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Weddingbee boards
Maybe I'm not reading the fine print but I am confused how you become a Bee & are able to post blogs??? :)
I believe you start blogging under "bio" and then you can apply.
wait, found this: http://www.weddingbee.com/weddingbee-bloggers/
hth.
http://www.weddingbee.com/weddingbee-bloggers/
read the guidelines, start blogging, then apply. You need to be at least 8 months out from your date.
nope.
You can post as many bios and DIYs gallery pics whatever, the only way to become a blogging bee is to apply--Mrs. Penguin & Mrs. Mouse review your application, review you blog (must be on a third party site like wordpress or blogger, not just a wedding website, but a BLOG) and then they decide if you're cool enough to join the elitest club that is the blogging bees.
Things that factor your approval? More than what they tell you in their 'how to apply' page (though things like pictures, strong voice, being funny and diy projects might 'help' don't count on it).
-live somewhere affluent or 'exotic' (this automatically gives you brownie points)
-Be AMERICAN (or an American living abroad, or someone 'exotic' -- Like the Blogger from New Zealand & the new ones in Germany/Switzerland) -- the majority of the bloggers hail from heavy metro-centers in the USA, think NYC, California, etc etc etc
-Fit their ethnicity demographic which is appallingly white or asian*cough*bias*cough*. Less than 10% of the bloggers are from other ethnicities. So keep that in mind.
- Fit their AGE demographic (if you are too old or too young you best not bother the average accepted blogger's age is 25-29).
-Fit their BUDGET demographic/ WIC preferences -- You best be willing to spend more than $5000 on your wedding, have a designer dress (even if it is a used one) and have a crazy-good professional photographer who will take pictures to rival those on Style Me Pretty.
Less than 10% of the applications recieved are accepted, so I wouldn't get your hopes up.
eta:
All of these things I have said can be easily/clearly observed if you pay attention to the archives of bloggers; through data collection and analyzation, trends in acceptance become abundantly clear. But that's Editorial veto power for you!
@missmouse29: I just don't know what to say to that. ^_^
Some of what you post is true. There doesn't seem to be a variety of bloggers. I will leave it at that.
Good luck!
@missmouse29: Thanks for all of the info!!! :) :) Too bad its so difficult to become a Bee!!!
@missmouse29: Wow. Virtually none of these things that you've said are even close to what we really look for in bees.
There actually isn't really a laundry list of things that the committee (a group of women way beyond Mrs. Mouse and me) are looking for but to be completely and utterly honest it comes down to if you're a good writer, if you're willing to be open and honest about your wedding journey. We don't recruit bee bloggers---they all apply on their own. We love diversity (and to be frank, I'm confident that the hive represents one of the most diverse collection of bloggers/writers in the wedding space---and if you believe that "diversity" simply lies in skin color, than that's a really limiting way to judge people), but if you're asking if we SEEK diversity, then no. We don't. We don't "SEEK" any brides out...we take a lot of time to read and absorb our applicants' writing style and wedding ideas and go from there.
@penguin: I would hope you wouldn't want a bee to spend more than they can. or have a designer dress. I want to be a bee but if that was true I wouldn't even try
I just thought I'd chime in, my mom made my dress. The total for materials was $400. I had 2 weddings, the first clocked in at about $1000, and the second (150 ppl) cost $10,000. Our catering costs were $5.50/person BBQ. I'm sad that some people feel that what's written above is the case. I know Mrs. Sand Dollar had a very budget friendly wedding and it was fabulous. I hope that everyone in this community that wants to apply gives it a shot. It took me two tries, but the application process helped me to enjoy writing more. And now I have a very in depth journal of memories because of the blogging experience.
I thought I'd chime in as well.
I bought my dress for $200 from an online site for a department store.
My wedding cost a thousand bucks.
I'm from the exotic state of.. NORTH DAKOTA. Ooo, so affluent and amazing and popular, right?
If you were to meet me in person, I'm probably one of the dorkiest, least cool, socially awkward people you'll ever meet.
My application to blog was accepted without any expectations of my changing my wedding vision--or myself--at all. We're all VOLUNTEERS, for godsakes. It's not like some evil overseers are trying to force us to fit a vision of the perfect wedding! What you're getting from Weddingbee is real, ACTUAL weddings. They are not sponsored by Weddingbee or otherwise influenced. We all just write 'cause we like to share.
As Mrs. Penguin said, they look for people who are good writers. Women (or men!) who can articulate their wedding plans in a way that is easy for a wide audience to understand. Oh and a very important thing: bloggers have to APPLY!! They don't go out and recruit you. And I suppose if only 'white' people applied at a certain time, then only 'white' people would be blogging. But I'm quite sure that no one behind the choice of bloggers is descriminating based on race, sexual orientation, age, or any other factor. Just looking for good, consistent writers. That's IT.
I think my rural/suburban, small town in PA doesn't really count as exotic in most people's books.
What attracted me to this site in the first place was the blogging brides' honesty, originality, and willingness to share. I think if you even consider applying for one hot second, you should totally go for it! Even if you don't end up becoming a bee here, it's pretty awesome to have a blog documenting your planning process that you can keep for years to come.
All I have to say is, I totally applied to be part of the Tea Party Generation, and ("Chorus Line" music kicks in) God, I hope I get it. I hope I get it! But if I don't, you can be sure I'll try again ;)
@missmouse29: ummmm, what? That isn't even remotely close to being accurate.
@missmouse29: Maybe you saw my post before I edited it a few minutes after posting it. I hope it wasn't confusing?
@missmouse29: dang that was harsh, lol. I think the issue is not that they discriminate but that "diverse" people aren't applying and therefore can't be chosen.
@Vonnegut1105: I'll cross my fingers for you just on the strength of your 'Chorus Line' shout-out. :)
And, @gazelle, @knitting, @jaguar and I are just the most recent proof that not everyone is American!
Where is the one bee who did the graph of Bees who finished and didn't finish their recaps! She totally needs to come back and do a graph on average Bee budget, city size, ect. I just want to see what the average Bee is like.
personally, I would love to see more offbeat weddings. SURE! I know I can go hang out on Offbeatbride.com (and I do all day!) but I would like to see it on the blogs! Maybe I will apply next year. My writing may not be perfect, but my voice is effing fantastic! ^_^
@cinnamonbun: Haha, thanks, now it's stuck in my head. Dang! :)
I too want to apply to be a Bee sometime, but I think in the end what really matters is the time and effort you put into your blog outside this site- I mean, I would love to see a far more diverse selection of Bees out there, but that can only happen if we encourage more people to apply!
I also think you have you consider how much effort does go into having a consistant, interesting blog. I frequent alot of blogs, but if you only update, say once a week then I can imagine the traffic gets a bit low? The point is you have to be consistant in what you post, and how you post, and when you post. It takes alot more effort than I think most people realize.
But thats a long ways from now anyways- So you have to be 8 months away from your wedding date in order to apply? How long do you suggest a bee blog for prior to that?
Im just curious :)
Tbh, I stopped reading the blogs here a long time ago. I'm offbeat, and like @Miss Tattoo, read Offbeatbride all day long. But here, I can pretty much guarentee my ideals are WAY too left of center to be considered. I'm a honey badger after all ;]
ETA - I would apply, because I can blog, writing is a passion - but my planning is going to be awkward. My SO will be doing his immigratin while I'm planning, and we can't set a date until just a few months out. But off beat we are! I'm wearing black, and we're having a total NOT goth wedding. I just happen to like black. Custom made dress, here I come!
Here is my previous statistics post... None of which included color, city or anything else. I may just need to do that @Miss Tattoo: That would be a very interesting post. It will take me awhile though. The last time I think it took me at least a week to gather all that info :)
Princeton Junction is certainly not the most exotic place I have been to, by any means. Nor is it a thriving metropolis.
@Bellanouva: I think if you are planning now then you can definitely start blogging now. I applied twice to be a bee, and the first time round I hadn't been blogging for very long. I hit a point where I really liked my writing and I could tell I had found my voice. By that time I had been blogging for 4-5 months and I was 5 or 6 months out from my wedding.
@penguin: I havent done my own research to verify if what @missmouse29: said is accurate but I have noticed that alot of the bees do seem to possess the qualities she mentioned especially the racial aspect of it. I am a bit disturbed by your comment about skin color. Of course diversity doesnt simple lie in skin color but it would be very naive to suggest that diversity in ethnicity is not important too. There are certain things that brides of the same ethnicity can relate too much better. There are certain cultural issues that brides of each ethnicity are more likely to have in common. Do you not accept that this is true? If not why does wedding bee have a separate board for African American, South asian, east asian, latino.. etc I find that your comment "and if you believe that "diversity" simply lies in skin color, than that's a really limiting way to judge people), but if you're asking if we SEEK diversity, then no. We don't." is really glossing over the lack of ETHNIC/RACIAL DIVERSITY issue that missmouse raised.
@Miss Tattoo: right there with ya!!!! I'm GOING to apply and I'm hoping I can get accepted BECAUSE it's so out there in left field. (If the BEE is so diversified, there should be some way-in-left-field bees to show it CAN be done and especially at a budget-friendly cost, right?)
I'm thinking of adding some of my wedding-type writing pieces just to break up the monotony of the wedding-related posts ;) (Did I mention I'm a wanna-be writer? ;) )
p.s. Is there a way to beg/bribe the Council into letting me be a Bee in the Fantasy themed bee-bloggers??? cause that would just be sooooo perfect for our wedding! ;) (I'm not above bribery or begging....especially the begging! ;) )
@MsBrooklynA: you should! It could include like city population, budget, age, race, ect. I think it would be interesting.
@MeAndDubby: I am hoping that one day WB will have an offbeat blogger. I want to apply next year, but who knows what will happen. I want to see colored dresses, potluck receptions, more short dresses, TATTOOS, colored veils, FIRE SPINNERS ect.
@gazelle: Thank you for that info! I shall consider it maybe when Im actually engaged (we have done some planning and the proposal is inching closer and closer, but I dont want to jump the gun too much).
@Miss Tattoo: wonder if we could start a petition???? if not for us weird-ladies (I mean that in a loving teasing way!!!!) then for SOMEONE!!!!!
no offense to all the blogger bees, but... they kinda seem like the kind you'd find ANYwhere. They could easily be found on TheKnot or in the magazines..... I'd LOVE to see some unusual off-the-wall weddings here that have the 5k and less price-tag to them with friendors and vendors and lots of DIY stuff that keep it CHEAP.
THAT is why I came here and none of the bloggers have really "done it" for me. Sure, they're pretty and have their own unique parts, but they're also VERY traditional in MANY ways.
again, I MEAN NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE!!!!! It's just MY OPINION.
@Zinzerena: are you a tribe member? Friend request me on offbeatbride.com Same username!
@bells: To reiterate my original response, we only are able to accept bloggers based on the diversity (whatever your definition may be) of those that apply. You will never see us say, "Hey hive! Are you brown/beige/purple/yellow/clear? We're looking for you to mix up the color pool around here!" And on that same note, if two caucasian girls are having similar weddings with similar budgets but both have equally compelling voices and senses of style, we'd most likely have both as bees; not one or the other. Again, we welcome diversity, but don't seek it out. I think it needs to be pointed out that Weddingbee isn't an editorial site---we're not like a magazine or blog that picks and chooses from a HUGE pool of photo submissions and decide "hmm, today we need to spice it up and add a little more (fill-in-the-blank), so let's do that." We don't have the freedom to do that, nor is that what we'd even want to do. A compelling and engaging writer is just that. And by all means, just because we don't specifically call for writers with three heads or that live in middle earth, that doesn't mean we wouldn't love to read their application, and you can bet that she'd be accepted as a blogger as long as she's a compelling and dynamic writer and has a clear vision for her wedding.
So, no, I don't suggest that diversity in ethnicity is not important in the scope of the WORLD. I'm simply saying that to discredit the differences in the bees just because some share a skin color is discrediting them as unique individuals. And yes, weddingbee does have seperate boards for seperate ethnicities because there are cultural differences that occur in weddings from one culture to the next. Would we love to see more culturally diverse weddings on the blog? Yes, in the interest of diversity, but no, if it degrades the quality of the bees that are writing. We'll never have an alien blogger from Mars with a sub-par ability to connect with readers, no matter how much it would up our diversity-cred. So I don't think I glossed over the issue at all. I said we don't seek out diverse writers for the sake of diversity. We seek great, consistent bloggers, and we WELCOME diversity with open arms. :)
@Vonnegut1105: woohoo! Good luck! :)
@Miss Tattoo: @Zinzerena: I think weddingbee needs every kind of wedding!! No two weddings are alike, and hopefully no one will be afraid to apply thinking theirs won't cut it. I sure as hell thought mine wouldn't cut it, and I was wrong--because they aren't judging whose wedding is good enough. They're just looking at your quality posts. :) I am, however, wondering what you ladies define as 'offbeat'. We've had all sorts of bloggers on weddingbee, including tattooed brides, short dresses, colored dresses, courthouses, "encore," weddings with two brides, weddings that either nod to, or greatly encompass other cultures, and more (these are just what came to mind).
For the record, I had a potluck reception, tattoos, a short dress, and my wedding was under 5k (around 1k, actually). I had no vendors except for my photographer (oh, and my MIL hired a caterer to cook our bbq ribs!).
@Miss Tattoo: I signed up, but the forum part is blocked at work :( I'll look you up tonight at home, though!!!! That's one of the main reason's I'm here so much!!!! LOL!
@Zinzerena: I don't think a petition would help because weddingbee isn't turning down anyone due to their wedding 'type'. I think the best thing to do--if you want to see more "off beat" brides on weddingbee, would be to apply yourself and encourage other offbeat bride bloggers you know to apply. Because as Mrs. Penguin has said a few times now, the bloggers are only chosen from a pool of those who apply. They don't just pull the bloggers out of thin air--they're real women from around the country (and a few around the world) who have found weddingbee and applied. :)
@maryjane: I think mine is about as "offbeat" as you can get ;) or close to it. Tradition, is thrown to the wind for 95% of the wedding. Just take a peek at some of the threads I've started and I think you'll get an idea....
@Zinzerena: Do you blog? If so, when your wedding gets a wee bit closer, you should ABSOLUTELY apply to blog with weddingbee.
@missmouse29: Way to generalize. I for one, and 36 years old and did not have a designer dress. And many of us are chosen to blog even before we've selected our dress, photographer, etc. We're definitely not chosen based on who our vendors are.
As far as diversity (ethnic and otherwise), I can only assume that it's all based on the pool of applicants. I can't speak for the selection committee but I think it makes sense that if only white women from major cities are applying, then only white women from cities major cities will be chosen to blog.
And as far as everyone being American, well, that's not true at all. http://wiki.weddingbee.com/Bees_by_location#International_Bees
And, finally, I think that if bloggers were chosen on the basis of filling an esoteric quota instead of on their writing talent, willingness to share, and commitment to the site, the blog's quality would go downhill.
@maryjane: lol, yup. I've got one chronically the wedding and planning so far, as well as a writing-related blog that I haven't touched in months, lol. Hence why I'm thinking of adding some appropriate wedding-related snippets from our novels in. Some, would actually be kinda amusing and which I think sooooo many brides here could relate to! (ok, so once scenes could be considered rather extreme, but it was soooo much fun to write!!!!)
Oh, and also, I have a theory on why so many bloggers are from big metropolitan areas. Well, two theories. One is simple: the populations are higher in the cities, so there is a higher concentration of applicants.
But my other theory is that when a certain region/state/whatever is represented on the 'bee, more people from that area come to the site, and may be inspired to apply to blog. So, if there are two or three Bay Area bloggers, a lot of Bay Area brides might find the site, identify with these women, and decide to apply.
Does that even make sense?
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