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Mrs. Penguin, Northern California Age and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in Chief Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical Therapy Engagement Date: January 29, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 14, 2007 Venue: Winery in the Gold Country About Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
About Mrs. Penguin

The Application Time Frame

July 13th, 2009 @ 6:15 pm by Mrs. Penguin

Several people have asked us about the application time frame, and the ideal amount of time before your wedding when applying to blog for Weddingbee. As a general rule, you’re welcome to apply if you’re within 8 months of your wedding date. Bees of current and past generations have chosen to apply to blog at various points in their wedding planning process: some applied at the 8-month mark to the date, and some have applied with less than 2 months to go! But the average bee at the time of their acceptance seems to be around the 6 month mark of their wedding.

There are a couple of reasons why 6 months is one of the magical numbers when we’re evaluating applications:

  • Bees write an average of 3-4 posts a week, so having a couple of months of planning already under their belt gives them an archive of topics that they can readily write about.  We’ve also found that blogging for longer than 6 months often causes a bee to burn out.  Writing 3-4 posts/week on any topic is not an easy task, and our bees like to keep it fresh and interesting.  We salute them for contributing so much to the hive! :)
  • With 6 months until their weddings, bees still have plenty of planning left to do, and they take us all along for a front row ride!
  • After booking some of the big things like the venue, brides don’t start their projects and the meat of their planning until they’re about 6 months out or so. When we’re reviewing applications, one of the things we like to see is evidence of your actual wedding plans and details. While inspiration boards and pictures are gorgeous, we like to see how you’ve taken your inspiration and translated it and made it your own. But, this is not to say that we don’t accept bees that are 8 months out! Some people are incredibly on top of their planning, and DIY brides especially seem to have a lot of projects brewing even a year before their wedding.

So that’s a little glimpse into how we came up with the application time frame!

We’ve mentioned this before, and we’ll say it again:

If at first your application isn’t accepted, don’t hesitate to reevaluate your blogging style and try applying again at a later date! Send us links to what you think are some of your strongest posts.  What’s key is that you’re at a point where your vision for your wedding day is turning into reality.

I know people are always curious about what it takes to be a bee, and we’d love to continue to answer any questions you have!

If you’ve got wedding inspiration, projects, and a great story to share, check out our application and submit it today! We’re currently accepting applications for brides (and grooms!) that are getting married between now and March 2010.

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42 Responses to “The Application Time Frame”

1.
Lillindy
Hostess
Lillindy (message)  3,872 posts, Honey bee

You changed your picture! :)

 
2.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,553 posts, Bee Keeper

Love the new profile pic, Pengy! :-)

 
3.
Mrs. Penguin
Bee
Mrs. Penguin (message)  2,090 posts, Buzzing bee

@Lillindy: @Miss Bruschetta: Haha, yeah! We were updating the bees’ profile pics and I didn’t have my original file of that picture of me (it’s 6 years old now anyway!) so I bit the bullet and change it to one of my e-pics :)

 
4.
Miss French Bulldog
Bee
Miss French Bulldog (message)  5,954 posts, Bee Keeper

I applied twice before I was accepted :)
P.S. I also love the new pic Pengy!

 
5.
hokaroni
Member
hokaroni (message)  20 posts, Newbee

I do hope one day I become a bee ;)

and yes love the new pic Pengy :)

 
6.
krissycake
Member
krissycake (message)  1,908 posts, Buzzing bee

@Miss French Bulldog: Thanks for sharing that, miss french bulldog! I have applied once and though I understand tons of ‘wanna-BEES’ apply, it was really sad to get that “sorry, try again” message! Just human psyche, I suppose! =)

 
7.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Bunny (message)  11 posts, Newbee

@Miss French Bulldog: I got accepted upon my third application with only a little over a month to go until my wedding!

I’m glad it worked out that way, though, because I was so busy that last month and it was nice that the readers had something to check out while I was rushing around like a mad woman to get things done!

 
8.
Mrs. Penguin
Bee
Mrs. Penguin (message)  2,090 posts, Buzzing bee

I started blogging about 8 months out from our wedding, and to be honest, I wasn’t really that active of a bee blogger until 4 months out or so… I had a big burst in the beginning, and then just didn’t have much to talk about until planning really started to ramp up!

 
9.
Gilneas
Member
Gilneas (message)  964 posts, Busy bee

I’m way far out, and was blogging much more at the beginning, but have hit a bit of a lull.. I can understand why you want the bees to be a bit closer to their date, to avoid burn out and enough high quality posts!

It’s fascinating to see the Bees who were accepted and applied more than once - definitely shows how much you all love Weddingbee!

 
10.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Labrador (message)  1,315 posts, Bumble bee

@Mrs. Penguin: That was my similar experience. I felt bad that I had a lot of “plans” but nothing to show for it until I had saved enough money to get things bought/made. Now it’s crunch time, so I’m getting more on top of it!

 
11.
poodle
Bee
poodle (message)  2,768 posts, Sugar bee

I saw that pic on twitter first :) I have to say you look so pretty. and yay! to more “how to bee a BEE” tips

I want to get picked!! I promise I’ll BEE-hive myself lol

 
12.
kjpugs
Member
kjpugs (message)  716 posts, Busy bee

I agree Pengy the pic is great! Also @joylucero: I LOL’d at the “I’ll bee-hive myself!” LOL!

 
13.
Curlysue
Member
Curlysue (message)  614 posts, Busy bee

I’m still 14 months away and currently going full steam ahead—but that’s because I am trying to nail down the venue, photographer and caterer—-aka the meat & potatoes! I can understand how after awhile things slow down and then within months, zoom(!), off it goes!

I look forward to applying–of course I will :)

 
14.
Ghenet
Member
Ghenet (message)  110 posts, Blushing bee

Thanks for the info! I started my blog super early too and it’s definitely hit a lull now…but it’s still nice to have a place to document the process. :-)

 
15.
Jenniphyr
Member
Jenniphyr (message)  1,378 posts, Bumble bee

As someone who’s going to have a very long engagement, the 8-month thing makes me a little sad, just ’cause I feel like by the time I get there, all I’ll have is archives to post. =/

That said, I do see why the rule exists. =)

 
16.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Bruschetta (message)  5,553 posts, Bee Keeper

@Jenniphyr: Our engagement was almost two years long — and I’ve had so much more than just my archives to share!

 
17.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Mascara (message)  759 posts, Busy bee

As always Pengy, thanks for enlightening us! And you look fab in your new pic!

 
18.
Guest Icon
Guest
Victoria

I have a kind of picky question. I don’t mean to be difficult but am curious, is it possible to be Ms. X instead of Miss X? While I know some women prefer Miss in my experience most women associate Miss with girls instead of adult women and many prefer Ms. Not having seen a single Ms. so far I’m curious as to why that is.

 
19.
Mrs. Penguin
Bee
Mrs. Penguin (message)  2,090 posts, Buzzing bee

@Victoria: Absolutely! Ms. Dahlia actually requested this… and if you click her profile, you’ll see she’s listed as such!

http://www.weddingbee.com/author/dahlia/

 
20.
Guest Icon
Guest
Victoria

Thank you Mrs. Penguin! So glad to see that. Ms. Dahlia was before I started spending too much time on weddingbee. :)

 
21.
Mrs. Penguin
Bee
Mrs. Penguin (message)  2,090 posts, Buzzing bee

@Victoria: No problem! Surprisingly she’s the only one who has requested it thus far!

 
22.
Member Icon
Member
agrosses (message)  93 posts, Worker bee

What happens to bees to simply cease to post after marriage, a la Mrs Peacock?

 
23.
Mrs. Penguin
Bee
Mrs. Penguin (message)  2,090 posts, Buzzing bee

@agrosses: I do believe Mrs. Peacock completed her recaps. We’ve been in contact, and she definitely shared all that she intended to share! But there have been some bees that haven’t come back… since blogging is voluntary, the best we can do is just hope that bees come back and share their weddings! :)

 
24.
Member Icon
Member
agrosses (message)  93 posts, Worker bee

@Mrs. Penguin: but she never even showed how the things she blogged about DIYing turned out. I thought I could use the things she talked about doing, but never saw their finished project. It was very disappointing.

 
25.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Mouse (message)  2,903 posts, Sugar bee

@Mrs. Penguin: If I would have thought of it, I probably would’ve requested a Ms., too. It never crossed my mind! Oh well, I don’t mind being Miss Mouse, and I’ll probably ask to be Ms. Mouse after the wedding.

 
26.
Member Icon
Member
agrosses (message)  93 posts, Worker bee

PS I don’t mean to criticize, I just wanted to know about the way things ended up working out!

 
27.
Mr. Bee
Bee
Mr. Bee (message)  1,451 posts, Bumble bee

@agrosses: Mrs. Peacock wrote 8 recaps, and posted 129 times! I thought her recaps were great… :-)

 
28.
alvina
Member
alvina (message)  279 posts, Helper bee

I like the new profile pic Mrs Penguin

 
29.
HeidiInWonderland
Member
HeidiInWonderland (message)  82 posts, Worker bee

I might be mistaken - I could’ve sworn I’d read previously that the time frame was 9 months or less? Rather than 8? I just know I kept thinking - “When I’m 9 months away, I’m applying!”. Or maybe I’m just nuts ;) It’s entirely possible.

 
30.
Guest Icon
Guest
phruphru

@Mrs. Bunny and French: I’m so glad you guys didn’t give up on applying; I’ve totally enjoyed your posts!

@Mrs. Penguin, thanks for the post. Speaking of recaps, have you guys heard from Mrs. Springroll?

 
31.
Guest Icon
Guest
calumnia

How can you justify making a living on a website where the content is created almost entirely be volunteers? No magazine on the planet would get away with asking their freelance writers to submit 3-4 stories a week for no pay.

 
32.
Member Icon
Member
bellafff (message)  1 posts, Wannabee

Mrs. Penguin - I’m totally new here - but am very interested to find out more about your honeymoon destination - would you mind messaging me or emailing me so that I can ask you some questions :)
Thanks!
Nikki

 
33.
kjpugs
Member
kjpugs (message)  716 posts, Busy bee

@calumnia: I used to work for a non profit and volunteers did as much or more work (writing, presenting, traveling, interviewing, designing- the works) than us, and were not paid. They just loved the organization and wanted to do it.

I assume any Bee just loves helping other brides and loves weddings in general, thus, they love blogging 3-4 times a week! I would if I got accepted to bee-hood!

 
34.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Powder Puff (message)  832 posts, Busy bee

@calumnia: I think part of the beauty of Weddingbee is that us Bees want to tell a fun, touching and helpful story about our wedding process. Because we’re volunteers, that means that we can take a break from writing if we need it, or we can blog every day! I think that if we were paid, the content and tone of the site would change dramatically.

 
35.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss D'orsay (message)  1,285 posts, Bumble bee

@calumnia: I have to agree with the previous posters, I <3 being a volunteer Bee for WB! When I first started going through the immigration process it was very scary and isolating - I didn’t know anyone else who had been through the same thing! Through writing about our fiance immigration experience for WB I hope I’ve given others comfort and I KNOW they’ve given me comfort as well!

I must bee a big bee dork, b/c I applied as soon as I possibly could. I also finished my application in weeks before I could actually send it in.

 
36.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss D'orsay (message)  1,285 posts, Bumble bee

@Miss Mouse: Ditto with you! I’d like to be a Ms. after the wedding; I never asked so the whoopsies is on me! My pre-bee username was MsUsUk though, so I did used to rock it. Now I’m kicking myself that I didn’t ask. :)

I will say, it does make a clear distinction between who the engaged/married bees are on the site, though so to the Miss/Mrs blogger sections. But then again, isn’t that the whole issue of a non marriage specific salutation?

 
37.
Miss Gloss
Bee
Miss Gloss (message)  1,019 posts, Bumble bee

Pengy had to keep commenting on my personal blog for me to get up the courage to apply :)
Thanks for the push Pengy!
I think I waited until I was five or six months out before applying because I was worried I would run out of things to talk about!

 
38.
cfitz621
Member
cfitz621 (message)  151 posts, Blushing bee

What about guidelines for successful blogging? I’m just curious what has lead you to decide who to accept and not accept. I’m not blogging now but have debated creating one so I can apply and it would be great to see a “top ten things to avoid” or something like that.

 
39.
Miss French Bulldog
Bee
Miss French Bulldog (message)  5,954 posts, Bee Keeper

@phruphru: Awe, thanks :)
@calumnia: Ditto what Powder Puff and D’orsay said. I LOVE blogging for WB and it never crossed my mind to get paid to do it. One Bee once said “we get paid in comments and love” and that is more than enough for me. I am truly honored to be amongst this group of amazing girls :) I would also like to add that Mr, Mrs & BIL Bee and Pengy do a lot of work to keep WeddingBee up and running so we can get wedding inspiration everyday.

 
40.
Newport Nuptials
Member
Newport Nuptials (message)  1,116 posts, Bumble bee

These posts are so helpful! It’s so interesting to see how Weddingbee works. I’ve always wondered about the app. process. How many Bee’s review the applications and the applicants blog?

 
41.
Member Icon
Member
phruphru (message)  172 posts, Blushing bee

@calumnia, it definitely is the case that Bees love to do what they do — and most of them would be blogging, anyway, regardless of the existence of Weddingbee. It’s a pretty genius business model when you think about it. And brides like us get to reap the benefits of having so many diverse voices/interesting ideas all in one place.

 
42.
Guest Icon
Guest
A Bee’s Life: El Turno de Miss Poodle » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] out an application with butterflies in my stomach. After I read Mrs. Penguin’s post about the application timeframe, I was ready to push [...]

 


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Mrs. Penguin
Mrs. Penguin Mrs. Penguin, Northern California Age and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in Chief Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical Therapy Engagement Date: January 29, 2007 Wedding Date: June 7, 2008 Blogging Since: September 14, 2007 Venue: Winery in the Gold Country About Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
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