By Leanne Italie from Apsociated Press Lifestyles Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – Christa Vasquez has turned his mind to getting married in a body-fitting halter-style gown from Spain. In April, an Atlanta paramedic learned that her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more due to new US tariffs on imports.
There was little room for wiggling in her timing, so when she became a bride I quickly checked out a similar style. The story was the same. Dresses from Europe have tariff-driven price increases in the range of $150 to $400. And that was before President Donald Trump said he would increase tariffs on goods produced in the European Union from 10% to 50%.
Vazquez, 33, made her first choice, fearing additional costs like delayed shipping and rush fees before her October wedding if she ordered elsewhere.
“It’s expensive enough to get married,” she said. “It made me a little sad.”
Wedding cakes, decorations, attire, flowers, party favors, photography and video equipment, tableware, wine, champagne. Products used in the wedding industry are not left unexplained by the tariffs Trump has imposed since taking office. How much of the import tax is passed on to consumers is left to wholesalers, florists, photographers, caterers, and countless other vendors and intermediaries.
Olivia Sever, a 28-year-old online content creator in San Diego, has done many wedding shopping before her. Much of what she wants may cost more due to customs duties. The immediate concern is part of her paper product. Her wedding planner has already flagged a 10% increase in the prices of menus, place cards and signs they had been hoping for September celebrations in Hawaii.
Sever says that the transition to American products is not necessarily cost-effective. For example, flowers grown in Hawaii are in high demand, with matching prices rising in response to the 10% tariffs imposed on numerous imports around the world. This includes flowers from Ecuador, Colombia, and other countries that grow most of the flowers imported by the US.
“There’s so many unknowns, but we have a budget and we’re trying to work on it,” Sever says. “If that means we can’t get these, then you know, the specific shell cups I want, and we can’t get them, and we get some other stuff.”
This is the exterior from inside the wedding industry regarding customs.
Customs and wedding cake industry
Armana Christianson, a client of Phoenix Cake Artist, pays around $750 to $800 for one of her works. She spent two years on the 16 flavor combinations she offers.
They range from simple vanilla beans made with vanilla bean paste imported from Mexico to dark chocolate raspberries with whipped hazelnut ganache, which relies on Belgian chocolate and powder.
Not all Christianson’s cost struggles are tax-driven. The chocolate industry was already struggling due to a shortage of cocoa beans.
“I’m a small business that only owns myself as an employee. I’ve seen at least 20% increase in chocolates I use. It’s a kind of chocolate I’ve incorporated into my recipes. It’s not acceptable to change the brand,” Christianson said.
Imported white chocolate on her white chocolate mud cake, popular flavor, shot from $75 or $100 to $150 per cake. She spent nearly 10 pounds in her most recent order. This is a 5-layer cake.
Christianson may need to come up with new recipes based on inexpensive ingredients. In the meantime, she said she was eating the client’s customs fees already in her book.
“The contracts don’t have ones that can raise the prices for such unexpected events,” she said. “Unfortunately, that’s something I have to add to the new contract for future couples.”
Customs and wedding dress industry
According to the National Association of Bridal Retailers, almost all bridal gowns are made in China or other parts of Asia. Manufacturing in countries with low labor costs puts the prices of high-quality bridal gowns out of reach for many American families.
Retailers and manufacturers say the US lacks sufficient skilled labor and production of specialized materials to fully serve the market. Skilled tailors are difficult to find and often come from older generations.
“The materials we sell in bridal shops include lace, beadwork and corsetry boning. We don’t actually create that kind of thing in this country.
“The designs that take place here are usually very simple designs. You don’t often see American-made gowns with a lot of details, lots of embroidered lace. It’s a truly popular wedding dress style,” she said.
Many designers with labeled gowns made in the US still use imported materials, Greenberg said.
If Trump’s highest tariffs in China come back after the current suspension, Greenberg said her small businesses will pay an additional fee of between $85,000 and $100,000 in import taxes this year.
“For a small family business that hosts one bride at a time, this will absolutely lead us and many other people to close forever,” she said. “If the product does not exist, you cannot buy an American.”
Tariffs and Cut Flower Industry
Approximately 80% of cut flowers sold in the US come from other countries. And many high quality fake flowers are produced in China.
Colombia is a large supplier of roses, carnations and spray chrysanthemums. Ecuador is another major rose supplier. The Netherlands produces most of the tulips and other flowers. Additionally, some cut greens are imported, which are used as fillers for American flower arrangements and bouquets.
“If we’re talking about cars and computer chips, they have stocks sitting there. It’s already in the state. Our inventory turns in a few days and we saw the impact almost immediately.” “We’re all absorbing a bit, but it’s inevitable that it’s coming out on the edge of the consumer.”
Wyndrum, who works directly with wholesalers and growers, said the US flower industry is incapable of absorbing all production from elsewhere. However, she does a lot of business with US suppliers and sees great opportunities for a growing nation.
“There are benefits to American brides to grow flowers here, which is a simple reason for their freshness,” she said.
The whole customs and wedding industry
Jacqueline Vizcaino is a luxurious wedding planner and event designer in Atlanta. She is also the national president of the Association of Wedding Industry Professionals, a group of 3,500 educational professionals, with members including transportation and photo booth providers, makeup artists, catering, linen distributors and planners, including those members.
More than 40 vendors could be involved in a single wedding, Vizcaino said. She said that among them, a massive jump in costs has already spread due to tariffs.
With many weddings planned up to a year or more in the industry, she and others in the industry are looking for worse news.
“We’re going to see a lot of interactions that aren’t that comfortable in the next 8-12 months,” she said.
Tariffs delay decision-making among many couples planning their wedding.
“Decisions are taking twice as long because of uncertainty. People are shopping more and wanting to be locked up at the lowest possible price,” Vizcaino said.
Original issue: May 28, 2025 8:51am EDT
