A Bee's Life - Turkey Edition

I know it's been a while since one of these posts have gone up, but I've always enjoyed reading how the bloggers found Weddingbee and it was really helpful to understand the expectations / reality before applying. So, here's my story!

How I Found Weddingbee

In 2010, I was a bridesmaid in one wedding and a guest at 8 others, so there was a lot of wedding related googling. It was when browsing for bridal showers, bachelorettes, etc. that I stumbled upon Weddingbee. After I bookmarked pages for inspiration a couple times, the site became a frequent resource for me throughout the year. My first introduction to the blog were through posts I distinctly remember by bloggers such as French Fries, Fro Yo, Lamb & Pencils.

Reading their posts and others inspired me then to take on such projects as panty poems, water bottle labels and DIY-ish invitations.

My rug, however, would not be as excited by the DIY inspired by the Bee

After the wedding madness, I returned to my usual browsing of celebrity gossip and cooking blogs, but found Weddingbee again after we were engaged (thanks, Google).

My Application Story 

I had a personal blog for a few years which was mostly recipes and some reviews of Philadelphia area activities (museum special exhibits, etc) and restaurants. It received some hits, but nothing crazy, and most posts were comment-free. However, when I did receive comments, they were "thanks" for help on a project or a review that assisted someone in making a decision. I wasn't blogging for the comments, but was happy that I was being helpful!

Anyhow, when it came to the wedding, Mr. Turkey asked me if I would be blogging. I went back and forth, but ultimately decided to do it "in secret". It was mostly a resource for me to keep track of inspiration. I started infrequent posts soon after our engagement and they were all over the place. 

Somewhere along the way I began to find my "voice". Mr. Turkey read it a few times and encouraged me to apply to be a blogger (I had mentioned the site to him back in 2010)...likely to keep me from bugging him. So, in the fall, I went back and refined all of my posts, re-posting them on a fairly regular basis. When I applied to Weddingbee I was 7 months out from the wedding and had 16 posts, with one posting almost every other day going forward.

Weeks went by. Almost 6, to be exact. There had been numerous bloggers introduced during that time (Mole, Elk, Hawk, Unicycle, Mink) and I figured that the long wait meant no acceptance. So, I sent Pengy a message asking if my application had been received or if it slipped through the cracks. Within a couple hours, I received 2 messages - one saying that my application was in review...and the second that I had been accepted.

If I had only been patient for ONE more day.

On Being a Bee...

Like others before me, I must say that being a blogging Bee is incredibly rewarding and fun! I've found a lot of inspiration from other Bees and it's wonderful when I hear that I am helping others. 

I felt this the most in a recent post on our ceremony programs. I was struggling with a template that fit our situation (non-mass Catholic ceremony) and so I shared with the Hive what we put together. No less than 30 brides requested the template and thanked me for helping them. It was awesome and reinforced for me why I love to blog.

I'm nothing if not realistic, so I'll also admit that there's also work required to be a blogging Bee. I took the 3 - 4 posts / week recommendation to heart and even have a spreadsheet tracking my posts. 

Yes, I am a giant nerd...but proud to say that my average is between 3-4 posts / week (after archives were posted)

To keep to that frequency, I've definitely written posts late at night and pre-written multiple posts on a Sunday night when I know there's a busy week ahead. Yes, I realize I'm harder on myself than probably necessary, but can't help it!

Also, due to work, I am only able to visit Weddingbee after hours (on the shuttle, while getting a pedicure, when I get home). I didn't fully consider this when applying.

Probably checking Weddingbee

Each night, I try my best to catch up on the day's posts and respond to the comments on my posts (sorry for always being last to the party). I do love being busy, but on days when I have post-work activities (workout classes, dinner plans, etc.), it feels like almost every hour of the day has to be scheduled to get everything in. You ladies in school too...don't know how you do it (looking at you, Boa, Doily, Eagle, Elk & Woodpecker)!

I share this not to scare anyone, but instead to share (my) reality. I thought since I worked full time while completing my MBA, blogging 3x/week couldn't be that much tougher! But I forgot that I a) had a new job and b) was actually planning a wedding too, not just writing about it! Silly Turkey :)

But busy-ness aside, being a part of the Weddingbee community has been incredible and, if I knew now what I knew then, I'd do it all over again. Besides what I mentioned above, I've also found a lot of support and help from the Hive - on issues serious or fun. Most recently I struggled with how to handle thank you notes for early wedding gifts. If it wasn't for you all, I definitely would not have felt confident in my timing decision. Thanks!

Advice for Applicants

In the words of Genie from Aladdin..."Beeeeee yourself".

Cheesiness aside, it's true. It's about finding your voice and writing with personality. Sure, it's easy to knock out a post with a lot of pictures of inspiration, but people will be more interested in reading if you tell them WHY these flowers ended up in your bookmarked folder or WHY you collect milk glass (see lovely post by Miss Archer). I love being able to "get to know" the Bees through their posts, which is why, over the years, I continued to gravitate to this site versus others for inspiration. 

Next, think about when you're ready - not just your blog, but YOU. As I mentioned, it took my blog a good deal of time to get into readable condition. If I had applied earlier, the review committee would have recognized it as a hot mess. However, when I did fix it up, I had a lot of content since we had booked all our "big" stuff. For me, it was a lot easier to write inspiration posts when I had the final pieces in place. Other Bees write fabulous inspiration only posts...so consider what works best for you (maybe 6 months out is better than 8).

Also, ask for help. Ask your mom, your fiance or even other Bees to read your blog. It's great to have someone's outside perspective! In the absence of external feedback, read your posts out loud. I know I catch a LOT of errors that way.

Finally - good luck!