The Wedding Blogging Furore: What it means to your average blogger

So the wedding blogging world was set on fire yesterday by one single letter...

http://hindsightbride.com/2011/10/10/open-letter-wedding-bloggers/#axzz1afuL8xFf

Upon reading this I felt utter dismay and yes it may seem drastic, but I wondered whether to carry on with Lancashire Bride.  Was this the way everyone thinks? Yes drastic it may be seem but I take everything to heart you see. 

On first view I thought this letter was aimed at all blogs.  I mean, what could Lancashire Bride have done to upset the photographer?  I don't have sponsors or suppliers that I am biased towards, I feature real life Lancashire weddings for where they take place and in the grand scheme of things Lancashire Bride is just a tiny dot in the blogging world!

 However, on reflection, I personally think that the person behind the letter just has problems with some of the major blogs.  Understandably so, after all the hard work put into a wedding its hard to see your work rejected.  Its very doubtful that the photographer has even seen Lancashire Bride and has probably only seen a small handful off the blogs out there.  Which is why I think the letter is not a rant at blogs in general (and why I shouldn't take things so personally) but more at the major blogs, which to be honest can be picky as they know what their readers want.

I blog as a sideline because a) I enjoy it and b) its good for my business.  Whereas for others it is their livelihood and they are damn good at it.  Take blogs such as Love My Dress and Rock & Roll Bride, is the anonymous photographer right in saying that all blogs are starting to lookalike?  These two blogs both have their own niches in the market and you would rarely catch them blogging the same type of wedding.  And if they can make a livelihood out of blogging, then surely that says they are good at what they do?  Yes they will have their guidelines and they may have to reject weddings but as the writers of popular blogs, surely they know what their readers wants.  And if the readers want mason jars and vintage suitcases then so be it.  These blogs may not appeal to everyone but there are OTHER blogs out there.

Beautiful Lancashire Photography

www.beanphoto.co.uk

When it comes to photography standards, I'm no expert and I'm only just learning trends and photo qualities but surely if I like a photo that's all that matters?  I've featured amateur and new photographers and photographers that have been doing their job for years, all who have different styles.  And I genuinely like most of their photos because, guess what? I love weddings.  As for the writer of the letter wanting more 'average' weddings featured, in my eyes no wedding or bride is average.  The fact that the newly wedded couples are (hopefully) in love and happy will make amazing photography. 

And as for sponsorship, well that's a touchy subject that many people have strong views on.  In my opinion, sponsorship is vital for a blogger to run a blog full-time and this will mean that that sponsors weddings will be featured on the blog.  Being an avid reader of Rock and Roll Bride, I know that Kat vets every sponsor and will reject those not suitable for the blog.  So if she features several weddings from one sponsor its because she believes they are suited to the style of Rock and Roll Bride.  This is only what the wedding magazines do.  The same names pop up over and over again in the magazines and, as with blogs, its those companies that pay for advertisements that will be featured the most.

So what about Lancashire Bride?  Well as I said I enjoy writing this blog and showcasing my work, if I get a few readers along the way then happy days!  Lancashire Bride is not a blog focused around a certain era or style but as the name suggests, I aim to promote weddings and suppliers in Lancashire whilst making my own work in the industry easily accessible to brides.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is just my humble view x