Posted on Sep 5, 2017

Customer Spotlight: A Vintage Wedding, Too!

Welcome to the iPage Customer Spotlight blog series, where throughout the month of September, we will feature actual iPage customers. We truly appreciate our customers and are excited to give you a glimpse into their businesses, why they started, what keeps them motivated, and how they make the most of their iPage hosted website.  

This week we’d like to introduce you to Terri Goodin, owner of a boutique that specializes in antique and vintage wedding gowns. Terri  started her online shop, avintageweddingtoo.com in 1997 as a dedication to honor her Grandmother who LOVED vintage clothing and jewelry.  

vintage wedding dress website

About the Business

A Vintage Wedding, Too! offers one-of-a-kind antique and vintage wedding dresses, evening gowns, and coordinating accessories. Terri said that “there is nothing ‘’typical’ when it comes to vintage clothing, especially vintage wedding gowns.”  Her business attracts customers who are trying to create a very specific look or theme with their wedding, and she helps to deliver with the perfect dress. After visiting her website, it is easy to see that this is true. The site features gowns from different eras going back to 1910.

Customers are presented with multiple photographs of each gown along with a detailed description of the style, materials used, and the gown fit. The photos and descriptions work together to set a tone and help the bride in her search to find the perfect dress.

You can tell her business is a labor of love if you spend a few minutes on her site. Beyond sharing information on available wedding dresses, she has created a gallery of vintage wedding photos, offers information about additional wedding resources, such as seamstresses, and even offers an online slideshow history of women’s fashion through the ages.

vintage dress gallery

 

Modern Technology with Classic Customer Care

The site leverages modern technology, but Terri continues to offer old-fashioned customer care. She understands that the best way to satisfy her customers is with personal communication and personal assistance. Terri handles every transaction with a personal touch. She works with each bride to make sure their needs are fully met, that the vintage gown they select fits well, and is exactly what they want to create a perfect wedding day.

 

Why iPage

When the site was originally launched, it was the norm for web hosts to charge according to bandwidth used (good thing those days are over). When she was looking to recreate her site with a new host, the great iPage introductory price caught her attention. And after seeing the positive reviews, and learning that it was designed for ease-of-use, she decided to give it a try. “When I began playing with the available themes and saw how easy it was to use iPage, I was hooked.” She has even recommended iPage to her friends and colleagues.

Building a website became fun

The site has been around for 20 years, so Terri had to know HTML to keep her site and her business up and running in the early days. But as technology became more user friendly, she quickly became a fan of the easy drag & drop options, pre-designed templates, and the simple design/build menus. Building a website even became fun, and she has been able to keep her site current with regular updates to the iPage hosting and web creation options.

She uses social media and etsy to support her business and attract customers. And her site requires regular updates as new dresses become available and as a bride selects her perfect vintage dress for the big day. The next big project she has is to add a shopping cart. This will make the billing transaction easy and safe for all parties – and won’t take away from the personal touch she brings to each interaction.

If you are thinking of starting your own business, or hobby website, Terri’s advice is to just do it. “Get your site up and going.” With a modern website builder, it’s easy to make changes and tweak the final format without having to take the site down. “It wasn’t this easy back in the ‘90s,” she said.

 

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