A lot of the time, big success stories start with someone having a passion and spotting a gap in the market that they want to fill. That's exactly how it happened for Maggie Lord, a former middle school teacher from Fairfield, Connecticut.
Back in 2008, Maggie was planning her own countryside, lakeside wedding. But when she went online looking for inspiration, she couldn't find much about rustic/countryside weddings. That sparked an idea in Maggie—she decided to create the website she was looking for.
That personal project ended up completely transforming Maggie's life, and the whole digital wedding niche. She started a website called Rustic Wedding Chic, which grew from a hobby into a thriving digital media company.
In this article, we're going to take an in-depth look at how Maggie built up Rustic Wedding Chic and how it ultimately led to her selling the company for a 6-figure sum to bridal industry giant David's Bridal.
Maggie Lord, founder of Rustic Wedding Chic
Identifying a niche and taking the opportunity
Back in 2008, the online world of wedding content was a lot different than it is today, with all the highly curated, visually stunning wedding inspiration you see on Pinterest and Instagram. Brides-to-be like Maggie Lord were struggling to find good ideas and inspiration, especially if they wanted a more rustic, down-to-earth look for their wedding.
Seeing this gap, Maggie decided to launch her own website called Rustic Wedding Chic. The goal was to showcase real rustic weddings and provide planning tips, DIY ideas, and style inspiration for brides who wanted that kind of vibe.
It turns out Maggie's timing was perfect. Social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram were just starting to take off, and visual content was becoming essential for grabbing people's attention and driving traffic online. By focusing on this specific niche of rustic weddings and leveraging the power of visual storytelling, Rustic Wedding Chic quickly built a big, loyal following of brides, wedding vendors, and others interested in that style of wedding.
Building a content empire
The key to the huge success of Rustic Wedding Chic was Maggie Lord's total commitment to creating high-quality, useful content for her audience. As the founder and CEO, Maggie took on the role of the site's full-time writer, publishing two brand new articles every single weekday for an impressive 12 years straight.
This super consistent output not only kept readers coming back and staying engaged, but it also helped cement Rustic Wedding Chic's status as the go-to destination for rustic wedding inspiration and advice.
By 2014, the business was generating 6 figures in annual revenue and attracting more than 1.5 million visitors per month.
One of the most popular parts of the site was the "Ask Maggie" column, where Maggie would personally answer all kinds of wedding-related questions from readers—everything from ideas for decorative garlands to must-have registry items. This direct engagement with her audience helped build a strong sense of community and trust, further solidifying Rustic Wedding Chic's position as the leading authority on rustic weddings.
Monetizing the website and diversifying revenue streams
As Rustic Wedding Chic grew, Maggie Lord realized the importance of different revenue streams to ensure the business's sustainability. The main ways the site made money included:
- Google Ads
- Branded content partnerships
- Other business partnerships
- A vendor directory on the site
The vendor directory ended up being a valuable part of the business. It allowed brides to search for and connect with wedding venues, photographers, florists, and other vendors by location. This was great for the vendors, who could find potential clients, and it provided an extra revenue source for Rustic Wedding Chic.
Maggie also expanded her reach beyond the website by writing a series of six wedding planning books. This helped her reach a new audience and further cemented her reputation as a wedding planning expert, driving even more traffic and engagement to the Rustic Wedding Chic website.
Selling the website
After over 10 years of growing Rustic Wedding Chic into a huge success, Maggie Lord felt like it was time for the company and herself to take on a new challenge. In 2020, she decided it was the right time to sell the company.
It wasn't because Maggie needed the money - she just believed that Rustic Wedding Chic could really benefit from the additional resources and expertise that a larger organization could provide.
To get ready for the sale, Maggie worked with an advisor to gather all the key data and information that potential buyers would be interested in. She also crafted a really compelling story about how the company started and the specific problem it was solving for brides and wedding vendors.
Sealing the deal with David's Bridal
In February 2020, Maggie Lord took a bold step and reached out directly to Jim Marcum, the CEO of David's Bridal. David's Bridal is one of the biggest and most well-known wedding dress and outfit retailers in the US.
Maggie's proactive approach paid off - she was able to meet in person with the David's Bridal team in early March to discuss a potential acquisition of Rustic Wedding Chic.
process shifted to phone calls and Zoom meetings instead of in-person. Despite the uncertainty around the pandemic, Maggie remained confident in the value of Rustic Wedding Chic and its potential to enhance David's Bridal's digital planning tools for brides.
Eventually, the acquisition deal was announced. It was a 6-figure deal, and David's Bridal highlighted how Rustic Wedding Chic would play a crucial role in helping brides explore the latest wedding trends and options before they finalize their vision.
This acquisition marked a new chapter for both Maggie and Rustic Wedding Chic, as the site became an integral part of David's Bridal's growing suite of digital wedding planning resources
After the acquisition, Maggie Lord joined David's Bridal in the role of VP of Partnerships. She held that position from 2020 to 2022. Then, she served as David's Bridal's Head of Wedding Planning until February 2023, bringing her expertise and passion for helping brides to an even bigger platform.
Post-acquisition traffic trends
After the acquisition in 2020, the organic traffic for the Rustic Wedding Chic website saw a significant spike and peak in 2020-2021, reaching around 180,000 visitors. However, following this peak, the organic traffic steadily declined, dropping down to around 40,000 by early 2024.
Given that the website was sold to a major wedding retailer brand in 2020, this sharp decline in organic traffic after the acquisition suggests some potential challenges or missteps by the new owners in maintaining and growing the site's organic presence.
Some possible reasons for the organic decline could be:
- Changes to the website's content, SEO, or user experience that alienated the existing audience: Any significant alterations in the website's structure or content strategy might have impacted its search engine rankings and user engagement.
- Failure to invest in and nurture the site's established organic channels and strategies: Maintaining organic traffic requires continuous SEO efforts and content updates, which might not have been prioritized.
- Shift in focus away from organic growth towards other priorities like integration with the parent brand: The new owners might have focused more on aligning the site with David's Bridal's overall brand strategy, potentially at the cost of neglecting Rustic Wedding Chic's original organic growth strategies.
The dramatic drop-off in organic visitors indicates the new owners may have struggled to preserve what made the Rustic Wedding Chic site successful in the first place from an organic perspective.
Without more details on the specifics of the post-acquisition strategy and execution, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons. But the data clearly shows a significant erosion of organic momentum especially after 2023, when Maggie Lord left the Davids Bridal team.
Lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs
Maggie Lord's journey is really inspiring - she went from being a middle school teacher to a successful entrepreneur and strategic advisor. Her story offers a lot of valuable lessons for people who want to start their own businesses, especially those in the digital content space.
First of all, identifying a specific niche and filling a gap in the market can be a really powerful way to build a loyal audience and establish your brand as an expert in your field. By focusing on rustic weddings at a time when there wasn't much online inspiration out there, Maggie created a go-to resource for both brides and wedding vendors.
Secondly, consistency and quality are key when you're creating content. Maggie's commitment to publishing two new articles every single day for 12 years straight not only kept her audience engaged, but it also helped drive more traffic to the site and cement Rustic Wedding Chic as a trusted source of wedding inspiration and advice.
Thirdly, diversifying your revenue streams is crucial if you want your business to be sustainable in the long run. By exploring opportunities beyond just advertising, like branded content, partnerships, a vendor directory, and even writing books, Maggie made sure Rustic Wedding Chic had multiple ways of bringing in income to support its growth.
Finally, when it comes time to sell your business, preparation and being proactive are essential. By working with an advisor, compiling key data and information, and crafting a really compelling story about her company's purpose, Maggie positioned Rustic Wedding Chic perfectly for a successful acquisition. And her bold move of reaching out directly to the CEO of David's Bridal shows how important it is to seize opportunities and go after your goals proactively.
