A "Little" Surprise in My Inbox...

I don't know about other bloggers out there, but blogging for me has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I've ever chosen to do. Honestly. But starting to blog was sort of awkward at first. Really, it was. Maybe you've been reading along since the beginning, and if you have, let me send out a big THANK YOU for hanging with me through the growth spurts.

You see, for those of you who don't blog, it's a little weird - this whole blogging thing. It's a creative outlet for your voice, and to be quite frank, it becomes a bit addicting. You don't just read blogs, you write blogs, then you review blogs, and before you know it you're commenting on blogs and stalking people that you don't know left and right, and you actually think that the two of you are friends! Yes, I know. It's kind of like an illness...but one that you're TOTALLY happy to have! LOL.

For me, what was most odd was writing for the unknown audience. No, maybe that's the wrong terminology. Your audience isn't unknown, I'm writing to brides out there, so I know who I'm directing my posts towards. But even if you know the genre of your audience, you don't KNOW your audience, if that makes any sense at all. So you write a post as if you are 100% confident that your blog is read for literally thousands of people each and every day.

And let's be honest, you think that you're fabulous, why wouldn't the rest of cyberspace, right? Right.

But you don't really know who reads it. Not really. At first, you just tell your closest friends and family members. Maybe your sister or your mom. Your bridesmaids probably know about it, and some of them email you back and forth about things that you've posted about, so you know that they read your blog.

Then one day, out of the blue, your inbox mesage indicator goes off, and you open the email expecting to see something from Joan in Accounting about your latest expense report and low and behold - it's a comment notification from your blog. And it's from someone that you don't personally know. Better yet, it says "Anonymous" and things get REALLY exciting. You're over the top ecstatic that someone out there is reading what you're writing and actually liking it. They say they'll come back. You jump up and down for joy and run around like a little school-girl until your fiance tells you to calm down. So you do, but inside, you're still turning cartwheels and doing the happy dance.

Before long, you start to receive more and more comments from internet pals. And you gather some followers to your blog...people that you know are faithfully following you along your mind's wanderings. And that's really cool. After that, you might put a link on your blog for readers to email you with questions or comments - that's what I did. When you do that, you might just get a little surprise in your inbox.

Imagine my enthusiasm a few weeks back when a vendor of men's wedding supplies contacted me saying that he thought their retail line would be a good fit with my blog. He offered me a link to check them out and wanted to know about me doing a post for them. I immediately responded that I liked his line and would email him when I did the post...of course, I haven't done it yet, but it's coming - I promise.

But there might not be many things that tops the email that I got this past weekend. I saw a new message blinking at me, and saw the name Amanda on it...thinking that this was from a friend of mine also named Amanda, I opened it expecting something totally different than what I got. No, this wasn't from my friend Amanda (I do still love you though!) this was an email from an Amanda that worked at Alfred Angelo. She told me that she had seen my post on my blog telling my readers about their sales/contests and wanted to thank me. Then she asked if I would happen to be in New York in October...Alfred Angelo was doing their Runway show and I was welcome to attend.

Wait. Rewind. I was what? Little old me? At a Runway show?

I quickly scrolled down to the end of her email, and can you just imagine my surprise when I read that this was her title - Director of Public Relations and Special Events, Alfred Angelo. O.M.G. Seriously? Alfred Angelo's Director of PR found a post about them on MY blog...I had to sit down and put my head between my knees for a minute. Then that passed, and the excitement hit me like a TON of bricks. It was a good thing that MOH was around to peel me off of the ceiling.

I'm flattered. And honored. You write a blog, sometimes it's not your best effort, sometimes it's a tutorial on how to do something, sometimes it's pouring out your heart and soul to the vast internet...and you just don't know who reads it. Really you don't. Look at me - just another bride, planning her wedding, and the Director of PR for Alfred Angelo stumbled upon my blog. Wow. That's really all I can say. Oh, and Thank You, of course.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So keep the comments and emails coming. And comment on the other blogs that you might be reading. It really does do a world of good for the writer!