A Bee's Life: The Lamb Edition

I've been following this thread and with some of the stories of applicants and questions, I thought it would be the perfect time to share my story.

How did I find Weddingbee?

I've mentioned my friend, the Part-Time Happy Homemaker, in a few of my posts. Christine was the first person to suggest that I look at Weddingbee. My reaction was, "Wedding what?" Oh, poor, little, ignorant soul. She had compassion on me until I saw the light. The first couple of visits, I thought it was a nice blog, but I didn't get what a Bee was or why there were so many. Then it all came together for me when I realized it updated throughout the day! I started following Bruschetta and Beagle. I loved the writing, wedding, and DIY styles that the bees possessed. About 4 weeks after finding the website, I was convinced I wanted to blog here as well. I've been blogging since highschool (back when Blogger was new!). I loved to write, but had been caught up in writing only work related government documents. I was really ready to pursue writing about more personal things, and the wedding was the perfect focus.

My application story:

Once I was hooked on the hive, I poured over the guidelines and application page. I started a personal wedding blog in March, biding my time until May when I hit the 8 month mark and could apply to Weddingbee. I wrote down blog ideas and kept a list in my phone. I got my friends reading it. I filled out the application questions. I sent them in and the started a flurry of new posts to show off my style. About two weeks later I was rejected. I was disappointed because I was having a lot of fun blogging. In my head, I reasoned that it wasn't my fault. I was 8 months out and I didn't have any vendors booked because we were in the middle of the venue search from you know where.  I resolved to try again in a month when more details were set in stone.

In that intervening month, my life became hectic with house buying and wedding planning, but I buckled down and blogged my little heart out.  I let go of what I thought Weddingbee wanted and I shared all sorts of stories, focusing on "my voice."  I used essentially the same application as the first time, but felt that my beefed up blog, along with some vendor hires, would speak for themselves.  Pengy had been issuing calls for new applications, so I hastily sent it in.  I had my moniker all picked out.  I waited for two weeks.  I went through the McDonald's drive thru to get my pay day Happy Meal (a little tradition of mine since I got my very first paycheck).  They were giving away mini Beanie Babies and I got . . . the Lamb!  I was CONVINCED that it was a sign and that this time I would make it.  The next day I was rejected.  And I was dejected.  I gave the Lamb away to a coworker's daughter.

I figured that I would take a break from Weddingbee and focus on my own blog.  I wasn't going to apply again, so instead I looked to independent bloggers for inspiration on building my own blog.  I reorganized my blog to be a wedding blog in its own right (instead of a running list of posts as an application).  I blogged my little heart out again - this time just for me and my little audience.

The thing is, I couldn't stay away from Weddingbee.  I was too involved in the stories.  I kept visiting.  Visiting and reading - then going back to my own blog.  Something was still missing though.  I felt a little twinge whenever I visited the hive.  That's when I read Mrs. Bunny's story.  I PMed her because her experience spoke to me.  I asked her how she worked up the courage to apply for a third time.  I was so scared of rejection, but I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that I should apply just one more time.  Bunny was so gracious and encouraging.  She shared more about her feelings on applying and I thought that maybe I could build up my courage to apply again too.  I revamped the "about me" section on my blog to reflect exactly what I would want in my "hover cloud."  Then I read Mrs. Yorkie's story.   It was the kick in the seat of the pants that I needed to revamp my application.  I made a power point presentation and rewrote the entire thing.  Then I waited for two weeks.  When I saw the email from Pengy in my inbox, I was almost sick to my stomach.  I opened it prepared for a rejection.  Instead it was welcoming me as a blogger.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Lamb's tips for writing for the 'bee:

1. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  Seriously.  Rethink your posts, keep developing your voice, reorganize your application, and then try again.
2. Have your friends who are editors or writers critique your blog.  Two of my bridesmaids are excellent editors.  Even though I do technical editing myself, I need another set of eyes on my own writing.  I asked them to read through my blog and give me feedback.
3. Remember that you're writing for an audience.  Most successful blog posts tell a story.  They're concise and cohesive.  Write every post as though you were submitting it to print and not as though it were a diary or a chain letter.

My last bit of advice is for those who's destiny isn't to be a Bee.  Keep blogging!  Blogging has kept me focused and centered as I've had to work through the tougher aspects of planning a wedding.  When I'm down about family issues or second guess myself, writing about it clears my head and lets me move forward.

So that's my story. I feel like it has a little bit of a "God bless the broken road" ring to it. :)  Lots of hive love to you all.  Thanks for reading!