The Dangers of Wedding Blogging and eWeddings

Some people have asked, “why did you blog about your wedding?” There are many reasons:

1. I was inspired by the likes of Style Me Pretty and Snippet and Ink and I wanted an outlet to share my creative ideas and wedding details.
2. People would often ask me, how is the wedding planning going? To which I could refer them to the blog.
3. At heart, I’m a writer. I love to write (granted, maybe I’m not the best at it), but it’s something I’m passionate about. For years I’ve written stories, kept journals, and done scrapbooking. I enjoy documenting my life and reflecting back on it.
4. I wanted to help others. I hoped there were other turquoise brides, and San Diego brides, and just brides in general who could benefit from my ideas and wisdom from going through it. Because, to be honest, without passing on the knowledge I gained from the hundreds of hours I spent planning, the whole thing felt a little meaningless and selfish.

I decided that since I wanted my blog to be a place where family and friends could see what I was up to, I would not blog anonymously. I’d use my real name, real wedding date, real everything and would not use a pen-name like the ladies over at WeddingBee.

But as a result, several times the blog came back to bite in my butt:

• First it was the Workers Union that found my blog via Google and intentionally targeted my Wedding because they were able to see the exact date, time, and location of the Wedding and knew they could hurt the Hilton by targeting a big wedding weekend (the worst thing that happend as a result of the blog)
• Next a bridesmaid asked me to remove references to her on the blog/website because associates of hers were finding her via google and she didn’t like the attention
• Finally a vendor contacted me a regarding a vendor review, one that wasn’t even negative, saying that they were misrepresented

I hope that my story can be a bit of a cautionary tale to Brides before they broadcast the details of their wedding and life for the world to see on websites and blog. So that they know that potentially, bad things can happen because of it.

Part of me thinks maybe it was stupid to blog so personally and honestly. But you know what? I had the balls to blog under my real name as opposed to writinng anonymous reviews or post on TheKnot or Bridal Insider. And I’m proud of myself for that.

I’ve had an absolute blast writing this blog. It’s been fun, cathartic, and encouraging. I’m getting my posts made into a Blurb Book so I will have it for years to come.

To my friends and readers, thank you for reading and cheering me on. Sadly this will be my last post because:

1. The wedding is over. I don’t want to go on talking/blogging about my Wedding forever (cue song “Glory Days”)
2. I’m a bit discouraged by the negative things that have happened as a result of my blogging and want a break

Fear not, I know I’ll be reincarnated in the blog world with a brand new topic (but this time likely under a pseudonym). Because, let’s be honest, I’m addicted. Until then, good night and God bless. Xoxo.