RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – With so much affected by the president’s tariffs, now he is coming for your wedding dresses.
Brides are scrambling, and bridal shops are bracing for impact amid Trump’s China trade war.
This bridal season may be about more than wedding jitters.
“The new tariff laws are going to be very hard on the bridal and prom industry. The dresses will go up,” said Jean Ann’s Bridal Owner Jean Skaggs. “Some of our vendors are eating the costs themselves, but very few of them. For instance, Mon Cheri has already put it into effect. It’s $100 per bridal dress and $79 for prom dresses.”
Trump clashed with China after imposing the tariff. Skaggs anticipates that because one bridal company raised its prices, others might follow.
“Everything is made in China. There are no prom dresses, bridal dresses made in the U.S., so it affects a big bunch of people because all the industries are over there,” she said.
According to Skaggs, she won’t know anything further about the tariffs until she hears from her vendors. Now more customers are turning to shopping online for dresses, which doesn’t always work out.
“So you’re in here trying to rescue yourself. I encourage people to buy local because we have the ability to work with you,” said the bridal shop owner. “We carry everything that everybody else carries. Go try on somewhere else if you want, but come back here and buy because we support your schools.”
Jean Ann’s sells wedding gowns from size 4 to 30.
“Right now, anything that’s in stock with some of the vendors, they’re not putting the tariff on because they haven’t had to pay the tariff,” Skaggs said.
She says she has no alternative but to raise her prices, as other stores are doing; they can’t afford to absorb the cost.
“Parents can expect at least an average of $75 to $100 on prom dresses next year, and wedding dresses will be $100 to $125,” said Skaggs. “My advice would be — we still have like 600 to 700 prom dresses — to go ahead and buy now for next year; the styles do not change that much.”
