It’s no secret that blogging is an online trend that is here to stay. In the last few years many people have picked up this hobby as a way to share their knowledge and expertise or their personal story. Samantha Gratton is one of those people.

A recent ISU alumna, Gratton said she has been blogging for several years now. “I’ve blogged since the days of Xanga and never looked back,” she said. Blogging was appealing for Gratton because it allowed her to “put a voice to some of [her] thoughts and try to write in way that interests people.”

After she became engaged to her husband Scott in March 2010, Gratton started blogging about her wedding planning experience. In her blog, “We Be Wed,” www.webewed.wordpress.com, Gratton shared personal stories about being engaged and planning her wedding, from the guest list to the caterer, the dresses, the photographer, the rings and much more.

“For me it took some stress out of [planning] to be able to share [the experience] and try and write [the blog] in a way that appealed to others,” she said.

“It’s more than just a big day in a pretty dress”

Although she said she mostly wrote about wedding planning things, she also included posts about the process of preparing for a marriage. “It’s more than just a big day in a pretty dress,” Gratton said. “I was committing my life to someone, and I wanted to continually recognize that and reflect on what that meant to me.”

And for Gratton, the experience had its challenges. “It was almost a challenge to see how I could write in a way that told a story without giving away all of my secrets,” she said, adding that at times she was unsure about her decision to blog about the upcoming wedding and her relationship. “I try to make sure I don’t expose too much of my personal life or the lives around me because it’s hard to tell just who’s reading.”

This was especially true for Gratton, as she was a Des Moines Juice featured blogger last year. She proactively sent the link to her blog to the publication, and it was up on their site a few weeks later, she recalled. The acknowledgment was exciting for Gratton. “I had quite a few regular followers, which was really fun. People I didn’t even know were reading it.”

The good and the bad

Gratton pointed out that blogging had its advantages and disadvantages. She said the biggest advantage was that it was a creative outlet for her — one that her husband supports. She said he has a passion for music, and although their passions are different, they both respect the other and get to help with editing or brainstorming ideas. Gratton also said blogging allowed her to let everyone know about the wedding in one place.

But the wedding blog didn’t come without a little difficulty. “Blogging sometimes became another thing on my to-do list because I wanted it to be consistent, but didn’t always have the time,” Gratton said.

In the end the experience was worthwhile for Gratton because she has a written record of the whole experience. “I can read through all of my thoughts leading up to the wedding and then realize how much we actually accomplished. I had to own up to some of my more difficult and trying moments and have a great recorded reflection of the things that were on my mind during that process.”

To blog or not to blog?

As an experienced blogger, starting a wedding blog wasn’t that difficult for Gratton. However, she advised that blogging may not be for everyone. “I don’t think it’s something that should be an automatic decision,” she said. “If writing is a part of who you are then it makes perfect sense! Otherwise, impassionate writing is of no interest to readers so why waste anyone’s time?”

“I think it’s a great idea for brides who are the blogging type. It’s a great challenge to write and a fun way to sort through some of the emotions that go through the whole process,” Gratton said.

Any bride who is considering whether or not to blog should also consider their future fiancé. If a bride is unsure about blogging, Gratton said that the bride talk to her groom. The two can make the decision together.

The next step

As blogging has been a part of her life for many years now, Gratton said she now has to figure out what topic she’s going to tackle next. After her marriage, she did shift the blog slightly. Now she currently shares “Tales of wedded bliss” online, but the possibilities are endless. She said she is looking for her next focus point that will challenge her writing.

Tips for your own wedding blog

With all the experience Gratton has had blogging; she shared some things that have helped her during the years.

• Growing readership: There is a fine line between letting people know about your blog and promoting it. Gratton said she tried to tell people about her blog without trying to sell it. “If people wanted to read it that was up to them. I posted links to my Facebook and would occasionally try to use whatever [search engine optimization] knowledge I had.”

• Keeping your content fresh: Constantly providing your readers with new content they will want to read is a big challenge for some bloggers. When she was blogging about her upcoming wedding, Gratton said she tried to “continually think of what I’d want to know, what I’d never been told before about being engaged and what I’d want to remember.”

• Telling a story: Gratton said that she keeps her blog interesting by trying to make each post tell a story, instead of merely recording her day-to-day activities.

• Finding a focus: Gratton discovered that she liked focusing on one topic at a time. This might be a good suggestion for the beginning blogger, so they don’t get too overwhelmed.