A Bee's Life - Fox Edition!

I figured that since Mrs. Penguin recently made a call for all potential bee's and applicants, it was a good time to share a little bit about my own experience and application process for Weddingbee!


How I Found Weddingbee

The night that Foxy and I got engaged, I tried calling almost everyone in my phonebook. Maybe it was because it was a quarter to 10 on a Sunday night or maybe it was because everyone is lame and call screens me.. but nobody was picking up their damn phone. After about 10 minutes of trying to reach people, I finally got through to brideslady M. At least one person would find out about our engagement in person as opposed to Facebook!

Anyway, we screamed the appropriate amount and chatted about how we can now plan our weddings together, as she was already engaged at the time. The very next thing she said changed my world forever: "Have you heard of Weddingbee?". Wikka what? Wedding who? Wedding what? No.

She proceeded to tell me all about its amazingness and helpfulness and how I had to check it out, which I dutifully did the next day at work. And thus began my obsession.

I'll admit that I didn't quite "get" it at first. How do I get a cute little character? Do I name myself Miss So-and-So and I magically get one? How do I follow the blogs? But after a few hours of poking around, reading both the blogs and boards, I started to comprehend what an amazing community and wedding source this place is. I started to have a Weddingbee tab open in my browser at all times, alternating between the blogs and the boards. I started reading right around the time Mrs. Pencils got married, which was perfect since she's a local Maryland bride like me. You better believe I devoured every single one of her posts in just a few short days!

My Application Story

I've blogged on and off since high school, but didn't start seriously blogging until right after Foxy and I got engaged. It was more of a lifestyle blog with a few random wedding posts thrown in - we were over 2 years out from the wedding, after all! However, once we were about a year and a half out, I created a second blog that I dedicated entirely to wedding planning. And before you ask, yes.. the main reason for doing so was that I eventually wanted to apply for Weddingbee (even though I still had at least 10 months until I could even actually apply). Planning ahead, yo.

Foxy and my friends all knew how much I wanted to blog for the 'Bee. When we got down to the 10 month mark for the wedding, I started blogging much more frequently on the wedding one, devoting a lot of time and effort to its contents and consistency. I was also starting to get incredibly antsy at this point. I know they tell you that you need to be 8 months out from your wedding date at most in order to apply, but I just couldn't wait that long. The Woodland Creatures generation came out and I just had to be Miss Fox. Had to be.

So, mid-August, I started filling out the application. I initially had grand ideas of filming myself doing something random in a bee costume (don't ask), but ultimately opted for just filling it out, throwing some pictures in, and letting my blog do the work (cause that's what it's about, after all!) I told no one I was applying, not even Foxy. I also initially told myself I'd wait until mid-September to send it (8.5 months out), but decided to take a leap of faith and sent it in on September 1. Gulp. And then I waited.

Just like almost every bee before me, I obsessively checked my email every chance I got. After the two week mark since I sent in the application, I started to get a little less crazy about it. I kept the sound off on my phone so I wouldn't know when I got a new email and have a slight panic attack every time I heard it go off.

Then, one Sunday about two and a half weeks after the application was sent in, I met up with MOH Blondie and her boyfriend in Baltimore for an Oriole's game. When I got home, I was exhausted and sunburned and was just generally tired and mopey. I was about to call it an early night and head upstairs to bed, so I grabbed my phone and checked my emails as I was walking towards the stairs.

And there it was. An email from Pengy. Once I got past the first line, I couldn't breathe. I had Foxy read it to out loud because I didn't believe it. I had to sit on the floor and remind myself to breathe. I can't even tell you how.. incredible.. that moment was. They really picked me? The first time around? So far out from the wedding? How did this happen?! Huzzah!

Of course, thanks to my reaction, Foxy now thinks I was more excited and happier to become a blogger bee than to actually get engaged. I know I didn't hyperventilate when he proposed, but I mean.. I knew we would get engaged eventually. It was just a matter of time. But becoming a bee? That was a total crapshoot! A one in a hundred+ chance of happening, which wasn't the case with he and I getting engaged (I think). ;)

On Being A Bee

Being a bee is one of the most rewarding yet most challenging things I've ever done. The love and camaraderie of the community here is unbelievable - I am continually amazed at how generous, helpful, and supportive everyone is. When I've bared my soul, you've listened and supported. When I ask for help, you are never short of solutions. When no one else really wants to hear me ramble on about my guest list or dress dilemmas for the bajillionth time, you hear me out and sympathize. It's truly incredible, and the closer the wedding gets, the more I genuinely adore and treasure this place.

Blogging here also consistently pushes me to be a better writer, to stay true to myself, and to prioritize. I'll admit that it's not always easy to crank out 3-4 posts per week, especially since I started my wedding blog so early on in the process and feel like I've covered almost all the bases already. There are times when I have a bundle of posts just waiting to go up, and times when I just feel so incredibly uninspired. There are also times when life just happens and I don't have time to blog (those are usually the times when I end up writing posts at 1am.. which has been a lot lately!). It's frustrating, but it always rebounds. I'm here because I love to write and I love to share my experiences in the hopes of helping others, or having them help me. So far, so good. And to be honest, I kind of hate that the wedding is so close now, because I want it to go on forever!

Advice for Applicants

You've heard it time and again, but stay true to you. I love Weddingbee because of the variety of bloggers and voices that each one of us has. You have to have confidence in yourself and in your writing - having friends and family to read your posts is nothing but beneficial. My mom and stepmom were (and still are) two of my biggest supporters; their affirmation of my writing style definitely encouraged me to apply to Weddingbee that much more.

I also encourage you to pay attention to detail. Tell us why you chose that cake topper, or what steps you had to take to get there. Give us a sneak peak at your life outside of wedding planning.. a lot of times that factors into some of the wedding related decisions you ultimately make! My favorite blogs to read are the ones where I really feel like I know the person, even though all I know are their words and stories. It's amazing how writing can do that!

Finally, know that blogging for Weddingbee is definitely a time commitment. Not only will you be writing posts, but you'll also need time to hopefully read some of the other blogs and connect with other bees and the hive. Trust me, thought - you'll want to. It all goes back to that wonderful sense of community!! Good luck!!