January 2010
In this day and age where the Internet has become a daily part of our lives, its no wonder why many people have utilized the Internet as a venue to express themselves and share their day-to-day stories and insights with the world. As one of the most celebrated events, weddings have become one of the most commonly shared moments on the internet. As such, soon-to-wed couples started to share their wedding planning stories with the world through the use of a blog.
Blog 101
The word blog is a contraction of the word ‘web log’. According to Wikipedia, a blog is a “type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, on the other hand, defines it as a “website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and other hyperlinks provided by the writer. In a nutshell, a blog is an online diary where you can post photos, videos, and hyperlinks related to your story. Blogs are not one-way conversation. Blogs allow your reader to post their comment on your article.
Generally, blogs are either for free or require payment. Of course, you do not want to have additional items in your wedding expenses. But paid hosting offers an advantage. For one, paid blog sites allow you to fully customize the design and layout of your wedding blog site. Aside from that, paid blogs allow you to have a customized web address or domain, such as www.brideandgroom.com, customized email addresses, and free from advertisements. The disadvantage of paid web hosting is that once your contract is done, your website will be terminated unless you renew the account.
Free blog sites are not so bad as well. For one, it is advisable for the not-so tech-savvy couple who would like to start off their own wedding blog. Free blog sites have WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors which allows you to simply type and post your blog posts. As for layout and design, some blog sites allow you to fully customize the layout of your blog. You may change the font color, layout scheme, content, and other elements present. You may also simply download an available blog template over the web and use it for your site. Other do not allow layout customization and you can only choose among their pre-designed templates. The disadvantage of free blogs is that they may have ads popping every so often on your site. Also, your web address will contain the blog company name like www.brideandgroom.blogname.com or www.blogname.com/brideandgroom.
Write Your Way Down the Aisle
Some soon-to-wed couples put up their own wedding blogs in order to inform their family and friends about the details of their weddings. Some couples make their wedding blogs an online photo album where they post their pre-nuptial and wedding photos. Other use their wedding blogs as a way to solicit ideas from other soon-to-wed couples and readers about certain details for their wedding such as motif color, wedding suppliers, wedding destination, among others.
But the main core of a wedding blog is sharing your wedding planning experience with your readers. You may write about your wedding plans and activities. You can even share your love story and the wedding proposal story. You may also give advice on how to save money, where to find wedding related items, talk about your chosen wedding supplier, share certain information about your wedding venue or destination, and more. In short, anything goes.
It is not necessary for you to blog in English. If you feel more comfortable blogging using the vernacular language, go ahead. If you want to have a mix of Filipino and English, that’s fine. Just be mindful of your spelling and grammar.
It’s not a must to update your blog every day. If you have ready access to the internet, either through your mobile phone, laptop, or desktop computer, then you may update your blog as often as you like. You may also sync your blog updates with your social networking page. It is understandable if you will not be able to post anything day before your big day. Just make sure to write again afterwards and share your wedding day story with your readers. Much like journalists, you have to be responsible for the articles you post on your blog. You should, in all occasions, avoid plagiarism, or simply, literary theft. Aside from that, you should avoid writing anything libelous, especially about supplier experience. There is a thin line between fair comment, or constructive criticism and libelous statements. If you wish to write about a unpleasant experience with your wedding suppliers, make sure to state all facts and formally inform your wedding supplier about the incident before you post in on your blog.
Did You Know?
Dana Hanna, an a “technology centric” software developer, actually updated his Facebook status and posted a Twitter update right at the altar before kissing his wife, Tracy Page, as soon as they were declared husband and wife. To see the video, click here
Providers
Here is a list of free and paid blog sites. Fell free to check them out and create your own wedding blog.
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Free Blog Sites
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Paid Blog Sites
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User-Hosted Platforms
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Developer-hosted
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| Blogger | Drupal | Open Diary |
| I.ph | Elgg | Typepad Pro |
| LiveJournal | Joomla | |
| Multiply | LiveJournal | |
| Tumblr | Movable Type | |
| WordPress.com | WordPress.org | |
| Xanga | ||
In the end, your blog will not only serve as a special memory on how you and your partner planned the most special day in your lives. Your blog will serve as a lasting testament of your love for each other. It will also serve as a reminder on where and how it all began. Lastly, the knowledge you shared and your experiences, whether happy, funny, or even embarrassing, will inspire other couples like you to make their own dream wedding come true. Happy planning and happy blogging!
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Kasal.com would like to thank sources:
Blog (n.). Definition by Wikipedia. Retrieved December 28, 2009 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog
blog. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved December 28, 2009 fromhttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/BLOG
“plagiarism.” The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2009 via Dictionary.com from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism
My Expression.com. Writing Wedding Blog. Retrieved December 28, 2009 fromhttp://www.myexpression.com/ArticlesWedding/WritingWeddingBlog.cfm
The Free Library. Writing A Wedding Invitation Blog to Include in Your Wedding Invitationshttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/Writing+A+Wedding+Invitation+Blog+to+Include+in+Your+Wedding…-a01073941925
