In Richmond, wedding bells are always in the air. Whether you prefer something quiet and modest, or an extravagant affair, local wedding planner Bryce Carson has you covered.

Carson started planning events when he was just 14 years old for a large national mall corporation, and learned a lot by the time he went to college. After reaching out to every planner he could find when he was 19 and gaining an internship the same day, he hasn’t looked back yet. Currently in Richmond, his favorite part about the industry is the flexibility and willingness to try new ideas and just being open to change from couples.

With times changing thanks to the pandemic, and more venues and vendors opening back up and altering restrictions, planning a wedding can be even more confusing than it was before. Luckily for us, Carson has five must have tips for planning your absolute best Richmond wedding regardless of what is going on in the world.

1. Instagram is your greatest resource

“The traditional sites like Wedding Wire and The Knot rely heavily on revenue from vendors sponsoring their posts, so you might not always get the best vendor recommendations from those sites,” according to Carson. “I view Instagram as research to show who is actually out there working in the industry and producing real weddings, rather than who can pay the most to boost their rank on review sites.”

2. Embrace the city

What local flair can you add to your decor? “Richmond has such a big alcohol scene,” added Carson. “Think about adding Cirrus or Belle Isle to your bar or throwing in a local treat like a Tablespoons cookie into your welcome bag.”

3. Don’t Delay Booking

Whether we are in a pandemic state of mind, or eventually when we are back into a “normal” state of the world, Carson adds to never delay if you find a vendor or venue that you are drawn to.

“We will continue to see traces of Covid causing a giant backlog of weddings for years,” said Carson. “Your favorite vendors are booking up sooner than later.”

It is very important to get your priorities in order. What are your top vendors? What top venues struck a chord with you?

“Each partner should sit down and choose their top three vendors they want to invest in based on how important that vendor category is to their wedding,” said Carson. “Once you have that list, it will become a lot easier to manage a budget and allow you to really go into planning with clear priorities.”

4. Hire a planner who fits in your budget

“While a full service planner might not be in everyone’s budget, a coordinator can be worked into any budget,” said Carson. “Having someone there on the day of to handle all your set up, work through your timeline, and to allow you and your families to sit back and relax is a total no brainer to me.”

Carson has been planning weddings for a long time, and has clearly learned a lot during his time. The biggest thing that he learned that he wished he knew when he started - you do not under any circumstances need to keep up with the Joneses. Make your day reflect you and your partner, not what you saw on Pinterest.

The current state of the world with covid has of course affected the wedding industry, and one of the biggest ones is the speed that vendors are being booked. Prior to 2020, Carson shares that he was able to book vendors 8 months out, now couples are looking at about a year out.

“I was able to book vendors like beauty and caterers with about eight months of lead time, but now I find myself having to lock these vendors in almost a year out,” said Carson. “In this environment my biggest piece of advice is do not wait. If you love someone, book them as soon as you can.”

5. Find Your Champion

Even in an artistic field like the wedding industry, and an overall supportive city like Richmond, representation for the LGBTQ community is still important. LGBTQ vendors are still the minority, and while there are incredibly supportive allies, there is still those that hold down the old school. Carson’s final piece of advice - find a vendor who will champion you for your special day.

“The last thing you want on your wedding day is to work with someone who is not supportive of our lives,” said Carson. “Find a vendor who is going to uplift and champion you. Even if you are the type who does not love a lot of pomp and circumstance, your wedding is the one day where you get to be the main event.”

For more information about Bryce, visit his Instagram: @brycecarson