon!
mrs. bee, congratulations! i’ve been visiting the site since the beginning and still visit at least a few times a day, even though i’ve been happily married for three years i am so happy for you and for the success of weddingbee that has gotten you to this point! how exciting! i’m looking forward to seeing how the site will grow
Congratulations! I think this will be a great thing and I love that you will continue to support all types of marriage - let’s kill the eHarmony stance with love!!!
On a more personal note, Mrs. Bee, I don’t even know you but you and this site have inspired me daily. It’s helped me deal with tough issues and it’s given me BRILLIANT ideas which I freely have translated to fantastic projects for my PR/Marketing clients. It’s been a first-hand tutorial on how social interaction can happen online and the tools you’ve developed are ones I think you’ll see copied by ad agencies and PR agencies with increasing frequency.
Now, TAKE THAT VACATION! You’ve so much more than earned it!
@BA: I share your concerns and will be posting a response to this announcement shortly along with a couple of other Bees.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Bee!
@Mrs. Gingerbread- just read the above post. Well stated, as always. You are truly a model for how we should all behave.
Congrats, Mrs. Bee! I love Weddingbee! It’s been my favorite wedding site since my engagement. I’m sure the resources eHarmony brings to the table will only make the hive a better place.
Congrats, Mrs. Bee! This is great news for you, and I wish you well. I guess I never realized eHarmony’s stance on same-sex coupling. Mighty disturbing, I think, that any singles-meeting site these days would fail to recognize the significance of people who choose to date, fall in love with, and MARRY someone of the same sex. I look forward to the day when Dr. Neil Clark Warren himself sees this lack of regard for the LGBTQ community in the same way he (hopefully) and the rest of us sees the ban on inter-racial marriage that was only lifted 60 years ago– absurd, ridiculous, unfounded, unfair, disturbing, disheartening, sad…I could go on and on.
Congratulation Mrs Bee (and Mr Bee and BIL Bee)! What an accomplishment to take a Xanga blog to this level!
@Mrs. Cream Puff:
Oh I see… not good.
Also just to clarify when I said “diversity” I meant more brides that I can identify with… I had no clue about eHarmony’s stance and I don’t really want to support that.
Granted, I’ve gotten a lot of ideas from this site but I think the novelty has worn off for me personally… kind of like Facebook. I mean I will pop in every now and then, but it’s just not the same now that all of my fav Bee’s are married. Sorry, I’m just being honest.
This is not a personal jab to Mrs. Bee or the others on the site.
Congrats.
As a reader I am very disappointed. I’m surprised that more of your readers are not — maybe they are and they are just not saying anything. The one unique aspect about this site was that it was personal, intimate, and run by someone who wasn’t part of a big mass wedding corporation. And while I agree that there is competition, selling out to the Martha Stewarts and Knots of the world really goes against what I thought WeddingBee was all about.
There really is truth to the saying if it isn’t broken don’t fix it! Not sure how long I will hang around as a reader here now, but I wish you much success. I hope that WeddingBee continues to support local vendors, artists, and REAL brides.
While I am very happy that the hard work and determination of Mr. & Mrs. Bee has paid off so well for them - literally - I am afraid that I am no longer willing to participate in this community, because I am unwilling to contribute to eHarmony’s ugly agenda. I do this in support of my many gay friends and family members whose rights are strangled every single day by the organizations eHarmony supports. (For the record, I also don’t shop at Wal-Mart, eat at Cracker Barrel, or provide my money or other support to other such organizations for similar reasons of social responsibility.)
While we do not pay anything to be members of Wedding Bee, eHarmony will make money from advertisers each and every time one of us loads these pages, and I refuse to contribute to the bottom line of a company whose ideals are so incredibly opposed to my own.
Adios, Bees.
Congratulations! It must be great that all that hard work paid off. Just curious, how much did you sell Weddingbee for?
I had always looked forward to putting in my application to become a bee; but now - not so much. I really liked how when I found your blog it was like I discovered something unknown to everyone (unlike the knot), and it had much more of a community feel to it. I had looked forward to helping other brides along the way but somehow knowing it will now be just a small part of a very large corporate idenity, it just doesn’t feel the same. Hopefully I am proved wrong, but honestly - I wish I hadn’t read this post.
I, was also very excited to hear that WB had been sold, as I believe that it will not only be better for Mr. and Mrs. Bee, but for the readers as well. Mrs. Bee is going to give everything she has to keep the format and style of WB that we have all grown to love.
I support the sale and will continue writing as long as I feel I have interesting things to say. I am saddened to read of so many people leaving the site. I love WB for the support it gives to both readers and writers, and I hope all of those leaving will find other support systems as well, as I think they can often be the saving grace in times of stress.
I hope Mrs. Bee begins to blog about her relaxing vacations very soon!
This is really sad. I’m excited that you’ve gotten this influx of opportunity and resources, but eharmony is really distasteful to me for a variety of reasons. I have really appreciated the wide range of personalities involved on the site, but this is definitely a deal breaker. Oh, why them? As others have noted, we don’t pay to use this site. But I can’t continue to support anything connected with them in any way.
I actually had started reading here because I didn’t like the setup of the knot, and I felt like this was a community that better reflected diversity and open mindedness. Now I have to move on again. Thank you to all the bees for all the wonderful ideas you’ve shared.
E-harmony has made a choice about not having gay/lesbian couples for their own company, while Weddingbee has gone out of it’s way to make sure that gay/lesbian couples are futured on their site.
Personally, I do not advocate gay/lesbian relationships. Does this make me a narrow-minded mean-spirited person? I would think not. I am a born-again Christian and I am called to love people, but that doesn’t mean that I have to completely trample my beliefs to please people. I still read Weddingbee even with gay/lesbian couples and the ladies who are gay/lesbian all seem lovely. I would not stop reading Weddingbee even if I don’t accept the lifestyle, these women are still human beings and deserve respect. I don’t believe one should abolish the whole Weddingbee site just because E-Harmony is not 100% behind gay/lesbian couples, everyone has different beliefs and feelings about different things.
Hey, I’m glad you have found a deal you like! You certainly deserve it - this is truly the best wedding site around, and I found it infinitely useful when I was planning my own wedding.
I will continue to follow Weddingbee with great interest - and wish you the very best.
Wow, I can’t agree more with the overall sentiment here.
It’s fantastic that you were finally able to get something other than kudos for your hard work, and must be a completely gratifying feeling, but this really does change the environment.
Sure, almost everyone would love a few more features, but that changes the environment of WB. I sure hope that the new enhancements don’t injure the brand you (and all the other Bees) have worked so hard to create.
As for EH’s standpoint on GBLTQ issues, I find that extremely disheartening. I too, do not want to contribute to furthering their ideals. As much as I’ve waited for the time I could send my application in to become a bee, I guess I’m going to have to re-evaluate my priorities — something I hope the parent corporation does as well.
Wow, that’s huge news! Congratulations! I’d say it’s about time for that vacation!
A lot of my initial thoughts have been addressed, and I am sorry to say that I will not read WeddingBee anymore because of this affiliation. I know this seems like the best move financially for the Bee family, but I am saddened and disheartened that WeddingBee will now be run by a company with an oppressive mission.
As a social justice advocate, I have struggled with planning my wedding because of all the heteronormative messages that are sent. Weddingbee has been a respite from that, and unfortunately that time has now come to an end.
You all may be interested in this excerpt from a 2005 interview with Neil Clark Warren, founder of eHarmony, by Salon.com about why eHarmony does not match same-sex couples (sorry its long):
“When I asked Warren about his refusal to serve same-sex couples, he listed several reasons for his policy. “First, we’re into marriage,” he said, pointing out that gay unions remain illegal in almost every state. He also doesn’t feel there is adequate research on how men can be matched up with other men, or women with women.
Businessmen have approached him and asked for his help in building a company designed specifically for gay couples. Warren was proud to tell me that he advises them to research the kinds of compatibility that make gay relationships last. “It did my heart good that these guys I talked to, these gay guys, have since said, ‘Neil Clark Warren was sympathetic.’ That meant the world to me,” he said. But it’s also pretty clear that eHarmony is not about to reverse its own policy. Warren is simply too torn on the issue.
When I told him that I found it sad that my gay friends don’t have the opportunity to take advantage of the eHarmony compatibility elixir of which he is so proud, he was quiet for some time. “I love the spirit with which you make that point,” he said thoughtfully. “And we do do a lot of talking about how we love the idea of being inclusive.” He paused again, sounding slightly shaken. “It’s just not an easy point! We’ve got thousands of years of history of the human race in which this was never treated as a marriage and there are a lot of people who think it’s just not going to have the same kind of stability over time.
“Where Focus on the Family and a lot of these other places come from is that there are six places in the Bible that say homosexuality is wrong,” he said. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. But then he continued: “On the other hand, in the Old Testament if you work on the Sabbath day and you’re guilty then you should be shot.”
I was surprised to hear him play out his internal debate so openly. Sure, he remained fairly benighted on issues of homosexuality, but I had to acknowledge he’s from a different time and culture. I wish that I’d been able to have a conversation this frank with my late grandfather, who was not exactly open to sexual, religious or racial differences — and whom I loved very much. How could I not appreciate the fact that Warren was at least engaging the topic? Far from dismissing homosexuality as an aberration, or suggesting that gays are going to hell, Warren brought up his best friend’s daughter, a lesbian who has two children with her partner. “She’s a dear person to us, and a very strong spiritual person,” he said. “And when I start seeing things like that, I think we’ve got to start to think about that maybe this can work.”
the original is here: http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/06/10/warren/index3.html
@ slb111: it’s about consumerism. As an internet user, you are a making companies like eHarmony money everytime you click open a page. Being a supporter of any cause - diversity issues or otherwise - means that you think critically about everything you do - who you give your business to, whose agenda you contribute to - actively or passively!
I have to wonder…Mrs. Bee said there were many companies interested in buying Weddingbee, why such a controversial choice…
I love this news!!! Congratualtions Mr. and Mrs. Bee. I think eHarmony.com is an upstanding company and despite all the people here hemming and hawing about how they will now leave due to their views, I think you’ve made a wise choice. What you’ve done with this site is very inspiring for bridal entrepreneurs like myself. All the best to you and may you take some much deserved time off 
Congrats Mrs Bee! Thanks for all your hard work on Weddingbee so far. I had no idea eHarmony was so controversial. I actually met my fiance on eHarmony. Regardless of controvery, I am still thankful that I met him and am now planning our wedding.
It’s also worth noting that although there has been much media frenzy about legalizing gay marriage, the population such laws effect is actually an incredibly small percentage of America.
If a person were to evaluate this purely on the basis of a business decision, losing the same sex readership for this blog pales into comparison with the new traffic that will be added as a result of partnering with a well established company with more traffic and higher page impressions.
I love wedding bee and look forward to seeing how it evolves. But I understand people who feel the need to make a personal statement by not visiting any more. It’s still bookmarked for me!
completely understand why you have to sell it.. really sad that it’s eharmony though.. i say i won’t be back, but let’s face it — it’s an addictive site. I feel like what will ultimately drive me away (but bring in a huge new audience) will be the corporatization. It always happens.. but again — I completely understand! take a vacation and enjoy your hard-earned success!
congrats Bee- I am glad your hard work is getting paid off!
In my understanding, the current bloggers are blogging for free on the weddingbee site - Will eharmony provide them with compensation from now on, since it is corporate owned now? I hope they could consider that- because your weddingbee bloggers deserve that also.
regardless - a big congrats to you!
I don’t really know what to think about this. Certainly Mrs. Bee and her family deserve to be compensated for what they’ve created! I heartily congratulate them… but, as Anon in comment 57 pointed out, if there were a multitude of offers, why choose one whose policy seems to go directly against what Weddingbee stands for (in my interpretation, anyway)? It seems like a slap in the face of LGBTQ participants, readers, and supporters.
I’ve loved Weddingbee, and catching up with posts has been a gleeful part of my morning routine for some time, but the site will inevitably change with this decision. The fact that bees (Mrs. Gingerbread, Mrs. Lovebug, maybe others) and readers have already announced their departure signifies this. I think I’m in the “we’ll see what happens” camp for now but the choice to go with eHarmony is disheartening.
@nykola: Just because the LGBTQ community is a minority means it’s okay to discriminate against them!? Please clarify.
I would to add two quick things.
1) While I understand that many of my co-bees are approaching this acquisition with a “Let’s tackle those eHarmony board members from within!” policy, for me, to do so would feel a little like voting for McCain because I want to make headway on reproductive rights. This is not to criticize anyone’s decision to stay…it’s just that to me, it doesn’t feel like the right way to make a statement.
2) I also just want to point readers to the post immediately following this one - Mrs. Gingerbread, Mrs. Cream Puff, and Mrs. Sweet Tea have very eloquently pointed out a number of important considerations regarding eHarmony’s policies. I urge everyone to read what they have to say.
Big changes for the Bee.
I too am sad. I liked weddingbee because it wasn’t a part of the mega wedding world, and it was such a wonderful, accepting, tolerant and respectful community.
So long, folks. I will miss you.
Congratulations! I’m a relatively new reader (in the past 6 months), so I have no clue about the more humble beginnings of weddingbee (though I would’ve loved to have stumbled across the hive sooner!). WB has been such a wonderful resource for me - not only in obtaining knowledge on DIY projects and technical wedding stuff, but also because it’s a community of diverse, intelligent and beautiful brides and grooms to be. That being said, I am concerned for most of the reasons stated above. I fear that the diversity and inclusiveness of WeddingBee that I so greatly value will be compromised by the agenda of the new parent company, eHarmony. I didn’t know anything about eHarmony’s policies until today. What I have learned thus far is very disappointing. At this point, I’m not sure if I will continue to read WB.
This might be a weird question, but are the bee bloggers going to get paid? I think that they should. Without their posts no one would visit the site. If weddingbee as a whole is making money, I think that the bees deserve to get a little reward for their contributions.
:sigh:
I am sad that WeddingBee will not be funded by a corporation, but I am pleased for the Bees, and very proud of their accomplishment.
I am an eharmony bride. I signed up for for three months on one of their discount promotions, and met my fiance, and as much as I hate to say it, the commercials, at least in our case, are correct. We are perfectly matched. Do I dislike their anti-gay, religious zealot tendencies? Yes. I wasn’t aware of the full extent of them when I signed up, and if I had not already met my fiance, I would have closed my account.
I truly hope that the blog will stay the same. This is my most loved wedding website, and I have felt a connection with the Bees. I am sad to see some of them leave, but I understand and respect their reasonings, and I hope they will provide us with their personal blog links so we may continue to follow their journey.
For the same reasons as others have already mentioned, I’m out too. To refuse to support eHarmony, and so I’ll remember WeddingBee as a unique site, before it turns into another WIC look-alike. I’ll keep giving support to sites like offbeatbride.com and indiebride.com… join me there! =)
Congratulations to the Bee family!
That being said, how can you possibly think that any business promoting love (of any type!) and stable relationships and marriage is “evil.” Really. Our society promotes so many ills… and here is a company trying to help people find love. I don’t think JDate is evil in that it promotes the exclusionary relationships of Jewish people. Nor do I loathe CatholicMatch.com. I can’t be a part of either site, but oh well!
WB won’t exclude anyone from blogging… I mean we have lesbians and Mormons and Muslims together in harmony here! Does anyone else see that? I’m feeling the extra love today now that the ‘Bee is being hosted by a company that is really all about successful relationships and finding your soulmate.
Gosh, the more I read comments the more torn I am. I love this site and all of the bees but I really don’t want to support an anti-LGBTQ organization at all. However, I wonder is it better to walk away from someone who opposes you or to continue speaking your mind about the issue? I say let’s get MORE diversity going. As a newer reader, I was personally wondering why there aren’t more African-American brides and what about more international brides? I’d love to learn about customs of other cultures.
My small suggestion - let the readers pick a few new bees. Offer up a selection of people across the board and let us vote on who we want to hear from! Let’s make a statement with who we select.
@Mrs. Cream Puff: I would like to hear the answer to this as well. Also, Nykola- just because gay marriage isn’t legal in all the states does not mean that weddings are not taking place. Many same sex couples are planning destination weddings abroad or in a legal state here in the US, and many others are performing weddings here despite the fact that they are not recognized by the government. Even so, excluding the LGBTQ community because they won’t bring much “traffic” to the site is just an excuse for discrimination.
I heard about the sale right around the same time I joined up as a blogger. I have to admit that I didn’t know that eHarmony took this stance on LGBT families. At the time, I just thought it was a transition from independent to commercialized. Now that I know that there’s another issue at play…I’m conflicted. I’ve been a bee blogger for a short while, but I’ve been in the weddingbee community for a long time and I love the brides I’ve come to know through the site. Like others, I’ve found this community to be more friendly and less artificial than those of other wedding boards.
However, I’m saddened that eHarmony chooses not to support same sex couples. I am bisexual myself and although I have found my life’s companion in someone of the opposite sex, it is frustrating to think that my wedding would not have been supported by the company if the person I had met had been another woman. At the same time, I know that my plans would have been welcome at Weddingbee and I don’t want to “abandon ship” - depriving other brides of the diversity that I love about this site.
I guess I have some thinking to do…
One last request…. ladies who are leaving the hive : please tell us where you are going!!!
While I 100% understand your decision to leave, I would still love to hear about the rest of your life’s journey.
“the population such laws effect is actually an incredibly small percentage of America. If a person were to evaluate this purely on the basis of a business decision, losing the same sex readership for this blog pales into comparison with the new traffic that will be added as a result of partnering with a well established company with more traffic and higher page impressions.”
Dear Nykola,
Over 10% of the population is gay or lesbian. More than that is bisexual, pansexual or somewhere on the Kinsey Scale. You are also not calculating the number of readers and bloggers who are advocates of same sex marriage. If only queer people were fighting for same sex rights then no laws would ever change. Luckily the queer community has many many supporters who will continue to fight for rights, both on WB and off.
It breaks my heart to her that Weddingbee has been sold to eharmony. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to visit or post on the message boards any longer.
anon: I totally agree with what you said. Thank you for pointing out that this is not about whether or not a person respect one’s beliefs that are different from their own.
Bee readers: Although I feel it’s a persons individual right to believe and support whatever they’d like, by continuing to visit this site, it creates more visibility and $$$ for the sites owners. As long as eharmony is the owner, every time you visit, they make more advertising revenue.
Mrs. Bee: Congrats on all of your well-deserved success! Thank you to you and your team for all of your hard work! Good luck!
My website is: http://www.stinkerpants.com/blog
Thanks guys.
congratulaions!!!!
I’m sad that Mrs. Bee would have to say something like, “I’m very pleased that eHarmony has allowed me to publish these concerns on the site.”
Congratulations Bee! I feel so privileged to be a part of the blog and I can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us.
congratulations Mrs Bee! Maybe soon we’ll see commercials for weddingbee.com!! =)
Congratulations Bee! This sounds like a great opportunity. And thank you for your continued commitment to keep WeddingBee true to its roots!
I agree with most of the comments before mine that state while I’m glad you’ve made a good business decision for yourself and your future, I won’t be reading any longer. I am a strong advocate of equal rights and think companies that go out of their way to exclude LGBTG couples are disgusting and I won’t support them. So, I’ve enjoyed my time reading here, but I think this is it. Good Luck.
Bee, I’ve watched weddingbee go from a personal blog to something everyone around the world will flock to for wedding support and inspiration. I’m SO happy that this is happening. The site will be even bigger and greater, and I have complete faith that weddingbee is going to remain just as personal and wonderful as it has always been.
Think of all the brides you’ve helped out over the years. Think about how many more you can help now! I’m excited to see where weddingbee is headed.
Congrats again, i’m so proud of you. I LOVE YOU!!
First off: Congratulations on the sell! I understand the amount of time you’ve put into weddingbee and the stress and frustrations it may have caused in your personal life. I just want you to know that I really enjoyed reading all your xanga blogs before wedding bee and have kept up with it until now.
Second: I’m disappointed that weddingbee has been sold to eharmony. I’m not as passionate about the LGBT community as other but I do support marriage equality for all. I guess it came at a good time, since I’m married and have been skipping the posts (especially since the “read here” option was take off). Before, I use to read each post word for word. *sigh* Oh well.
Best of Luck to weddingbee!
@ehh5000: I do not think that the Bees should be paid, as I think it will only contribute to the rampant consumerism that many assume will begin to develop because of the sale. Right now, we bees (and potential bees) are blogging because we love it, and our motivation lies in our desire to share and be a part of a community. If the motivation was based on monetary compensation I fear that the quality of the posts and the posters would move in a different direction.
Congratulations Mrs. Bee! Wishing you the best, I know you will do your best to keep the integrity of the site
This is very sad news.
It’s good-bye for me, hive. I have enjoyed the bloggers on this site, but have struggled with the idea that one person has benefitted from their creativity and expertise, and I can see that now, that same ONE person is going to be compensated for the hard work of others. Combining that with the unfortunate news of the company to which you were sold (many people have expressed my exact sentiments about the distasteful and morally disturbing views of eHarmony), I am no longer a reader.
It’s kind of like ” I liked that band better before they got big” haha Good for Mrs. Bee! She deserves this, and I couldn’t be happier for her and the bee community. As for it being to eHarmony, no, they don’t support LGBT’s on their site, and I believe it is for both business reasons and personal views. They base their business model on being able to match people with more information and whatnot, and that is because they have done so much research on what makes men and women tick. I have a lot of friends who were on match.com and kept getting paired with losers (no offense to match.com’ers) and after switching to eHarmony they found the guy they married in a matter of months. They know what they are doing. And with LGBT, they don’t. They could start to research it, but for personal reasons they don’t. It’s their company
Anyways, I will keep reading, and again, congrats to Mrs. Bee!
Whilst I am very happy for the resource changes a move like this will bring and the positive impact this will have in the lives of Mr & Mrs Bee I do not feel that I can any longer support Weddingbee.
This makes me so sad as Weddingbee and the Bees were all inspirations for my wedding.
I wish you luck in the future but I won’t be visiting until E Harmony recognizes that we are all equal.
Count me among the disappointed and leaving, for various reasons.
It was nice while it lasted.
Congrats to Mrs. Bee your sucess is amazing.
At the same time it is disheartening to learn of the sale. I love reading the bee posts and learning from other brides and had looked forward to potentially becoming a bee one day. I personally don’t care if Weddingbee gets new program applications or vendor resources, if I wanted those things I could go to the knot/the wedding channel/project wedding/any other corporate site. Weddingbee was special in that it was not those things, it seemed to be community oriented, honest, welcoming and not in it for money. I’m sorry but the way I see it, you just lost the very unique quality that made this website an amazing, invaluable resource.
At first I was happy to read about Mrs. Bee’s success. But as I read through eharmony’s history and the comments listed here, I become more and more disgusted that you would sell the website to a morally bankrupt corporation.
Goodbye, Wedding Bee. I’d say I miss you but there are many socaily concious wedding blogs out there.
Can somebody start a weddingbee2 less the corporate identity?
“Just because the LGBTQ community is a minority means it’s okay to discriminate against them!? Please clarify.”
@MissCreamPuff and MissTaffy
I’m not going to get into a debate about whether it’s right or wrong for eHarmony, a privately owned company, to go after the market share of their choosing. There are companies whose practices specifically rule out black people (of which I am one) and as a result, I choose not to give them business…that’s my prerogative; just like it’s their prerogative not to service me. Love it or hate, it’s the irony that makes America great. Discrimination notwithstanding, what I don’t do is go around declaring war on them for refusing to service me. An aside: Far be it for me compare the plight of African Americans to that of the LBGTQ community because that in itself is offensive to me. I only use that to illustrate a point.
This is America folks. Private businesses are entitled to do whatever they choose. Discrimination happens every day. I reckon some of the companies you know and love have blatant discriminatory practices. That is short end of the stick that comes with living in a nation where we have far more freedoms than anywhere else in the country. Life could be much worst for us all.
And I am one of the biggest social injustice advocates you will ever meet. But when it comes to social injustice, where I start to get uproarious is when discrimination creeps into the public sector. Now if eHarmony was a publicly traded company, a non-profit, or a gov’t funded entity, I might give a listen to the complaints being posted here. But until then, I understand everyone’s concerns and you are entitled to them, but I don’t think the future of weddingbee is anything but bright as a result of this decision. I respect everyone who wants to leave’s right to do so.
@353459 From a business perspective, 10% isn’t much relative to the other market share. Given the economy, I’d say it’s a great opportunity for someone to get entrepreneurial and capitalize on that 10% market share. As far as the other readers leaving, time will tell if the site suffers. But I’d bet in its favor. I’d invest.
SELL.OUT.
Congrats Bee! It has been long deserved for you!!!
I’m curious if the powers that be behind WeddingBee anticipated such a backlash against this decision. When you decided to sell the website, had you considered the fact that it went against many of the qualities that define it? Did you consider that you would not only loose some of the Bee’s who make the website what it is, but the readership and following?
First, I want to congratulate Bee, Mr. Bee, BIL Bee, and Penguin for all their hard work. The success of the site is due to your diligent work, editorial integrity, and creative ingenuity. You deserve a much needed vacation!
One of the reason I started blogging was that in an industry overrun with heteronormative narratives Weddingbee started to rewrite those narratives. It allowed all brides regardless of race, color, gender expression, sexual orientation, creed, class, or faith to tell their stories without censorship.
To be honest, I am torn.
On one hand, I see eharmony’s acquisition of Weddingbee as a step toward change. I completely agree with Hot Cocoa. Having Bee stay to on and continue editing and managing the site, without interference, is a step in the right direction toward change. I too will hold Bee to the promise of maintaining an independent voice that is not censored, and I look forward to the day eharmony changes its policies to be inclusive of the GLBT community. I hope by continuing to blog and tell my story, without censorship, that I can be an instrument for change.
However, I am skeptical. Can change really occur from the inside out?
I think the sale of Weddingbee to eharmony is a great experiment in that possibility. So, for now I will stay on.
First, congratulations Bee! You deserve all your success. Your hard work and dedication to the site are evident to everyone.
However, I am conflicted about this. As a Canadian, I generally don’t think about or am not as aware of the policies of American companies. While e-harmony is available in Canada, the most popular dating site here is Canadian owned and has same sex matching. Having read the evidence that has been discussed on the boards and then doing my own online search about e-harmony, I am not sure if I will return to WB. I love the bees, I come here frequently to read the new posts and have read all the archives of bees past. All of their stories offer inspiration. I really want to continue to share all this community has to offer, but do not want a company with these practices to profit from me. I am not sure how much can be “changed from within”. I am torn.
For those readers who are leaving the site, I’m truly sorry to see you go, but I understand and support your decision. You can see my posts under the aegis of my own blog: http://doublyhappytoo.blogspot.com/. I hope you’ll continue to be a part of my wacky journey to the chuppah.
Congrats Mrs. Bee and the rest of the “behind the scenes” crew! I have truly enjoyed being apart of such a great site and community! I wish I could remember how I stumbled upon this gem, but I can not!
I also want to thank everyone who has enlightened me on the business practices of eHarmony. I’ve never used an on-line dating site nor did I know what their company stands for. As a consumer, I probably should know what each company I purchase things from stands for, but I do not.
I will continue to be a Weddingbee member. It’s been a great resource and I know it will continue to do so. Although I do not agree with what eHarmony stands for, I do agree with what Weddingbee stands for. That, in itself, is enough for me to continue to contribute and go through the journey with the remaining Bees and other members!
For those leaving, if you have your own blog, please leave the address so we can continue to follow your journey!
Congrats again Mrs. Bee!
I am a longtime Weddingbee reader and I am very happy for Bee. I hope that Wedingbee reaches a greater audience, and that it remains as personal and diverse as it always has been.
As for myself, I am not sure that I will continue reading Weddingbee, because I cannot support a company that does not support marriage equality, and also because one of the main appeals of Weddingbee to me was that it was outside of the wedding industry.
Such bittersweet news… I am so happy for the Bee family and want to see Bee’s incredible website get the attention it deserves, but I am deeply saddened by Weddingbee’s new affiliation with a company I disapprove of.
Congrats, Mrs. Bee! You may have mentioned this earlier, but when will the change take effect?
Congratulations!
I’d be a big proponent of a vendor-driven blog…what a wonderful idea. I’m sure you’ll get a ton of interested business bloggers who want to jump on the bandwagon (count me in too)!
it’s official! congrats!! i’m really happy for you personally. hugs.
Wow. This stinks. So, while the talented and creative members of the hive will be blogging for free, you will rake in a check and eHarmony will be laughing all the way to the bank. Schweet. I wonder what the LGBT community has to say about this. Now that I think about it…has there ever even been a black hive member? Makes you think.
Everyone hates it when something they hold close to them sells out to a big corporation. Having worked at several start ups I understand all too well that this is ultimately the goal (if not at the start then at some point) of every start up. Iam glad that Mrs.Bee and her crew have profitted from their hard work and know that eHarmony was most likely chosen because they had the best and most lucrative offer, that’s how business works so kudos to her for being so savy. As of today I will no longer be visiting Weddingbee as I cannot support eHarmony and their anti LGBTQ stance. It is extremely disappointing to me because like many other brides to be I was hoping to become one of the many bee voices sometime in the future.
Good luck to the many wonderful Bees that stay on hoping to change things from within, I truly hope they do, but highly doubt they will.
Just the fact that Mrs.Bee wrote that she was happy eHarmony “allowed” her to post concerns shows that already they are somewhat dictating what is being published.
I agree with Brandy - while I find eHarmony to be rather loathsome, the process of being bought and sold is the nature of small businesses.
Mrs. Bee mentioned that eHarmony was going to create a competitor site or buy Weddingbee. It’s sink or swim in the world of business, and I can’t fault her for making this decision.
Financial security mean sacrificing some editorial control. I just hope this was a happy decision for Mrs. Bee, and not one she felt forced in to.
I want to congratulate Mrs. Bee for all her success!! You deserve it!
But on a sadder note…….I am disheartened to hear that Weddingbee has been sold to a large corporate entity. I love the fact that it’s so free of corporate interference at the moment and that people of all colours, religions, and orientation blog about such a joyous event in their lives!
I have long looked forward to the day I could apply to be a Bee. I always figured I would be fantastic! I don’t think I will do that now. As a lawyer I am concerned about privacy and ownership issues with regards to the content of the Bee’s posts. I am also not really interested in associating myself with any corporation.
When the time comes, I will just blog on my own site. And should the nature of Weddingbee change, I will stop visiting the Hive.
@nykola:
There hasn’t been one since…
One of my blog buddies applied… she is full of original ideas (I’ll admit, I even steal from her) but hasn’t heard back yet.
I’m not impressed with the diversity on this site. And I had this feeling before I heard about the sell off.
I am also horrified that Weddingbee has been sold to a notoriously anti-LBGt organization. What a disappointing decision.
I’m outta here.
Living outside the USA I didn’t know about eHarmony neither the company’s policies. What I know is that Weddingbee it’s the best wedding site I’ve ever read. It’s inspirational, thoughtful, smart, funny and touching.
And for those reasons I will continue reading all the posts from all the Bees even knowing that their believe system sometimes it’s completely opposite to me (aspects like: sexual orientation-religion-education, etc).
Mrs. Bee, you know that every decision we make will not always please everybody. But I think we all readers (and Bees) are pleased with this decision you made years ago: to launch WB. It’s great what you’ve done: you’ve helped brides like me, who doesn’t even know where to start planning. You’ve inspired us.
@McG: Obviously you’re looking for a specific type of diversity that is not inclusive of religious (LDS, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and totally non-relgious bides), ethnic (Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Caucasian, Mexican, African-American, Polish, Persian, Indian, can’t keep listing), regional (international, rural, big city, small city, resort, backyard, etc) or fiscal diversity.
mrs. bee, all the best to you and your family, but i too will no longer be visiting this site.
@nykola: what does it really matter if the company is private or not? Discrimination is discrimination. As far as not declaring war on a company beacuse they refuse to service you, didn’t you say you were one of the biggest social injustice advocates that we will ever meet? Do you fight discrimination by turning your back or confronting the problem?
On another note: I’m torn as are many other Bees. You become somewhat of a family on this site, and I agree that one of the main reason that I HEART this site is because of it’s cclose-knit type community.
Well just to show how old school I am, there was also Mrs. Rose but she dropped off the face of the earth. I understand people’s reactions to the corporate issue and the eharmony issue but I really disagree with people who are trying to say weddingbee is not diverse and that it is not diverse on purpose. There are very few places where you can find christian, jewish, muslim, buddhist, hindu, mormon, a-religious weddings, and white, east asian, south-east asian, south asian, african american, and hispanic weddings, and female and male bloggers, and straight and queer bloggers, and people in mixed marriages, and women who are bigger and smaller, and bloggers who are from Kansas and New York City. It just doesn’t happen.
I really don’t know how one could look at all the bees from the past (and I’ve “known” them all) and say this is not a pretty darn diverse site.
@StacyT:
I was trying to be polite… The diversity I’m looking for was African American. There are no current Black Bees.
Your list is impressive… I stand corrected.
But we still need more!
Im happy for you Mrs.Bee and Mr.Bee and cant forget BILBee. You all worked so hard in creating an awesome site… and now you deserve some time off and think about yourselves. About the whole eHarmony issues… I trust your judgement and believe you have weddingbee at heart when making decisions.
I think this could be the start to something even bigger than what you have imagined and I wish you all the best! Hurray for a day off… you truly deserve it.
I understand why certain people wouldnt be happy about the news, and you can’t really please everyone..really… but if we continue to support gay marriages by blogging about it (like we’ve been doing on weddingbee)… than thats one step closer to changing eHarmonys views…
@elle1009
I fight discrimination by fighting the battles that actually matter. Trying to battle private companies on their right to express what they believe is a senseless matter in my opinion because it conflicts with one of the values I love most about America and take advantage of every single day. i’m of the personal opinion that protesting weddingbee isn’t a way to win the battle those who do so are after. But to each their own. I respect their right to leave. I just don’t think it will matter much in this situation. In a few weeks the outrage will die down and it will be business as usual around here. But you’re certainly entitled to disagree with me.
@McG
I too agree there needs to be more African American bees on this site, but I don’t think that reality bears on this conversation.
@McG: @McG: Don’t forget Mrs. Pearl, who is beautifully multiracial, including black on her father’s side.
Congratulations Mrs. Bee! I think that this is amazing news for you & your family & am extremely happy for you.
While I did not know of, and do not approve of, EHarmony’s business practices, I will definitely continue to visit & support WeddingBee. I don’t think that Mrs. Bee started this site as anything other than a blog on a subject that she loved & the fact that it happened to evolve into what it did just reflects the fact that something happened at the right time & Mrs. Bee was business savvy in addition to said love.
As long as this site remains in Mrs. Bee’s hands, the ways that she said it would, I’ll continue to visit. If the site becomes too corporate or anything of that nature, I’ll stop visiting.
I think that this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved, no matter their sexual identity, & can definitely be a learning experience. I’m pretty much with what Ms. Cocoa said in regards to trying to change things from the inside out
Congratualtions again, Mrs. Bee! I hope that you & your hubby take a well deserved vacation & come back with some beautiful photos to show us!
While I understand the need and desire to make you life’s work profitable, I am so disappointed that this is the direction that weddingbee has chosen. It’s sad that what started as a supportive, open environment isn’t anymore.
As an ardent supporter of LGBT rights and marriage equality, I cannot support a site that is now owned by a corporation with the history and values of eHarmony. I’m glad that my favorite bees are posting their own sites so that I can “keep in touch.”
@Nykola: I think it DOES bear on the situation, namely because eHarmony JUST started matching people across racial lines. Interracial couples should be outraged as well as LGBT couples.
How many of us turn the lights off when we leave a room? Put soda cans in the recycling bin? Small efforts can make a difference. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
I’m leaving this site. And I think everyone else should too. By not, you’re agreeing with eHarmony’s discriminatory practices. Just because you may not boycott *every* company whose practices you don’t agree with (big superstores, Starbucks, etc) you can still boycott some of them.
All you can do is try to make the world a better place. To *do* something about it. Now we all can!
Congrats again to all the Bees. A large part of why we love Weddingbee and are drawn to it is because of the warmth of our little bee community. This community includes LGBT members too and I will do my best to do my part in making sure there is lots of love to go around, to everyone. That the Bees are being forthright about this and opening this up to discussion tells me it is important to them too.
There are more of my thoughts and comments in the other post (”Weddingbee and Marriage Equality”) but I did want to write here that my personal wedding blog can be found at monkeywed.blogspot.com. Not all of the content is the same as is posted here on Weddingbee but all of the important things are there.
Pardon me for injecting some testosterone into this conversation, but may I perhaps suggest that everyone take a breather and relax.
First of all, calling this a sell-out is just insulting, Mrs. Bee appears to have made it clear she didn’t have many options. This is the way the free market works - you adapt, or you fail. Anyone who calls her a sell out should try to create a fully independent website like this one, build it up to success and see how long they can last without joining another company. On that note, I congratulate Mrs. Bee for making what will hopefully be a successful business decision, and give her some time off.
Secondly, turning this into a LGBT rights debate is somewhat ridiculous. Just because e-Harmony doesn’t have same-sex match-ups, doesn’t mean they go around beating up gays and lesbians. Should all groups (religious, ethnic, etc.) be forced to accept and support LGBT? Seems to me that would be taking away a lot more of this freedom stuff than it would be giving. Should they all recognize and respect gays, lesbians etc? Absolutely. Are those two things the same? Absolutely not.
Recognition and respect allow for people to retain their beliefs, and practices. People can also change their beliefs. Unfortunately, recognition and respect need to work both ways, or everybody loses. From what I’ve read, e-Harmony does a good job of recognizing and respecting LGBT, but they either are unwilling or unable to support that community.
So please, give Mrs. Bee kudos for a job well done on creating a forum for people to share ideas about their weddings. If you still want to give this up because it’s associated with e-Harmony, so be it, but please, show some respect for the people who stay, and give some recognition to Mrs. Bee for doing her best to create a safe place for people to talk about wedding stuff.
For those who want to judge me for this, or want to come up with a reason to call me a bigot, I am a white, protestant male married to a wonderful white, protestant female, who very much enjoys this website, and was very disappointed to see so much anger and hatred come out of this.
At least I can still visit INDIEBRIDE, where my clicks will not support eHarmony and it’s position on LGBTQ issues and refusal to same sex matching.
I hope the bees who are now essentially blogging for eHarmony are being paid for their hard work and efforts. Weddingbee was an online community as much as it was promoting ideas and creativity. It was voluntary, as far as I know. Now, simply, it is not. I have the same concerns as Mrs. Gingerbread in her post (#55) on the Weddingbee and Marriage Equality entry that follows this one. Her entry had already been through a few editorial reviews!
You can follow my personal blog at thebrokeassbride.com
I love you all, respect each of your decisions, and I hope you’ll respect mine too.
congrats. bee! no one can understand the amount of work/time it takes to maintain this website, and no matter how much you try to explain your reasons for selling, people have already formed an opinion and made their judgements. i hope that you don’t take the criticism personally, as you seem like a nice person who only wanted to a nice thing for other people by starting this website. i wish you the best, and i will continue to visit.
@ Just Some Guy:
With all due respect for the Bee family, I have to question what you mean when you say that Mrs. Bee had no other options? She had an option to compete or sell. She chose to sell, which I have full respect for because she’d done such a good job of making the site HUGE that she just couldn’t do it all anymore. Next, she had the opportunity to choose a buyer and she chose, for reasons which have not yet been explained, eHarmony and all that came along with it
Secondly, can you please elaborate on your claim that eHarmony “does a good job of recognizing and respecting LGBT”? From what I’ve read, both here and beyond Weddingbee, this is far from the truth!
Finally, I find your comment about “injecting some testosterone into this conversation” HIGHLY insulting to all women involved in this discussion which has, in actuality, been carried out in a mostly calm, eloquent and focused manner.
@Anon:
Thanks for the comment. Just to clarify, I did say “Mrs. Bee appears to have made it clear she didn’t have many options.”, referring to her answering the “Why did we sell?” question above. Good point regarding the choice of buyers, thank you.
As far as my claim that they (e-Harmony) do a “good job of recognizing and respecting LGBT”, I meant that in what I’ve seen and heard of them, they are not publicly abusive. They are entitled to their beliefs, as much as the LGBT community is entitled to theirs. e-Harmony spokespeople quoted in this post address the topic respectfully, in my opinion, while not simply lashing out or giving in.
And finally, I apologize for that. I meant no offense by my testosterone comment (I was attempting to open with some light-hearted joking). I was simply indicating that I haven’t read any posts from the male portion of the population, and thought I could contribute. My post was not directed at the calm, eloquent women, but at the people who have made posts that I would consider abusive or insulting, if I were in Mrs. Bee’s position.
Thank you again for the reply, and I hope I’ve clarified my position.
Anon - I think he was trying to say that he’s trying to present just another perspective being male, not be sexist or offend anyone.
And Mrs. Bee, I’m keeping on reading because I think you’ve done an amazing job with this site and I’m excited to see some of the new possibilities come to fruition!
This website has been such a pleasure to read. However, I too can no longer visit for many of the reasons mentioned by previous posters.
Congrats on the sale! I think being called a “sell out” is a huge compliment because you obviously created something of great worth. That takes a lot of work, ingenuity and vision. You should be very proud!
eHarmony is a company that I also find distasteful. I think you’ll lose some traffic and the feel of the place will change, but I’ve really appreciated what you fostered. My wedding journey is over (just the wedding, not the marriage) so I have been tapering off anyway. But thanks for creating such a great resource!
I think everyone has made it clear that discrimination is not ok so I do not need to restate that. But, what I find almost as sad is the loss of an independent site to a major corporation. I understand why it had to be done but…it is still disheartening. WB will never be the same.
@Nykola #100- Well said!
@MsPurple92: I’m sure all of the bloggers were aware that this was a non-paid “position” when they applied. It is someone’s company and yes, they are going to make the money off of it. I’m sure it takes many, many, many hours to run this site. Many more hours than it takes to create a blog post.
I’m sure if the bloggers had an issue with not getting paid, they would have said something long ago.
I respect the decision that was made, but I really think another company would have been a better fit. It was pretty obvious from the teaser post that the site was sold…I was rooting for MSLO or Harpo, organizations looking for creating sub-communities within their community.
According to the FAQ, WeddingBee is “a wedding blog updated daily by 20 or so real brides across the world. They chronicle every aspect of their wedding planning journey sharing ideas, diy projects, research, and their personal wedding stories.” If e-harmony is a dating site, and I am getting married, I really have no more use for e-harmony. Although it is natural that after dating comes marriage, a dating site getting into weddings is a brand extension that’s tough to sustain.
Bee, I recommend getting a hold of Lynn Harris and having her tell you the BreakupGirl story. BreakupGirl (an awesome comic/relationship advice site) was purchased by Oxygen, and within months the partnership fell apart. (read about it here: http://www.breakupgirl.net/friends/history.html) It took her YEARS to even be able to use the term “BreakupGirl” again and post on her own.
To hear that e-harmony allowed the post following this one to be on the site makes me worry for you girls. WeddingBee is such a strong site and I fear for your future, and after my wedding this month I will be done with the site. I wish you the very very best in the future and thank you and the whole hive for all you have done to help shape my wedding.
I subscribe to a daily meditation in my email that hit home today. It was:
There are times when you have to obey a call which is the highest of all, i.e. the voice of conscience even though such obedience may cost many a bitter tear, and even more, separation from friends, from family, from the state to which you may belong, from all that you have held as dear as life itself. For this obedience is the law of our being. - MK Gandhi
@Trebuchet: What do you mean by
“To hear that e-harmony allowed the post following this one to be on the site makes me worry for you girls. WeddingBee is such a strong site and I fear for your future”???
curious!
Brendalynn, I’m pretty sure she was referencing the “eH “allowed” the post following this one” — where the bees got to speak out about their negative feelings about eH…eH “allowed” it. eH also edited mrs. GB’s post, and at least scrutinized the rest. I **think** that’s what she meant.
i’ve been an avid reader of this site for 2 years and i love all that the bees do to put it together. mrs. bee is obviously very intelligent and business savvy to have turned her wedding journey into a full time paying job. it sucks that she hasn’t taken a monday off in 3 years but this site is her source of income, her JOB. i haven’t taken a monday off in 3 years either - big deal! what about those who work 2 jobs to make ends meet or the ones who have recently lost their jobs due to bad economic times. she made the conscious decision to sell this website to eharmony despite all the negatives because at the end of the day, it’s a business. goodbye weddingbee. it’s been fun……
Bee - Why would you every think that it was ok to sell Weddingbee to eHarmony?? I’m sure that during all of your strategy meetings with eHarmony that you discussed their company beliefs. Knowing where they stand, how could you still sell them your company? I think you saw the $$$ signs and forgot where your loyalty was. I’m very sorry to say this, but I think you made a horrible choice which will ultimately lead to the demise of weddingbee. I too, am planning on leaving this site.
Wow.. I just read through most of those comments and I am suprised and sad to hear so many people are leaving.
Mrs. Bee, I started reading your wedding blog on xanga, so I have been here since the beginning. I have followed each and every bee, used so many of your resources to plan my own wedding, and now I have been married two years, and I am still reading! I love this site.
Congratulations on selling the site, and I hope you and Mr. Bee will take a nice, long, romantic vacation somewhere! I think it is incredible how far weddingbee has come!
If you are anything like me, it would be hard to read some of these comments, but you did what was best for you! I think people should give this a chance. ((Maybe a silly comparison, but I remember when Pleasant Company (you know… the company that makes American Girl dolls) was sold to Matel. I was horrified. But everything stayed the same, and they stayed true to what the original vision was)).
I will faithfully continue to read weddingbee, as I have for the last few years.
Congratulations on your success!!! As another wedding vendor we would love to hear about your BeeVendor site! Too cool!
I’ll elaborate. However, I think Lynn Harris said it best…
“It’s called “intellectual” property, but this — my work of many years — belonged to my soul. It was theirs on paper, as I’d sold it to them because of the amazing things they’d said we’d be doing together. But with me gone, the company had no intention of using it. While it was worthless to them, it was everything to me. Yet there it sat, crammed in a drawer sealed with red tape, accessible to no one. ”
Now, I don’t know the specifics of the deal, but I hope upon hopes that WeddingBee does not succumb to the same fate.
I certainly thought that BreakupGirl, a relationship site, being purchased by Oxygen, a women’s portal looking for a relationship anchor, was a layup…and it failed. I don’t necessarily agree that the match is as good between these two organizations, but times are different, the players are different, and stranger things have happened…so I am not ruling out that it could work.
I fear about its future because if the partnership did fail, and the IP is owned by eHarmony, there may be a good long time that brides could be without WeddingBee. And that would be the worst fate of all.
Again, I am hoping for the best. You are all very smart and I wish only the very best for the site.
while i am saddened for many reasons that weddingbee was sold, i am also happy that bee and her family’s hard work has in some way paid off for them. (at least, i hope this has truly been a positive venture for them and not one that was forced in any way).
it is really disconcerting to me that people are attacking bee’s decision to sell. it may be easy for us a readers to judge because we only browse and comment here and there, but we do not know anything about mrs. bee’s life and how much she really had to give up for this site.
i respectfully disagree with may’s comment that this is her JOB, or even other’s who say that this was her life’s ambition. i highly doubt that bee treated this like another 9-5, nor did she want to dedicate her life to this blog FOREVER.
please be respectful. she has worked hard. while i may not agree with the parent company whom she may have sold to, i also know that i don’t know the whole story.
be kind. bee has a lot more integrity than most. she doesn’t hide behind an anonymous screen name. she’s a real live person who in the last 3+ years has obviously worked her toosh off to give a service to YOU.
I know that if I was Mrs. Bee and reading these comments right now I would be very conflicted about the decision I had made. I can’t speak for anyone else but I would like to say that the reason people are so upset is because you built something so great and it is now threatened. The future is uncertain, but you should feel honored that you created something so meaningful to so many people. And although I don’t entirely agree with the sale either, you did what you felt was necessary and no matter what the reasons we should thank you for creating the wonderful network this was and will hopefully remain.
Mrs. Bee’s post says:
“Earlier this year, we started to get emails asking if we would consider selling. A lot of the companies were big names in the wedding sector: magazines, media companies, and vc-funded dot coms! A number of the companies were deciding between buying an existing site, and building their own to compete with us. *gulp*”
And you couldn’t choose to sell to a company that doesn’t discriminate against an entire faction of the population?
Yes, eHarmony is a private company and they have the right to cater to whomever they choose. I was once on a dating website solely aimed at plus-sized men and women and those interested in them. It’s a niche market, and it has a place. That doesn’t mean weddingbee needed to go into the hands of such a company.
Mrs. Bee, congratulations on all of your hard work paying off. It’s a great benefit to you and those close to you who have put in more work than I can even begin to fathom, especially as a relatively new reader. I understand your choice to sell, and understand that it’s sink or swim out here in the big bad internet. Enjoy your vacation!
I’m still sad by who you chose to sell to, and don’t know that I’ll continue reading. eHarmony is not a company I want my clicks to support. There’s little I can do to change their policies, but I at least don’t have to support them.
@willworkforpeonies: I’m hoping Mrs. Bee is out getting a stiff drink right now.
I’m also conflicted: I both agree and disagree with the sale. I’ve been part of a blog that eventually sold (out). I was really happy for the owner, because she had worked so hard to get the blog to where it was, but really was no longer interested in blogging any more. It’s one thing to help out a friend, but another to blog for a company. The feel of blogging had changed (and reading it has changed, too).
I’m also conflicted about the purchaser of this site, eHarmony. While it totally worked for my Dad and his new wife, Mom wouldn’t be able to use it to find a wife for herself. Dad’s really enthusiastic about eHarmony and recommends it to everyone, but I don’t think he looked into eHarmony further than what it could do for him. It’s a pretty great match, gotta say, but as an engineer, I know that math doesn’t look at anything but the numbers. And eHarmony’s “math” seems to look at a lot more than just numbers.
I’m interested in seeing what changes this sale brings, and how this community changes over this watershed moment. Only after evaluation can I make up my mind about how I feel regarding this sale.
Well, this has been said already, but I’ll add my two cents:
First, congratulations are in order re: the creation of a wedding website that I, and many others, look forward to reading every day. MM, I hear what you are saying.
But I too am very concerned and upset about the sale of the blog; not necessarily its sale in general, but specifically the sale of it to eHarmony. It’s not just that I am concerned the site will change in any particular way, as all things grow/evolve/etc. (although I would hate for this site to become less open and accepting), but it’s actually the mere association of eHarmony with a site like Weddingbee that is the issue. Regardless of whether bloggers here continue to support LGBTQ couples, the fact will remain that the site is being run by a company that does not… and that should be reason enough to have had it pulled from consideration.
I am happy for you Mrs. Bee for the freedom this sale is sure to give you!!! I am somewhat saddened about eHarmony’s stances on what they define as a marriage however…
If your new site for wedding vendors isn’t sponsored/owned by eHarmony I would love to be a part of it!!
Again, congrats!
@MM: couldn’t have said it better. The personal attacks of “sell out” and on Bee’s character are just flat out disgusting. It’s very easy to pass judgment on someone else, and especially so on the internet. Bee’s choice is her own, and it should be respected, after all it’s not hard to express your opinion without being rude.
I’m sure that Bee knew that this would not go over well, and was expecting some negative comments, but some people are just taking it a bit too far. This is just a wedding website, after all.
First and Foremost - Congrats to Mrs. Bee. You have worked countless, countless unpaid hours for this blog. You deserve a paid break.
To all the bloggers/readers that have decided to depart for your personal conflict with the current purchaser of WedddingBee - Congrats to you for standing up to what you believe in. Most of the bloggers have shown us that this is about a cause or a personal right, and that it does not have to do directly with Mrs. Bee. I think one of the things that has been lost here is that we (the majority of the blogging community) have not been able to see what happened. WE don’t know who got what offered to them, or who approached Mrs. Bee about the purchase. Yes, one can make assumptions about who approached Mrs. Bee, but we don’t know, and even if she did spell it out, we still wouldn’t get into all the details about it. I’m sure it was very, very hard for Mrs. Bee to put a price on something she has pretty much slaved over and for. I hope that those of you that are choosing to leave get the opportunity to return one day. I certainly hope Eharmony moves into current day and time, and opens up their dating site to those who are interested in a Same-Sex relationship. One can only be positive, and while at this time, the outlook may be bleak, we have to remain optimistic that maybe this is a first step for EHarmony.
Best of luck to everybody while we keep on with this journey. I hope that people can stop leaving such negative comments on these two posts, as while you may feel conflicted about EHarmony, Mrs. Bee made a big step in what I hope is the right direction for this site. I will be remaining for the time being.
I found weddingbee about 6 months ago when I started planning my wedding. I was considering becoming a bee and have even started filling out an application. Sadly, I will not consider this anymore.
I do not realize eHarmony’s stance on GLBT, but if it is anything like people are saying, I am afraid I will not continue to read weddingbee. I don’t want to make an uninformed decision so I will do some research and would suggest other readers do the same before making a decision.
I am sad to know that weddingbee will become “bigger” than it already is. I’ve always felt this is a charming site due to it’s smaller community, unlike that of the Knot.
Good luck, Mrs. Bee. I hope you get what you asked for from eHarmony.
For the bees who are staying and “fighting from within”, do you realize what you’re trying to do? I can understand the intention of wanting to prove to eHarmony that gays and lesbians do have loving/deserving relationships. However, do you really think eHarmony will care about your posts? Do you think that people at eHarmony, the same people who are against gay and lesbians relationships, will read your posts and think, “this sounds nice. I can see why gays should have equal rights.”
Judging from the nature of the posts thus far, NOT many of them feature gays and lesbians relationships. And even so, it’s not like eHarmony would read your posts! Would you vote for McCain and then try to “fight from within” and convince him about abortions? As if he’d read what you have to say! As much as I love this site, it is after all a wedding site. People with this kind of viewpoint could care less about equal rights. All they care about is how many clicks this site has and how much money it would bring in.
If you ARE against eHarmony’s viewpoint, wouldn’t it make sense to just not blog and give them the wonderful service that they want? When they lose money and readers because of their viewpoints, they may start READING the blogs and comments to try to understand. Keeping everything NORMAL may totally defeats the purpose of getting them to be supportive of GBLT.
Just my two cents for your considerations.
How ironic that it’s been almost a year since ldsgroom and got married and I came back to see how things were going and see that WB has been sold.
Normally, I’d be very optimistic and happy for those involved, but seeing how livejournal has gone from open source/grassroots roots to where it is now. That, coupled with eHarmony being the new parent company, I’m sad of what someone else here called corporate creep, will most likely be the fateful end of this once quaint little blog.
I understand this is a business, but associating and selling out to a company with known and public views that are openly NOT supportive of the GLTB community is makes me question how such an important thing could be overlooked in making this decision.
Food for thought, ya know?
Anywho, I won’t be recommending this site to anyone of my friends and loved ones any more, as I used to in the past, nor will I be back to visit unless eHarmony makes changes or WB goes their own ways, based on reader feedback.
I am a long-running blogger and a (gasp!) groom-to-be who reads the best of Wedding Bee every week in my feed reader. My fiancee is a daily WB reader and commenter; she keeps a regular wedding blog and recently applied to be a Bee.
I will absolutely be removing Wedding Bee from my feed subscriptions, and I will certainly not be visiting the site itself ever again.
We each have a choice in how our media consumption can send a message - especially on the internet, where every page load can lead to ad revenue in dozens of different ways.
I want to make sure I do everything in my power to prevent my surfing and clicking from benefiting eHarmony - a company whose positions I do not support, and who have in the past used their revenue to support organizations that I oppose.
Mrs. Bee, I will not join the other commenters in congratulating you and wishing you well. Selling doesn’t have to be selling out, but for you it was.
It sounds like you had multiple offers for the site - it’s a pity you chose not to follow through on any that would be more in line with the diverse, multicultural, incredibly accepting community that you have worked so hard to cultivate.
I look forward to spending the remaining three months until my wedding supporting one or more of your direct competitors that are more in line with my personal values.
@Trebuchet: I can see where you question the relationship between a dating site and WB (as Mrs Bee did initially, as well), but I am curious why you would think MSLO or HARPO would be buyers. MSLO already has a successful wedding blog written by Darcy Miller, and I the connection between wedding planning and Oprah is a much farther stretch than wedding planning and a dating service.
One of the only liberties we have left in these times is who we patronize and make money for. That is sad in and of itself. I am glad for Mrs Bee and family for their success but am saddened at our measure of what ’success’ entails these days. The blogosphere is not what it used to be. and I don’t blame you for doing what you had to do. Goodbye Weddingbee it was fun while it lasted!
I am late chiming in as newlywed life has been a lot busier than I expected…. but I wanted to say that I, personally, know that Mrs. Bee would never do anything to intentionally compromise the integrity of Weddingbee, as she has spent every waking moment over the last several years making Weddingbee what it is today. While eHarmony’s past practices have been questionable, I trust that Bee has Weddingbee’s best interest in mind and I think that we need to see what happens over time.
I am staying on as a blogger with the hopes that WB will continue to be a great resource for brides and grooms of all cultures, interests and sexual orientation and that maybe, just maybe, we can be the voices that inspire change. I am optimistic that we can do this. Leaving now, to me, feels like surrendering and letting them continue their current practices without challenging them. Change takes time and I’m willing to wait it out and see what happens. I love this community and respect Mrs. Bee’s hard work and integrity too much to make any other choice at this time.
@peter:
SO well said. Everything.
It has shocked me, in reading these comments, how little is understood re: how websites generate revenue. EVERY TIME you load a page on WB, you are handing money over to eHarmony. Every time a person decides to become a Bee, they are choosing to make money (LOTS of money) for eHarmony. In choosing eHarmony and not one of the other companies interested in buying, yes absolutely Mrs. Bee betrayed her previous stance on diversity and her LGBTQ/Ally bees and readers. This site is supporting and funding a corporation which violates the fundamental rights of many people. What more is there?
Some have said they’re staying in WB “until” it changes, but as Lovebug said - it HAS changed, irreversibly. I have a deep respect to the bees and readers who have chosen to leave, their actions NOT to be confused with “silence”; they are withdrawing their support for eHarmony. They are choosing to go elsewhere, to give someone else their business. They are taking a stand against this shady partnership.
I cannot express how disappointed I am that my time with WB is over. I will spread the word on this sellout fiasco and I will hope to support WB’s competitors. I HATE that this happened. SHAME.
An open note to all of the readers and bees who are choosing to leave WB because of eHarmony’s policies:
Us engaged folk are all dreaming about making our weddings unique - isn’t that part of why we’re here? Let’s keep striving for creativity in our celebrations, but who are we to think that we can redefine marriage?
Marriage, by definition, is a covenant between one man and one woman for a lifetime. Families don’t always work out this way (mine included), but this doesn’t change what marriage *is* and has been since the earliest of times.
I’m fine with GBLT people (including friends of mine) having the same legal protection as everyone else when it comes to property and freedom of speech, for example - part of what civil union legislation ensures in my nook of the world. What I don’t accept is the GBLT agenda that tries to force me to recognize something that I find morally repugnant. Where is the ‘tolerance’ in that? Where is the celebration of ‘diversity’ that GBLTs so value?
It is not up to us to define “right” and “wrong”. (Indeed, my convictions - not opinions, not mere ‘beliefs’ - are grounded in something much deeper and more lasting than myself.)
One thing I hope we can all agree on is that the choices we make for our families affect our communities, our countries, our world. For all the ironic vitriol that a pro-marriage post like mine is bound to attract on this wedding site, I cannot support an agenda that attacks the very fabric of a healthy society.
Legality is not the issue; morality is.
Wow! Congratulations! This is such great news! You deserve it!
i think a lot of ppl are just voicing their anger/disappointment in the sale to eharmony. it’s THEIR right to do so. while, yes, this site is owned/operated by mrs. bee, the readers DO contribute to her daily life. Readers help generate ad revenues which is what Bee LIVES ON! also, without these readers, she wouldn’t have been able to sell the site b/c who would buy it if this site doesn’t generate any traffic. so yes, while its great news that she sold weddingbee, i think it’s perfectly legit for ppl to voice their opinion. she sold out. let’s just all acknowledge it and move on…. after all… its just a “wedding website”….
Chalk me up as another avid reader who will no longer visit or use this site.
I truly valued WeddingBee as I was planning my own wedding as I felt it valued individuality and weddings of all size, types, and expenses. It was a welcome breath of fresh air from all the sites and magazines which dictated what you “must have” for a wedding.
However, I cannot in good conscience continue to visit a site which is now owned by a corporation I wholeheartedly disagree with, and whose beliefs are an anathema to my own.
My mother-in-law is gay, and many, many of my close friends are as well. Knowing that visiting this site would add to the coffers of eHarmony, it is simply something I cannot and will not do. Doing so would be giving tacit approval and support to them. As a committed supporter of LGBTQ rights, I will not do so.
I was always taught to stand up for what I think is right. I may be just one reader, but as they say, one whisper, added to a thousand others, becomes a roar that cannot be ignored.
I do understand those who say they will stay and try to change things from the inside, but personally, I would feel as if I were cutting off my nose to spite my face.
@missgrace we can redefine marriage because we made up the current definition in the first place. why can’t it be a covenant between two people who love each other?
I’m curious - did someone remove Mrs. Gingerbread’s response? I am looking and I do not see it, but it is referenced several places.
Ann -
No one removed anything. You’re just looking for it in the comments and it’s not there. It is in the next post: http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/10/02/weddingbee-and-marriage-equality/
Never mind - I find it elsewhere! Sorry for the stupid moment…
I’ve enjoyed reading WeddingBee, shopping with its advertisters and keeping up with the bees. Sadly, I find the sale of WeddingBee to a company whose core values are in conflict with mine to mean that I can no longer visit this site in good conscience.
Goodbye WeddingBee, it was fun while it lasted.
reading these comments has left me aghast. genuinely.
i want to cry for mrs. bee. she has put so time and love into weddingbee. as she said, she has practically given her life for this - for all of her readers, and yet they attack her. so very sad.
mrs. bee, if you read this, and for all it’s worth - a thousand congratulations. this is a huge step in your life, and i believe you made the correct one. you deserve this wonderful thing that has happened. you deserve to be paid a living salary. you deserve to have a business that is growing and thriving. you deserve vacations and special time with your family. don’t have any regrets. don’t look back. this is your time to shine. i believe in your ability to maintain the things that weddingbee stands for, all the while helping us desperate and needy brides (and grooms!). you are fabulous. this is awesome - truly.
i’ve only been a weddingbee member for a short time, but it has been an invaluable resource. i love it, and wouldn’t think of leaving! also, i am always recruiting new readers - i mean, seriously.. i talk about it all the time!
again, congratulations! go out and celebrate!
I have removed WeddingBee from my favorites list. I used to read it every day, but from now on I will not visit this site again. I am upset that the Bees would sell to a company like eHarmony, knowing their policies concerning same sex matches. I think that “but we’ve had gay bloggers!” is a poor excuse, and the sale to eHarmony makes it clear that they do not support same-sex relationships. No one who truly supports same-sex relationships would ever consider joining a company like eHarmony. Clearly, it’s only about the money.
I simply can’t continue to read this blog while it is owned by a business that chooses to blatantly discriminate. This makes me very sad, because Wedding Bee used to be my favorite stop on the Internet, and now all of my fond memories will be tainted by the disgust at eHarmony.
Oh my, I guess I should have reviewed the week I missed sooner! I’m sooo behind. I think Bee had good intentions, but I’ll have to stop reading for now, & research, cuz I don’t want to make E-Harmony money 
PS. Miss Grace was VERY offensive. “Moraly repugnant”? Are you sure those gay friends of yours are real? Also, I don’t consider your stand “pro marriage” I think it’s firmly “anti marriage”, as you want to keep people from getting married. Thus ANTI it is.
“Through blogs and wiki pages, Weddingbee gives brides the safe community they are seeking to plan their magic day. ”
I am surprised that WeddingBee (eHarmony) would carry Google ads from http://www.lightinthebox.com
Lightinthebox.com is selling ‘fakes’ and illegally poaching our images.
So much for WeddingBee being a ’safe community’
Someone over there should screen the Ad placements on the site and not take advertising from frauds.
Alan Dessy
President - CEO
The Dessy Group
http://www.dessy.com
Wow, I missed this when it was announced and only realized it today, when I saw (c) eHarmony, Inc. on the bottom of the page.
Sorry, but I’m gone. I realize you won’t miss me - I’ve only posted a handful of times - but I will not support such a narrow minded organization that actively discriminates based on sexual orientation. And Mrs. Bee, I’m a little disappointed in you as well. I would have hoped you’d sell your awesome site to people who deserve it.
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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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