Weddingbee Blog

How did I find Weddingbee?

Google. Isn’t that how everyone finds everything these days? The day Mr. Ticket proposed I was already on the web searching “wedding.” I spent a couple days exhausting every photograph on TheKnot and WeddingChannel for inspiration. Then I found Weddingbee. When I first stumbled upon the site I found Mrs. Hamster; I’m not even sure how that happened since she finished her last post prior to Mr. Ticket’s proposal. But I LOVED reading her backlog of blogs. I read through her entire story in one night and then I moved on to other current bees. I was totally hooked. I had no idea how women came to write for this site. After a few weeks of regularly checking in on newly posted blogs I finally saw the little “Apply to Blog” option on the side of the page. I was stoked. I had never really blogged before but I loved hive so much  that I desperately wanted to write for it.

My Application Story

Pre-Application:

Just before the 7-month mark rolled around (okay really, it was like 8 months before) I started a blog and worked on my application. Then, health issues struck. It became very clear that I wasn’t going to have the time to continue reading wedding blogs as I once had, let alone write entries. This actually saddened me greatly but I knew where my priorities needed to be. Shortly thereafter I reached ’the in-between’ and completely forgot about applying. My health began to improve and I started up with old hobbies again (like reading Weddingbee EVERY day). Then one day as I was looking for a file on my computer I stumbled across my old application. I decided to open it up and then suddenly I found myself wanting to tweak it and maybe even send it in! I decided to start fresh—I filled out a whole new application and wrote the rest of the 15 entries I needed to (and updated the old ones) and excitedly sent off my application.

The Waiting:

Can I just admit now how insanely nervous/excited I was to send off that email? I totally had butterflies in my stomach. Mr. Ticket thought I was crazy. About 15 minutes after sending in my application I decided to read up on past bees’  A Bee’s Life posts. Seven page applications?! PowerPoint?!?!?!?! Well crap… mine was about a a page and a half of boring old colorless Word document. I messaged Sister Ticket (who was one of only 3 people that knew I had applied) and told her I was officially giving up all hope (a mere hour after I applied). Well, I lied to Sister Ticket (unintentionally) because apparently deep down I still secretly had hope.

In fac,t I secretly started planning a second application in my head, until I realized I was stressing myself out and I hadn’t even heard back yet! Also, knowing it was only 3 months until my wedding at the time I applied, I wasn’t sure a second application would even be considered. I prayed that if it was God’s will that I be accepted that it happen this first time around, because I didn’t want to go through the nervous/anxious waiting process again (even closer to the wedding). There were days when every time I got a new email I hoped it was Weddingbee. Then there were days I completely forgot about the application I was so busy with other stuff. Every time a new bee was announced my hope dwindled further (I’m looking at you, Miss Teaspoon! <3).

The Much Anticipated Email:

Then one night (as I described in my first post) I got the email. It had only been a short (okay it felt like forever) 16 days. I was shocked! When I asked Mr. Ticket to help me pick a moniker and showed him the options he looked up at me and said, “Why can’t you be a honey badger?” (He was joking.) But he did help me choose Ticket, because, as he so kindly put it, he didn’t want to be “Mr. Something Girly” (I love that man).

What it’s like blogging for Weddingbee/being a bee?

Blogging for Weddingbee is amazing. I love the community here and being able to share my wedding planning with everyone so far has been a complete privilege. It’s also, as others have said in the past, a bit time consuming, and at times even a little bit stressful. It’s funny—before I became a bee I would be working on a project or shopping for something for the wedding and I would think to myself, “I should take pictures so I can later share this with Weddingbee!” (Super glad I have those pictures now!  Some days I’m so excited to write I will crank out four entries in a sitting. Other days I feel completely uninspired and blah (sorry for those posts!) but I still feel compelled to post because I committed to do so. I find myself feeling guilty if a week goes by without posting at least 3 or 4 times.

In the end though, despite the time and the minor but occasional stress (I’m an over-worrier/stresser by nature) I am beyond grateful and happy to be a bee. The network of people I have the privilege of now communicating with on a daily basis is amazing and being able to share Mr. Ticket and my wedding planning journey is awesome. There are days I log into Weddingbee and I’m still in awe over the fact that I’m a bee!!! I love reading all your comments and feedback (even if you don’t agree with me) and I can’t wait to read more.

Any advice for potential applicants?

Write for enjoyment. Of course you want your posts to be interesting to readers. But honestly, if you don’t enjoy writing for yourself, the process won’t be nearly as much fun for you. Write about everything you are excited to share: how AWESOME it is to get stuff in the mail frequently while wedding planning, or how frustrating it is to get your invitations JUST right.

Be honest. Honesty goes a long way with the hive. Sometimes it’s hard to share something that might be a bit embarrassing to admit but you may be surprised just how many people have gone through the same thing!

Don’t stress out about your application. It won’t help you get accepted any faster (learn from my failure in that department). If a seven-page color coded PowerPoint document is your style then GO FOR IT! If a plain old Word document simply answering the questions is more your speed, do it! Readers want you for who YOU are, not who you think they want you to be.

Make sure you have plenty of time to dedicate to the role of blogging if you apply. Being a bee requires a good time commitment. Now, in addition to reading and commenting on other people’s posts each day, you’ll be writing blog posts at least 3-4 times a week. That definitely takes up more time than I ever thought it would, and it doesn’t stop after the wedding. Everyone wants to see how your wedding turned out!!! Recaps are a big part of being a bee!

~~~

Interested in blogging with us? Check out our application guidelines and submit an application! We’d love to have you as our newest bee! We’re currently accepting brides with wedding dates through May 2012!