I just got back from an amazing meet up in New York (city not state) with a handful of up-and-coming wedding bloggers. The focus: to help brides and bloggers find the best bloggers and information for their styles, aesthetics, and values. The name: The Love Collective. The Motto: “True Love Needs a True Fit.”
Inspired by the idea of “True Fit”, and by Randi Fanoli from Say Yes to the Dress. He says:
Every dress is cut and fits differently, and everybody is unique and shaped differently. Before making any decision about what dress is best for you, consider these three words: Try it on!
~Randy Fenoli, Brides Magazine. Nov 2012
Replace “dress” with “blog” and you have the perfect formula for finding the perfect blog for you; one that’s inspiring, validating, wise, funny, charming, or whatever you’re looking for.
Why is this important? Because if you’re not a peony-loving, girly-girl bride with a super-duper budget, some of the larger mainstream blogs may make you feel alienated or insecure about what you like and what you can afford. Conversely, if you’re “sick of seeing mason jars” this blog may not be right for you – though you may be here for the fabulous hindsight advice ;-) The point is, there are hundreds of terrific wedding blogs out there. I guarantee, no matter what your style or attitude towards weddings, there is more than one blog that will inspire you and feed your little wedding-planning soul.
How to Find the right Blog:
- Consider your style and budget. Just as you wouldn’t wear a $10,000 heavy silk and brocade ballroom gown to a DIY, budget beach wedding, you don’t want to spend too much time on the super luxe, pretty-pretty blogs if your style is more indy and off beat, and vice-versa. If you find them inspiring, great. Take a peek every now and then, but too much may leave you feeling frustrated and insecure. Make sure the fantasy blogs are balanced with the ones that are more practical for your wedding style and budget.
- Try blogs on. Just like your dream dress, what you think you may like a blog at first glance, but ultimately it may turn out to be a poor fit for you. How many of you have taken a tear sheet of your dream dress into the bridal salon only to cringe as you looked into the mirror and discovered that your dream dress was wildly unflattering? Blogs are the same. You may discover a blog by finding an amazing DIY post only to find later on that the majority of posts are filled with hateful and judgmental posts about how other weddings suck and it makes you feel icky inside. MOVE ON! Blogs are not all the same. Don’t assume the community is one way or another based on a handful of blogs. I promise there’s a blog for every person. You WILL find the blog that makes you feel supported and empowered. If you’re a snarky grumpy person, the “weddings-suck” blog might be the perfect place for you.
- Honor your complexity: Let’s face it, as a human being, you’re a complex, multidimensional, and diverse individual. It’s likely that a single type of blog isn’t going to cut it for you. The great news is, many of the small and up-and-coming blogs have a tightly-focused niche. You’re reading one of them. I specialize in mountain weddings, and hindsight advice with a dash of DIY. You won’t find many fashion or beauty tips here. And you will find your fair share of rustic chic (read: handmade details and mason jars.) However, you may be attracted to a variety of blogs. For example, you may read this blog for mountain wedding inspiration, Destination Inspirations for destination wedding planning advice, Glamour and Grace for Modern Vintage details, and Every Last Detail for wedding planning advice, and Love Your Way for a sardonic look at wedding world and tales of real life outside of wedding planning. One blog or blog type is not going to be all things to you; find a handful that meet your needs.
How to Try Blogs On:
- Follow for awhile: Follow for at least a week or so to really find out if the blogger’s style matches your own. Click on the little RSS feed icon to have each new post delivered to your Google Reader or reader of choice, so you don’t have to waste time typing in a million URLs every day.
- Join the community: You can tell a lot about a blog by the way its community behaves. Start reading comments. How do commenters treat each other? Are they supportive or bitchy? Do they engage with each other or ignore each other? (Note: ignoring other commenters is not a bad thing, especially on inspiration-focused blogs.)
- Click through: Every commenter has the option of linking their name to their website. Many of the commenters on blogs are other bloggers. See a name that captures your imagination? Or a comment you like? Click on their name to find their website. You’d be surprised how many awesome blogs are out there that don’t rank in Google because they are smaller and can’t afford to hire a $1,200/month SEO company.
- Read the About page: I promise, a blogger will tell you what she’s all about. For example, Lauren over on Southern Aisle writes, ” I’m a born and raised Arkansan and a KU grad with an affinity for hospitality, mason jars and a pretty bow tie.” If you hate classic southern weddings and mason jars, you might think twice about spending too much time on this blog. Though I would encourage you to give each blog you might like a chance with a two-week trial period.
- Look at the Link Love section: You may have found the perfect rustic details for a snowy wedding on the Bayside Bride but you’re also are looking for advice and tips for other parts of your wedding. Scroll down on Bayside Bride’s side bar and you’ll find in the “Blogs We Love” section a link to Soundtrack To I Do, a California-based blog that focuses on “music advice for the soon to be wed.” Ding, Ding, Ding. Jackpot! Also look at in-post links. I’ve mentioned a number of fantastic bloggers in this post. I also do Follow Friday posts that showcase new and up-and-coming bloggers.
- Use the built-in Search function: I just met Jess from Shimmer and Silk on a blogger meet up in NYC. She’s modern, urban and fabulously fashionable, and I get heckled in my hometown when I wear high heels. Our blogs are very different. But, if I were looking for inspiation for my wedding shoes, or for fabulous outfits to wear to my engagement shoot, or bridal shower, Shimmer and Silk would be a go-to source. Just search for “wedding shoes” or “engagement shoot” and you’re well on your way.
- Email me! Have you found a blogger you love and trust? Email her and ask what she recommends for inspiration, advice, how-tos, or what-have-you. Most professional wedding bloggers are tapped into an extensive network of other bloggers. We email, DM each other, meet up on Skype, and occasionally meet in person. Email us with some details of your wedding and what you’re looking for. We love getting emails for real brides and readers, so don’t be shy. My email is hindsightbride {at} gmail {dot} com
