Weddingbee Blog

How I Found Weddingbee:

::Cough:: During work ::Cough:: I had been on a planning break for a few months after hiring the DJ and finding the venue. I decided to start looking for dresses in order to excite myself into the next phase of planning. I’m not sure what I typed in google but I came across this post from Mrs. Bee. I had really low expectations of the wedding industry at the time because quite frankly I was ignorant. Once I saw the post I thought; great, a website that tells it like it is! I can really say the rest is history. I have excitedly read every single post written since July of 2009—and some of the archives.

Applying to the Bee:

I had a blog in high school that I stupidly wrote in as if no one was reading. A girl took my words out of context and taped them up around school. I made a ton of enemies in a matter of minutes. Needless to say I quit blogging and became a bit of a recluse. Zeb, only my friend at that time, was a huge support and shoulder to cry on during the ordeal. A few weeks later, we began dating.

When I found the ’bee, I knew I wanted to apply.

I was often complimented on my writing in school but hadn’t done much since graduating. I didn’t know if my fear of blogging would get the best of me but I knew I had to try anyway. I started to formulate some posts in my head during my long drives throughout New England. I wrote down some ideas for posts and in December of ’09 began a word document where I wrote full posts when feeling inspired. I still pull blogs out of that 30 some odd page document from time to time when writer’s block strikes. I decided I would start a real blog in the spring with hopes of applying to become a bee. Late March 2009, I started my blog. I didn’t tell anyone until about a month later but once I started receiving compliments from friends I had the confidence to continue.

I anxiously counted down the days until the 8 month mark when I could apply. I actually sent my application in a few hours before it was officially 8 months and hoped for the best. It was nearly a year to the date that I had discovered Weddingbee. I checked my email 20 times a day for over three weeks awaiting a reply from Pengy. I never in a million years dreamed that I would actually be accepted. On the eve of my 10 day trip to England, when I was supposed to be packing, I checked my email for the final time. There it was. I closed my eyes while my heart sank as I opened it believing that this would be my first rejection. It wasn’t. I jumped up on our couch and screamed bloody murder (happy, bloody murder). Zeb knew I was applying but didn’t quite understand it. As I was screaming and jumping around he continued to ask me “but what does it mean.” UMMMMM, Everything Zeb, everything! Pengy and I decided to defer my introduction until after I returned from the trip. Zeb and I then celebrated with two shots of Patron.

I don’t like being connected, at all, when on vacation but every opportunity I had I checked my email to make sure she didn’t take the offer back. I couldn’t stop smiling every time I thought about being Miss Zebra. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. You wanna go to the roof? You can imagine my disappointment when we got stuck in France for an extra day. I really thought they were going to write me to say, “haha Just kidding, you suck!”

Becoming a blogger was the first time I truly knew I could succeed and was able to follow through. I have a tendency to not chase after my dreams but rather hope they will fall into my lap. It was an incredible confidence booster to be accepted for that reason alone. It is ironic that our dating relationship began and will end with a blog. Albeit, two very different blogs, but blogs all the same.

Being a Bee:

Oftentimes being a blogger bee is surreal. I love being a part of the Weddingbee community. Each time I receive a comment I feel another jolt of joy. The overwhelming positivity and support coming from the hive is enough to turn an unenthusiastic planner hag (that’s me) into a wedding obsessed blogger. Thank you, hive, for creating the opportunity for me to love our wedding.

Before blogging, I was mainly a lurker. Simply put, if I didn’t have a new and interesting POV, I didn’t post. I find my biggest adjustment now is finding time to be able to contribute fully to the hive. If any of you remember Miss Gingham, you’ll remember that she stepped down as a bee because she was worried about having enough time to wholeheartedly contribute. I can’t lie to you, her sign off post scared me. It was that familiar feeling of doubt creeping in and weighing me down. Luckily, I went for it anyway. I’m glad to say that I do not feel overwhelmed by the ’bee. For four months I had contributed thrice weekly to my personal blog and was accustomed to the writing schedule.

If you’re interested in becoming a bee I say go for it! First, make sure you have the extra time to contribute then start posting 3-4 times a week and reevaluate your time. As for your posts, try to sound as you do speaking in real life to someone else. Several of my friends told me that they could actually hear my voice when reading my blog. The one difficulty I find is subject matter. Often, the blog covers the same topics, several times a day. That’s why voice is so important, because we all have basically the same experiences to share.

Sorry, I went ahead gave you the three act no potty breaks version of my bee life. Thank you so much for following along with me. It’s difficult to properly display my gratitude in writing but please know that the hive is one of the most special places (can a website be a place?) I’ve ever known because of all of you. It’s better than Oz, Narnia, and my couch combined!