Brocade Bridal co-ownersTabitha Roberts and Bryce Carson (Photo by Abigail Grey Johnston)
With racks filled with classic silhouettes and modern styles from designers including Eva Lendel, Pronovias and Wtoo, Brocade Bridal offers brands wedding dress shoppers won’t find elsewhere in Richmond, according to co-owner Bryce Carson. In fact, it’s the focus of the bridal boutique, which opened at 4010 W. Broad St. in November 2022. “We’ve seen personally that some of our brides who have wanted the bolder looks have traveled to larger metropolitan areas to purchase it, so we wanted to bring it to them,” Carson says.
Carson is also a wedding planner with Brocade co-owner Tabitha Roberts’ business Roberts & Co. Events. The duo has more than 14 years of wedding and fashion experience. “We have seen every side of the industry as planners, and what we’ve seen from our brides for over a decade is there haven’t been enough options in Richmond for dresses,” Carson says. “We heard a repeated need from our clients that they wanted another shop in town, and we hope to fill that need.”
The shop has a chic, modern aesthetic. Designed by Roberts, the approximately 1,800-square-foot storefront is a new build at the recently constructed Belmont on Broad apartment community. Carson describes Roberts’ vision as “an art nouveau modern wonderland.” “We wanted to bring some really beautiful French feminine touches, but modernize it,” he says.
Open by appointment (book on brocadebridal.com), the shop is intentionally intimate, encouraging the bride and their entourage to relax and enjoy the dress selection process. The shop limits the size of groups, which Carson says makes for a better experience. “Keep it to your closest four friends and family members, because at the end of the day, your opinion is the only one that matters on what you like.”
Brocade’s gowns range from $995 to $5,600; Carson says the average price is between $1,800 and $2,800. The shop also carries an inclusive range of sizing from 00 to 32. Larger sample dress sizes are available, between 12 to 16 (the most common boutique size is 10). Veils, headpieces and jewelry are among the accessories available.
Carson says that all of the designers they stock are exclusive to within 60 to 90 miles of the boutique, and that European brand Eva Lendel has been their most popular seller. He notes that they plan to continue to showcase unexpected fashions and designers that are typically not found on the East Coast.
“We’re always looking for the next best thing,” he says, adding, “Who’s in markets that are so unlike Richmond? We want to bring the next Eva to Richmond.”
