A couple years ago I was in some upcoming weddings and since I already was a huge lover of weddings, I sometimes found myself entering wedding related searches into Google. One day I stumbled upon Weddingbee. One of the first posts I came across was one of Mrs. Avocado’s and I was very confused. I didn’t read many blogs at the time (oh my, what a difference a couple years makes) and I was extremely confused why she called herself Miss Avocado and kept adding avocado to other terms, even referring to her hairstyle as the “Avocado Bun.” Despite my initial confusion I kept clicking on more posts and reading on. A few days later I revisited the site and I finally caught on… “Oh, it’s a collection of personal wedding blogs and they all use cute little names!” At first I thought everyone just made up their own name, I didn’t realize the bees picked from generations of bee characters for a few more weeks. Pretty soon I was visiting Weddingbee almost daily, hooked on everyone’s stories, perspectives, and unique wedding visions. I was not ready to start planning a wedding of my own but I already loved Weddingbee. Sometimes when life got busy I would miss a month or two of posts, but right after Mr. Cheetah and I got engaged I went back and read all the archives I’d missed.
My Application Story
As soon as we were engaged I started thinking about whether or not I should apply to be a bee. Reading all the bees’ planning adventures had always been so helpful and insightful. I loved how you really got to know each bee and even felt like a virtual wedding guest. I also loved the idea of joining what I imagined to be a super friendly and supportive community of bees past & present. While I thought I might have some interesting things to share with the hive, I was worried about a few things:
1) I’m normally a private person online (my facebook page is one of the most boring you’ll find).
2) I had never blogged before—what if I was really super awful at it? Or what if I hated doing it?
3) What if I got rejected? I didn’t want the ‘bee to hurt me!
After some thought I realized that I did really, really want to be a bee. I started a wedding blog (that first post is the hardest) and I thought I’d see if I liked blogging and if I could do it halfway decently & frequently. I ended up really enjoying blogging (since I think about the wedding ALL.THE.TIME it is great to have an outlet) and I was able to write almost everyday so I decided to apply after I met all the requirements.
I was so nervous after sending in my application, I even started getting jealous of the new bees announced (I’m looking at you Giraffe!). A week later I was checking my email (specifically because I all of a sudden had a feeling that my bee application response would be in) and I was so delighted to see that I had been accepted as a bee! I don’t think I got anything else done that day. All I did was think about which character I wanted… although the choice was clear. I adored the cheetah since the safari animal generation was first announced. And now I may over-identify with all things cheetah. In the past few weeks I’ve bought new ballet flats & undies in a cheetah print and I even decided to make myself a little Cheetah costume for Halloween.
What It's Like Being a Bee
I’m still a few months out from my wedding, but so far blogging for Weddingbee has been a wonderful experience. Being a bee is a commitment, but for me it’s been very worthwhile. Blogging takes a lot of time as the bees are asked to contribute posts 3-4 (or more) times a week. I always have a list of possible blog topics that I keep adding to. When I sit down to write I either use one of those topics or write something on the fly—some ideas flow easily and lend themselves to quick posts, others I write in bits and pieces over time. While it does take time and effort, I love having this friendly, supportive, creative, and witty community to share stories with, vent to, and bounce ideas off of. The hive is so awesome and helpful (Many thanks for all your comments and suggestions! Keep ‘em coming!). Thanks again hive, you’re the best around!
I also have to say that the blogging bees are an amazing and welcoming bunch and I feel honored to be a part of such an amazing group of women (and a couple of men too).
XOXO Bees, Cheetah loves ya!
all personal photos
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