Connecticut local, Maggie Lord, founder and editor of rusticweddingchic.com took her quest for a rustic wedding and turned it into a blog that gives tips and ideas for brides everywhere. Feeling inspired and want to find out how? Look no further than the few easy steps Lord followed to become the wedding expert she is today.
Find Something you Love
Starting in January 2009, Lord found her passion when planning her upcoming nuptials to be held at her family’s summer home in northern Wisconsin. “I started looking for inspiration online and found no success,” Lord said. “I knew if I was looking out there in the blog world, other brides were as well.”
As Lord continued to search for her own wedding, she found inspiration that she thought other brides might find helpful. She began to post images on a blog as she found ideas.
Readership began to increase and brides were emailing daily. Lord said she started to realize that the relationship with other brides and the information they were telling her as to what inspiration they wanted gave her exactly what she needed to keep the blog going. The blog was officially launched as Rustic Wedding Chic (RWC) in May of 2009.
When Lord realized she could take this night-time and weekend hobby to the next level, she quit her job as a science teacher in 2010 and made blogging for Rustic Wedding Chic her career.
It Comes with Uncertainty
“I wasn’t sure the direction I was going in,” Lord said. The site began with a basic template and Lord continued posting images as she had since she started.
A year and a half later, Lord said she realized the blog needed to be turned into something bigger and better. “I took it upon myself to make it a business, get professional and have a logo made,” Lord said.
Nothing Happens Overnight
Turning the site into something that reflected the readership Lord had gained was something she said took time. The logo was created from scratch by an artist and Lord said she wanted to make sure it stood out from all other wedding blogs.
“I wanted it to reflect the readers who had turned the site into what it is today and still growing,” Lord said. A vendor guide was compiled which included venues, photographers and an array of other wedding vendors necessary for planning.
You Can Make Some Friends Along the Way
“Blogs are run like a business,” Lord said. “You can’t just go and pull any image you want.” Lord said she had to cultivate relationships with photographers and vendors. This helps Lord keep her blog exclusive.
After the site redesign in August of 2011, Lord said she began to feel valued by photographers. “We went from 30 to 40 submissions a week to 50 submissions a day,” Lord said. “That was the information we needed to know photographers wanted to be on our blog.”
Find Ways to Expand
The blog has continued to grow and Lord has found ways to expand. Her site now includes a range of features including Ask Maggie where brides can submit questions or inspiration they want to see featured; real weddings that range in rustic themes from southern weddings, barn weddings to lakeside weddings; a fashion section to help with dress selection; wedding inspiration such as DIY for your wedding, wedding invitations or save the dates and a venue guide.
“RWC has something for everyone,” Kate McKenna, contributing writer said. “RWC is full of beautiful photography and inspiring images, but it’s also an absolute treasure trove of useful information and helpful tips.”
In October of 2011, Lord signed a book deal and published her first book called Rustic Wedding Chic and has a second coffee-table book coming out in the Fall called Barn Wedding Chic. There are already plans for a third and Lord has expanded into radio as well as television features.
Look to the Future
“I would love to be able to do something as a radio show, do podcasts with other wedding bloggers,” Lord said. She said that television appearances will continue as well as a showcase with IKEA this coming March.
“Maggie works incredibly hard on the blog, but her love of weddings and the rustic chic spirit comes through in every post,” McKenna said.
For more information on Maggie Lord or Rustic Wedding Chic visit their website or email her directly.