How to…Get the Best out of Rock n Roll Bride

Kat

August 11, 2010

OK so I love you guys. I've been reading all of your responses to my readers survey (nearly 1000 of them!!) and now my poor web/IT guru husband & I have got a lot to work on now to implement some of your fabulous! However I wanted to take the time to write this little User Guide style post to try and make your Rock n Roll Bride experience even better in the interim. A few little niggles about the site came up over and over again and while some of them are major overhaul kind of things (and a lot of them were actually things I had been wanting to change anyway) there were a few points raise about the usability of the site which may be rectified with a bit of clarification. As a total blog-obsessive myself I think it's easy for me to forget that coming to my site as a new reader might be a bit of a daunting experience in terms of where to start, and how to navigate your way around it in the easiest fashion. Here's where this post comes in. Get your notebooks at the ready class and I hope this guide is useful!

What Exactly IS a Rock n Roll Wedding?

Kat

August 3, 2010

The question I dread when I meet people for the first time (which is of course the question that they then always ask) is “So, what’s the most ‘Rock n Roll’ wedding you’ve ever seen?” (and yes, they sometimes even do the air quotes {{shudder}} )

How to…Know When it’s Right to Take on Blog Sponsors

Kat

June 21, 2010

I like writing posts like this. They get my brain a-flexing and they're always a little bit controversial...and that's all good to me! I constantly receive emails from newbie (or sometimes even quite established) bloggers from all niches (not just wedding) asking for my help or opinion on how to go about taking on blog sponsors and how to make money from their blog. I try to reply to every single one, however of course how much detail I go into generally depends on my current busy-ness situation. So, I've been toying with the idea for a little while to put all my thoughts, musings and opinions (for that's what these are) into one place so I can hopefully direct future question-askers right here. I'm sharing my own experience and the trials and tribulations I've had through this 'making money from blogging thing' and am in no way claiming to be an expert. However I hope in some way I can help some of your starting out in this journey we call blogging...oh and for those of you out there that berate me for making money as a blogger...well...I'd suggest not reading on.

How to…Get your Wedding Featured on a Blog

Kat

Mario Testino

June 9, 2010

I get a lot of submissions. And I mean a LOT. So many in fact, that most people might break down and cry if they saw my inbox in the morning. However I LOVE it and I enjoy looking at every single one - really really truly do so don’t stop them coming! However there are some common mistakes made with submission sending and I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few that I see over and over and over to try and make the process of getting your wedding or photo shoot featured on Rock n Roll Bride a smooth one for both of us.

How to… Not become a Blogging Pushover

Kat

May 26, 2010

I have thought long and hard about actually posting this after I wrote it. It is, in all honesty, a little bit of a rant but I hope it actually might give you a greater insight into my world. As I hope most of you know, I put a lot of work into running Rock n Roll Bride. When I'm at home I'm on my computer pretty much from 10am to at least 10/11 pm working on posts, running up new ideas and keeping in touch with people. It's no longer just a hobby for me, and weird as it feels to say this, it is now my business and one I work very hard on. Anyway...

How to…Deal with Uncooperative Relatives

Kat

January 24, 2010

I need some advice. I live in Virginia, but all of my family lives back on the west coast. (I'm from Arizona) We decided that we would get married in Vegas this year so my family would be able to come (mainly my grandparents since they refuse to fly) They agreed to come and everyone seemed really excited about it. Then, I sent my mom pictures of what we'll be wearing. She hasn't shown my grandma yet, but she told her basically what they look like. When I called my grandma to talk to her about when we'll be flying into Tucson, she started lecturing me. She said it's "not a clown thing" and went on to say that if that's what I'm going to wear, she won't be able to come. Apparently, my clothing (which fits my personality very well) is making a mockery of marriage and weddings. I'm very upset about this, since she's as close to me as my own mom. I don't know what to tell her to convince her to come. Even my mother in law (who is extremely conservative) loves the outfit and thinks she's being ridiculous. Have you known anyone to have problems like this? (There’s pictures of our outfits attached if you'd like to see what the big deal is)

How to…Plan a Wedding in No Time at all

Kat

January 5, 2010

With the New Year upon us, I thought it apt to begin thinking about where I want Rock n Roll Bride to go in the next 12 months. I downloaded Gala Darling's 'Love & Sequins' #7 podcast, in which the crazy-inspiring writer/blogger/international playgirl imparted all her blogging, writing and general career awesomeness on to us mere wannabe blogging gurus. It really gave me a much needed boot up the arse and go me a-thinking about the year ahead (note: if you are a blogger yourself you need to download this think - it freakin' rocks) My mind is now fit to bursting with new ideas and directions for the site, but to ease you in gently, here’s diversion numero uno. Now don't you worry, there will still be just as much real wedding goodness this year (how could I possibly stop) but with the success of the 'How to Blog' series still ringing in my ears I thought it a great idea to expand on the idea and reach out and help all of my readers in one way or another. The 'How to...' series will be vast. It will be diverse. It will mould and shape itself in to a sequined glitter ball of knowledge and inspiration in no time at all and I need your help. What do you want help with? What can I write about to help you? Planning your wedding? Building your blog? Expanding your business? How to dye your hair pink!?...anything. I have a crack team of experts behind me who I plan to call upon whenever I need them (although most of them actually don’t know this yet!) So, without further ado, here we go with an email I received just the other day.

How to Blog – The Quickfire Round

Kat

November 13, 2009

First up, a little sorrrrieeee from me. With the Rock n Roll Bride machine pretty much taking flight over the last few months the 'How to Blog' series appears to have fallen to the wayside. Unfortunately whilst still holding down a full time job (where I work nights!) there are only so many hours in the day to catch up on such things. Anyway, due to the number of emails and questions I've received asking blogging questions recently, I thought I would try and address as many queries in one hit as possible with a bumper Q&A session. As always, I love feedback so feel free to comment below or drop me an email if you've got anything to say! If you still have any burning blogging questions that you need answered then please feel free to drop me an email and I’ll try to work it into Part 4.

SEO & The Art Of Making Google and Blog-Land Your Friend

Kat

August 26, 2009

I’ve received a number of questions regarding search engine optimisation (SEO) recently so I thought part two of the ‘How to Blog’ series should be devoted to the idea of, in my experience, making Google your friend. This is long I warn you. I'd suggest grabbing a cup of tea and a cupcake before you start on this bad boy!

How To Blog – Originality & Connections

Kat

August 19, 2009

For a little while now I have had a little nugget of an idea floating around my head, a teeny tiny musing that could turn into something if nurtured. I have been thinking of starting a mini series about ‘How to Blog’. I’d love to be able to share my experiences and hopefully impart some wisdom on others wanting to expand their blogging success. I’m primarily thinking about those who want to blog in order to share other people’s work and inspiration. For this first instalment I want to draw attention to a small part of whole affair that I feel is quite an important one. I am making reference to bloggers and photographers solely because this is what I know and this is the circle I move in, yet I hope the basic idea can be transferred to your own preferred network. Let me know what you think…