A Bee's Life - Ostrich Style

"Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you."
- Aldous Huxley

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When I heard that "A Bee's Life," was making a comeback, I was stoked - see, I heart this little series and it gave me the best advice when I was a WannaBee that I could only return the favor and share with the hive my Ostrich experiences so far...  :)  Are you ready? Here we go!


How Did I Find Weddingbee?

I owe my introduction to the wonderful world of Weddingbee to my college friend {and sorority sister}, Mrs. Eggplant. She's always been a blog whiz and when she joined the hive, I followed her posts as a way to stay connected to her post college. At the time, the words "engaged" and "wedding" were not yet in the Ostrich vocabulary, so Weddingbee was the first wedding website I had ever visited. But I had no desire to gaze at gowns or table decor - I was there to support my friend! But every so often, a sparkly or colorful something from another Bee's post would catch my eye and off I went....click click click. D.I.Y projects! Inspiration photos galore! And most importantly, a sea of funny and heartfelt confessions from real girls as they stumbled through their way to their wedding of their dreams. Suddenly, the idea of a wedding ceased to be a big, scary ceremony to me. It was an experience, a wild and unpredictable adventure, and this site shared their stories that I could follow and learn from, even if I wasn't a bride.

And just like that, my love affair with Weddingbee began.

My Application Story:

When I first discovered Weddingbee, I was a far cry from a blogger. I was a voracious reader {and still am!} but the combination of me being instinctively shy and ridiculously private didn't make blogging a very sexy idea to me.

About a year ago, though, I gathered up enough guts to start my own little blog that shared things that I did and stuff that I loved. And it wasn't terrifying...it was exhilarating! The best part? That first comment - that first connection from a girl, somewhere else in the world, that liked the same things as me, dreamed the same dreams I did and was inspired by what I wrote.

Then, Mr. O proposed, and suddenly I was thrust headfirst into the wedding universe. Flowers, Vows, Processional Lists, Escort Cards, Invitation Wording, Etiquette? It made me dizzy. I had so many questions - some of them big and many of them small. But I only have a handful of close friends who've had a wedding adventure, but no one that was engaged. I wanted to find a place that I didn't feel silly asking questions about etiquette that maybe everyone else might know, express my horror when I received my first floral price quote, share my delight when I received my invitations in the mail and shout from the rooftops when I'd found the cutest, cheapest cupcake toppers on etsy. And I wanted a diary of my own wild wedding adventure....to share with future bride to bees down the road who may be as dizzy and daunted as I once was and so that when that chapter has finished, I could always look back and remember how awesome it all was.

So I poured everything I had into my 15 application posts, took a deep breath...and sent it in.

And I waited....

....and waited.

The waiting was the most awful part. When  they tell you it could take up to a few weeks, they're not kidding! So, for those of you who've applied or are thinking about it, I'd convince yourself that your notification email won't arrive in your inbox for at least a month. If it comes earlier - awesome!  If not, you'll be experiencing other new wedding-y things in the meantime...instead of anxiously clicking the "refresh" button on your email, like me!

Finally, on the morning of a day where I was convinced I wouldn't hear from Pengy, I did. And to echo all the other Bees, my heart thumped in my ears and leapt out of my chest when I saw the email pop into my inbox. And then, when I saw those words, "You'd be a great addition to the Weddingbee team..." I smiled so big, felt so ridiculously happy, found my favorite icon - The Ostrich - and began my crazy little life as a Bee.

On Being a Weddingbee Blogger:

The Investment:

It's never a dull moment. Ideas are whirling through my head every minute as I try and make sense of them and string together 3-4 posts each week. It's a juggling act, compartmentalizing work, home, wedding and Weddingbee into 16 hours each day {i gotta have my 8 hours of sleep!}.

It's like being in a serious relationship. I can't just flaunt in and out when I feel like it. I have to be ready and willing to put myself out there to the hive, good and not-so-great, and take them with me along this wedding journey of mine.

New friendships at your fingertips:

We're everywhere...seriously! After a few months as a Bee I was lucky to attend an informal San Francisco Bee meetup, organized by Mrs. Dumpling, who happened to be in town that weekend. And on that rainy day, I got to share, laugh and grub with 5 awesome Bees - Mrs. Dumpling, Mrs. Pretzel {she was in town too!} , Mrs. Spaniel, Mrs. Duckling and my dear friend, Mrs. Eggplant. The Bee meetups are a ton of fun and make the experience so much more than an icon and a website...you can make a few great friends along the way, too.

And guess what? This hive? It's full of so much love, support and all that warm and fuzzy stuff us brides need when we're knee deep in stress. I always thought, when I was just a reader, "I've learned so much from the Bees." Now, as a Bee, as I read all of the thoughtful, wise comments to each of my posts, I've realized this relationship is a 2-way street - I've learned so much from all of you! And that's what has made my experience so fantastic so far.

Last but not least:

So if becoming a Bee sounds like something you'd want to do, here's my three cents -

1. Write fearlessly, from your heart, about topics that you care about.

2. Quality is key - a few posts about those thoughts, dreams and fears that we live through as brides and the experiences that have shaped us along the way will allow your unique personality shine through the words...and may encourage a few readers out there, too.

3. Have fun! Take a stroll through the boards, connect with those Bees you are a fan of......and enjoy every minute of it.  :)

Whew! Thanks for listening to my little story! And a hundred thank yous for making the Weddingbee so awesome!