Back in Business

Weddings are back, baby.

Even though COVID-19 continues to spawn variants that are ever more confusingly named, restrictions on gatherings are a thing of the past, allowing for family and friends to witness the exchanging of vows. Couples are responding with enthusiasm nationally and locally, celebrating unions that were either postponed in the pandemic or developed over the last two years.

This calendar year is likely to be the busiest for nuptials this century, according to The Wedding Report, a research firm that charts industry trends. Nearly 2.5 million weddings are expected in 2022, compared with more than 2.3 million in 2001. It’s no surprise that weddings decreased in 2020, with 1.68 million ceremonies, compared with just over 2 million in 2019, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), located at the Centers for Disease Control.

Even with the surge in the number of weddings, the marriage rate in the U.S. has steadily decreased since 2000. The NCHS charts the rate as a percentage of 1,000 people; in 1980, the rate was 10.6%. By 2000, the rate was 8.2%. In 2019, the rate was 6.1%. The Wedding Report predicts 2.24 million weddings in 2023, which would still be an increase over 2019, but hardly continuing the rise that occurred after most restrictions were lifted.

The Local Scene

Richmond sits in a special place among these figures, says Christine Haines Greenberg, creative director and founder of Urban Set Bride, a bridal boutique, and The Hive Wedding Collective, a wedding planning firm.

“Richmond is a hotbed for weddings,” she says. “It’s relatively affordable, compared with other cities, and it’s close in proximity to Washington, D.C., and Charlottesville. Sometimes, we even have clients with no ties to Richmond.”

Greenberg and her team expect to handle 68 weddings this year, six of which are the final pandemic postponements. The past two years were “emotionally exhausting” for her team, she says, as they scrambled to help couples navigate a changed world.

“We saw a lot of couples break up and weddings end up as elopements,” she adds. “You could tell clients were disappointed, and it was very sad to watch [The Hive members] postpone weddings and lose so much money.”

Now, Greenberg says, the wedding landscape is different.

“It has been more and more challenging to find [wedding services] because all the good people are booked or are no longer interested.” she says. “A lot of wedding vendors who did this for fun watched what happened with postponements, where money got sucked away, and now want a tried and true [job] where they have their free time.”

But couples are more motivated than ever to have their special day and share it with those they love. And they are turning to planners to help them realize their vision.

“There’s a huge influx in interest,” she says, noting that The Hive, which brings together independent contractors under one roof, has grown to try to meet demand. “We’re a team; we lean on one another for advice and venting, but I’m pretty protective of who I bring on because there isn’t micromanaging.”

Greenberg says she’s seeing more couples coming to her with weddings that have tighter guest lists alongside generous budgets.

“People are ready to invest in smaller weddings and do it with better food, better alcohol, better flowers,” she says. “The perspective they have is that we all had to walk away, and now the most important thing is getting our families together in one room. This is more about everybody being healthy and well and getting together and having a nice time.”

In this new landscape, Greenberg says, couples need to make decisions quickly and trust the experts.

“The biggest issue this season is the vendor might be available, but the couple waits too long to book — they want a trial run of makeup or a tasting menu,” she says. “Right now, there isn’t time for that. If I’m telling you as a paid adviser that someone is a great artist, book her. Normal operating procedures are gone.”

Filling the Need

Owner of The Flower Guy Bron, Bron Hansboro, is also seeing the same enthusiasm from couples who hire his firm for floral and decor design.

“Our inquiries have more than doubled, and clients are overwhelmingly spending more money,” Hansboro says. “It’s like the pandemic has given them the chance to save up and go all out. People are appreciating celebrating more than ever.”

Hansboro says his company’s revenue dropped 60% in 2020, but all clients rescheduled to future dates. “Our couples traditionally make substantial investments, so they were willing to keep going,” he says. “We were extremely fortunate.”

To accommodate the changes, Hansboro increased his staff, elevating existing team members to leadership roles and then hiring new personnel — many of whom were referrals from people he already knew. His leading designer alone brought in her mother, cousin and childhood friend to join the staff.

“My team works for a brand that is my name, so I need people who embrace the fabric of what I do,” he says. “We went from one to two weddings a weekend to five weddings over three-day weekends. One weekend, we had multiple events in multiple states at the same time. It wasn’t ideal, but it was what the universe required of us, so we rose to the occasion. At the end of the day, it made us stronger.”

As he was upsizing the firm’s staff to meet demands, Hansboro also faced the lasting effects of flower farm shutdowns in 2020. “There was a shortage of white flowers [globally], and our largest weddings last year were all white,” he says, noting that on two occasions, he purchased every white flower from a single South American farm. “I rallied our network of international and national wholesalers. We did have to make substitutions [in type of flower], but we were able to honor the original plan.”

It’s essential, he says, to have connections everywhere.

“I 100% believe in supporting local growers and purveyors, but we have to consider the scale and size of events we’re producing; I don’t want to interrupt smaller operations here,” he says. “I’m always building on relationships, and I’m always open to building more relationships.”

Hansboro recently acquired Leap Lighting and Design in order to add to the services that his firm can provide, noting that the color scheme, lighting and drapery are complementary to his floral creations.

“Before [the pandemic], packages were shunned, but now people want to do as many things as possible under one roof,” he says. “Our clients have learned to trust us, and we have learned that people are willing to pay for excellent service. It’s not just about the end result, it’s about how you make people feel throughout the process.”

Making It Work

Hair and makeup stylist Aaron Ellerbrock, founder and owner of BRIDEface Richmond, says his business has been on a roller-coaster ride that is only now evening out.

“We were basically shut down for six months in both 2020 and 2021,” he says. “It was so difficult during COVID, because so many brides don’t read their contracts. They think hair and makeup is fun, but this is my livelihood. This is how I pay my bills.”

Ellerbrock says he secured Pandemic Unemployment Assistance that helped him pay his business bills — rent, insurance, advertising — and was happy for small jobs that helped his independent contractors, many of whom are single mothers. “It was really tough,” he says.

This year’s rebound has brought a 25% increase in bookings over even pre-pandemic levels, with weddings outside of weekends and in the “off” months of February and March.

“I had a Thursday wedding [recently], and a Wednesday wedding is coming,” he says. “They can be any day of the week.”

Just as guest lists have increased in size, so have wedding parties, Ellerbrock says. In 2019, his team was typically hired to style the bride plus five — usually four bridesmaids and the mother of the bride. Now, it’s typical to have the bride plus seven or eight.

“I think a lot of these women feel like they now have the freedom to do what they want,” he says. “Some who postponed twice just want to get it done, but the majority are, ‘Hey, we don’t have to wear masks, there are no restrictions on numbers, we can have everyone!’ ”

Ellerbrock also faced supply disruptions, noting that when his customary makeup products weren’t available, he couldn’t go to local beauty stores and sample other options — those counters were closed. He also had to find a new source for false eyelashes when his regular supplier simply didn’t have them. “I paid four times as much purchasing [online] and they were bad,” he says. “I ended up wasting half the product, but it was the only thing I could get.”

Even though Ellerbrock has worked in the makeup field for years, he says he learned plenty as a result of the pandemic.

“Some people look at wedding vendors as ‘the help,’ and that was really disheartening to me,” he says. “I’m providing you with an essential service; if you could do your own makeup, you’d be doing it. But there are so many good people out there who understand humanity is more important than a wedding. Some brides offered to pay in full for their first date. When I had those brides who saw me as a person, as a business owner, it touched my heart and made me work harder for them.”

Bringing the House Down

Some wedding vendors have discovered that less truly is more.

Matthew Davey started his wedding DJ business in 2015; at its peak, he was working in multiple cities, managing a team of as many as 10 DJs. He had 65 weddings scheduled for 2020; 25 happened that year, then 25 in 2021 and 10 this year.

This year’s slowdown is both intentional and not, Davey says.

In April 2021, Davey became engaged to Karese Burrell, who had experience in the hospitality and event management fields. The two decided to make their partnership personal and professional, expanding the DJ business into Bow Tied Weddings, combining wedding planning with music services.

The business plan calls for fewer, more high-end events, which have been slow to arrive, Davey says, in part because of a marketing error — the ads he placed last summer weren’t clear enough about Bow Tied’s connected services — and in part because some couples are still hesitant.

“I know venues are booked like crazy, but other DJs are reporting the same slowdown,” he says. “I think eventually [the work] will come back. People are still going to want someone to curate their evening.”

Davey says he’s keeping a close eye on H.R. 3807, the Relief for Restaurants and other Hard-Hit Small Businesses Act of 2022. The bill, which hadn’t cleared the Senate by press time, includes $13 billion for “Hard Hit Industries” with 200 or fewer employees that lost at least 40% of their income due to the pandemic. He’s hoping retroactive payments will allow him to focus on the new business model.

“I don’t want a flood of all the people looking for DJs,” he says. “I want people who put 'dance party' at the top of their wedding list. It’s a patience game I have to play right now. I have a quality brand; I just have to find the best way to put myself in front of people. There will be a silver lining eventually. This is what I do well; I have no intention of ever giving up.”

Moving On

At the onset of the pandemic, Tracy Gilland became venue manager of Seven Springs, a historic farm in Manquin. With ample outdoor space, including a 40-by-90-foot pavilion, Gilland says Seven Springs was able to accommodate clients who either didn’t want to reschedule or were booking new events. In 2021, Seven Springs hosted 50 weddings, including two that had originally been planned for indoor spaces in 2020.

“The pavilion made it possible for us to continue doing weddings with all the protocols in place,” she says. “Recovering was never an issue for us; it was refocusing on how to get our clients married safely and happily.”

Gilland says Seven Springs has been able to meet demand for the most part, but she notes that “there are never enough weekends to go around.” Plus, she says, many couples are booking for the full weekend — with check-in at 3 p.m. Friday and check-out at 2 p.m. Sunday — which blocks Sunday weddings. She says she’s seen rising costs in catering and difficulties obtaining desired floral varieties.

“I have seen a lot of turnover with employees, but our vendors are still plugging along,” she says. “I have been blessed with some of the greatest staff, so we are doing great.”

Gilland says that while some couples are still leery of new COVID surges, most are embracing a new "normal," but with one small change: a relaxed approach.

“People are definitely more carefree, and a lot of ‘Whatever you think’ is what I’m hearing,” she says. “It’s funny how quickly they forget all that has happened.”

The Hive Wedding Collective’s Greenberg agrees.

“It’s been a wild ride for everyone we know in this industry,” she says. “It feels busy and chaotic, and we’re a little tired, but we’re pushing through, knowing that getting [couples] down the aisle is the most gratifying thing ever. It feels good to be an emotional support for all these couples. I understand that weddings are frivolous and overpriced, but it’s really wonderful, after everything, to know that all these people are rooting for your new friends. As silly as weddings can be, that’s what gets us through.”

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Planning Ahead

When Courtney Spencer said yes to her fiance in November 2020, she knew what she was up against.

She had watched how a friend’s wedding, originally scheduled for May 2020, was rebooked four times amid shifting COVID-19 protocols. Eventually, that bride rented a North Carolina beach house big enough for 25 people and had the wedding there.

“It was really, really stressful [for her],” Spencer says. “She lost money but then saved money.”

Spencer and her fiance toured venues in December 2020 with a spring 2022 target, ultimately selecting Ashton Creek Vineyard for a June 11, 2022, date.

“I knew the [wedding] boom was coming, so we booked everything quickly,” she says. “Everything I wanted, I got.”

Their speedy decision-making actually enabled them to have more choices, as Spencer and her fiance were able to evaluate multiple venue options that were open on the dates they considered. Ultimately, the couple moved away from city locations that had initial appeal in favor of a country setting that offers simplicity.

“There are parking issues with downtown where we’d have to pay for parking [for our guests],” Spencer says. “Ashton Creek said we could bring catering, but they also do that, so we’re just going with theirs.”

Throughout the process, Spencer was cautious, reading vendor contracts closely. “There were big things we had to consider,” she notes. “If COVID was still a thing, I needed to know about flexibility and deposits.”

Spencer acknowledges that she and her fiance are having a longer engagement than might seem desirable, but says she took advantage of the long lead time to get what she wanted.

“Brides really do need to be proactive,” she says. “If you want something, book it. Whatever you really, really want — photographer, caterer, venue — do it as soon as possible.” 

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Twice as Nice

In the end, Rachel and Jon Mathes each got the wedding experience they wanted.

The couple got engaged Dec. 31, 2019, and they began planning right away for a ceremony on April 3, 2021, with approximately 175 guests. By mid-March, they had secured their venue — Common House Richmond — a DJ and photographer.

Then COVID-19 arrived. “I went through a lot of moments of being really productive and really excited, and then would take a big downfall when [the pandemic] would spike,” Rachel says.

In January 2021, with only 10 people allowed to gather for weddings, Rachel reached out to vendors to review their options. She and Jon decided to proceed with their original date, moving the ceremony to Common House’s rooftop — a space usually not rented for weddings — and planned to take advantage of Common House’s offer of a future date for an anniversary party.

“We were a little bummed, but ultimately, we wanted to go ahead and get married,” Rachel says. When April 2 arrived, restrictions had loosened so they could have up to 50 people. They invited family and wedding attendants and had a traditional ceremony with a pastor, readings and vows they wrote themselves.

Two weeks after they were married, the couple moved to Tennessee, where Jon had taken a new job. And their anniversary event, set for April 3, 2022, took on new meaning.

The spring celebration included a vow renewal and a full reception. While the guest list was smaller than originally planned, Rachel says it was a great outcome.

“As much as we wanted to have all the friends and family, we didn’t want to ask people to come back for what wasn’t our actual wedding,” Rachel says. “It ended up being a fun welcome home party, with fun and silly dancing.”

The two events made for one satisfying whole.

“I liked that our ceremony was more intimate, and the party aspect checked off [Jon’s] boxes,” she says.