Wedding bloggers

Jody Wimer, Founder/Creative Director of JPC Event Group

Q:  When did you begin wedding blogging?

Jody:  I began blogging for WeddingAces  {a Wedding Wire/ Martha Stewart Network blog} in August of 2009 after being invited by the editor at the time to participate as their catering expert.  It was a very easy decision for me to become involved as I love the wedding industry and relished the opportunity to use my degree in English to flex my writing skills.  It has been a rewarding experience as  WeddingAces was recently honored on Bride Tide’s list of the Top 100 Bridal Blogs, and Richard and I were featured as experts in our field on the WeddingWirePro blog!

Recently I was asked by the Perfect Wedding Guide editor Erin to join their newly refurbished blog Head Over Heels as a contributor.  In the posts that I create for them, I focus on the work of catering and event production companies around the globe by featuring members of the International Caterers Association.  Lush photos, gorgeous real weddings and culinary trends are packed in every post!

Q:  Why do you feel wedding blogs have become so influential?

Jody:  Wedding blogs have opened a whole new world of inspiration, education, and comraderie for today’s bride.  During the planning process it is so helpful to know that other brides have traversed the same hurtles, triumphs and budget issues that you are and have come out on the other side with wonderful memories and successful events.  And how about those inspiration boards?!  What would wedding planning be without them!

The wealth of inspiration though is what I feel propels the blogs into the spotlight.  In a given day, 100 wedding blogs will feature 100+ unique, beautiful, rustic, personalized weddings and there will surely be something in that mix that will resonate with the bride readers and be a spring board for their own planning process.   It is also immediate gratification– you can see the total event, often video as well, in real time.  This is especially great if you search the blogs for events at the venue you are utilizing as well.  You can see other viewpoints for the set-up, usage or decor that you may not have thought of.

Q:  Do you have a favorite blog post you have written to date?

Jody:  Well of course, hands down it was my two part interview with David Tutera for WeddingAces after the Event Solutions/Catersource conference this March…. {click here to read it!}   And he is every bit as nice and engaging in person as on television!

But I also wrote a series of posts with my friend Meryl Snow of Feastivities Events in Philadelphia last Fall to assist brides in hiring a caterer.  It covered what questions to ask, what to look for,  and how to know the difference between standard catering and EVENT PRODUCTION.  {click here to read it!}  I believe blogs can help to educate bridal customers so that they can correctly compare services on a proper level, as well as feel empowered with industry knowledge to bring to the table.

Q:  What are your favorite wedding blogs to read and recommend to your clients?

Jody:  I feel that Style Me Pretty is the quintessential wedding blog, and JPC is proud to be an invited member of their Little Black Book of Vendors and to have had our work featured there as well.  Additionally, WeddingBee is a fabulous bridal community blog with posts written by brides throughout their planning process from all over the US.  I also enjoy reading Green Wedding Shoes ,  100 Layer Cake, and Snippet and Ink….but there are just so many great ones out there that it is hard to really narrow it down to a few!  Check out our inspiration blog role list for more suggested blogs.

If you have a question for Jody regarding bridal blogs or need some wedding advice, post a comment below and she will respond!