In the wake of President Donald Trump’s announcement regarding significant tariffs on imports from China, Denise Buzy-Pucheu, the owner of The Persnickety Bride bridal boutique in Newtown, Conn., took to Instagram to express her concerns. As she sat in her shop, Buzy-Pucheu warned her customers about the impending impact of a staggering 145% tariff on Chinese imports, highlighting the adverse effects it could have on the bridal industry.
Most bridal gowns, along with a host of fabrics, buttons, zippers, and other materials, are sourced from China or other Asian countries. The scarcity of skilled seamstresses—often found in older generations in the U.S.—is further compounded by the existing trend of manufacturing in regions where labor costs are lower. This practice has historically made high-quality bridal gowns more accessible to American families.
“This type of work is not something you can just pick up and shift to the United States,” she stated in her video. “We simply do not have the technicians here to accomplish that.”
The tariffs imposed on Chinese imports affect a broad spectrum of consumer goods, including T-shirts, patio furniture, strollers, and toys. However, the unique structure of the bridal gown and special occasion apparel sector exemplifies the detrimental impact duties can exert on small businesses embedded in the global supply chain.
A significant portion of sales is derived from independent retailers throughout the nation that specialize in bridal gowns, tuxedos, prom dresses, and more, catering to customers with urgent timelines and strict budgets. These shops often depend on custom orders placed weeks or months ahead of delivery.
With approximately 90% of wedding dresses produced in China, the bridal industry is particularly susceptible to tariffs, as indicated by the National Bridal Retailers Association (NBRA). While some manufacturers have relocated their production to other Asian countries such as Myanmar and Vietnam, the NBRA represents around 6,000 wedding and special occasion shops nationwide.
The potential repercussions for the industry have prompted action akin to other sectors heavily impacted by tariffs. The NBRA recently initiated a letter-writing campaign directed at U.S. lawmakers and the White House, advocating for an exemption from these duties. This industry has already been subject to tariffs imposed during the first Trump administration, including a separate tariff.
A White House spokesperson has not yet provided a response regarding whether the administration would consider granting an exemption.
High-profile figures in the bridal industry, such as Stephen Lang, the founder and CEO of Mon Cheri in Trenton, N.J., have coalesced around an online petition to protect the sector from the financial burden of increased tariffs. Lang expressed deep concern over the potential impact on his 120-employee company, noting that many bridal shops may be forced to close.
Many retailers were already grappling with the challenge of managing rent and payroll while competing against online alternatives, which some customers use for fittings only to purchase cheaper options online.
“If shops and dress brands shut down, we lose not only businesses but also the tradition of procuring special occasion garments,” Lang warned. “Our industry is on the brink of destruction if these conditions persist.”
For independent shops, like those owned by Sandra Gonzalez, the vice president of the NBRA, the rising costs of dresses—by as much as 25% due to tariffs—pose difficult decisions. Gonzalez, who operates a store in Sacramento, Calif., indicated she has yet to raise her prices but expressed uncertainty about her ability to hold out much longer.
“It’s a week-to-week assessment for us,” she noted.
Sticker shock for brides
The financial strain on brides has already made wedding dresses a source of sticker shock. According to the 2025 Real Weddings Study by The Knot, the average American bride spends around $2,100 on her wedding gown.
This figure is just the tip of the iceberg; total wedding expenditures average $31,428, as reported by The Wedding Report, while estimates from The Knot range from $33,000 to $37,500 according to David’s Bridal.
Faced with these financial realities, bridal shops and designers are under increasing pressure to manage escalating costs due to tariffs while retaining their customer base against cheaper online alternatives.
David’s Bridal, with nearly 200 locations nationwide, has rapidly shifted its manufacturing operations away from China. The Pennsylvania-based wedding retailer, which has faced bankruptcy twice, is now focused on modernizing its business. Currently, about 48% of its merchandise is produced in China, but by year-end, the goal is to move nearly all production to other countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, which face considerably lower tariffs—at least for the time being—thanks to a recent 90-day tariff pause announced by Trump in April.
CEO Kelly Cook revealed that the company also expedited the arrival of 300,000 dresses into the U.S. before the tariffs took effect, seeking further cost-reduction methods through new AI technology to avoid passing price increases onto customers.
“Our absolute last resort is to increase prices for our customers due to tariffs,” she asserted.
Surcharges and slowed production
In light of escalating costs, prominent bridal brands have begun imposing tariff surcharges, a percentage-based fee typically shared between shops and customers.
For instance, Mon Cheri has implemented a 39% tariff surcharge for retailers, while also decreasing its production volume by approximately half since the tariffs began, focusing solely on fulfilling essential orders for specific weddings.
With around 90% of its merchandise and 80% of bridal items imported from China, Mon Cheri’s price hikes translate to a 15% increase in retail pricing for brides. For example, a typical bridal dress from the company, originally priced at $2,200, would now cost an additional $300.
Similarly, Justin Alexander, a New Jersey-based bridal brand, has adopted tariff surcharges, resulting in roughly a 6% retail price increase—an additional $120 on a $2,000 dress.
While the company has chosen to absorb tariff costs for dresses ordered prior to the tariff announcement—potentially eroding its profits—CEO Justin Warshaw emphasized the importance of honoring the prices at which brides initially agreed to purchase.
Currently, about half of Justin Alexander’s production is in China, with 45% located in Vietnam and 5% in Myanmar.
For brands like David’s Bridal, if tariff levels decline, they may reconsider maintaining a portion of their production in China. Some boutiques are informing brides that they could adjust prices in response to changes in tariffs, according to Gonzalez from the NBRA.
Atlanta-based brand Anne Barge is completely transitioning its manufacturing operations out of China. CFO Steven Jacobs explained that had the company maintained its production in China with the elevated tariffs, retail prices would have surged dramatically. For instance, the price of the Norfolk dress would have escalated nearly 65%, from $3,730 to $6,150.
Having acquired the higher-end bridal brand in 2014, Jacobs and his wife, Shawne, the creative director and CEO, have encountered the complexities of domestic production firsthand, an objective touted by the Trump administration as a benefit of the tariffs.
Motivated by the supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple established a manufacturing facility for their luxury bridal line near Atlanta. This venture leads to wedding dresses priced between $4,000 and $14,000, allowing the brand to cater to the luxury market.
Shedding light on the ongoing challenges, Shawne Jacobs shared that it took nearly two years to scale the facility to 35 employees and recruit the skilled workers essential for intricate dress making. Many of these seamstresses hail from immigrant backgrounds, a demographic facing increasing pressures from stricter immigration policies.
Despite their efforts to anchor production domestically, Asia remains vital for their business, as all lower-priced items from their Blue Willow line are manufactured in Vietnam. Producing these dresses in the U.S. without exceeding the sub-$3,000 price point is simply unfeasible, she concluded.
