What parts of a wedding budget are tariffs affecting? We explain

Yahoo

2 days ago

Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story misidentified the year covered by a survey. It has been corrected in the story.
As a florist, Allison Krivachek is doing her best to navigate tariff increases to imported flowers to keep costs for her brides and grooms down.
As a bride-to-be, Krivachek is also trying to make choices to keep her July wedding budget from increasing.
Brides, grooms and wedding vendors are in similar boats as prices for imported goods and tariffs add more costs to an already expensive life event. Many different aspects of the wedding day will be affected by tariffs, including alcohol, flowers, the wedding dress and goods such as centerpiece decorations if they are imported, according to The Knot, a wedding website.
As much as 80% of cut flowers are imported from other countries and 90% of wedding gowns sold in the U.S. are imported, according to The Knot, which could hike up wedding costs.
In a survey of 741 engaged brides and grooms users of The Knot, shared exclusively with USA TODAY, 73% of couples said keeping costs within their budget were the top concern, while 46% said economic factors such as inflation were a major concern. Thirty-four percent were concerned about the rising costs of goods that could impact weddings though price changes specifically due to tariffs were less of a concern with 15% of couples mentioning it.
More than half of engaged couples (58%) said they hadn't seen tariffs impact their weddings yet, but 36% said they were making changes to their plans due to economic stress. Of those couples, 22% are adjusting their budgets while 68% said they were increasing their budgets.
Rather than cutting back, many couples responded to the concerns of looming tariffs by taking the proactive steps like booking early and consulting pros.
About 1 in 3 couples are purchasing items earlier to lock in pricing.
Many are opting for U.S.-made or local products to offset import costs.
28% of couples are slightly reducing guest count by an average 25 people, or 12 couples, not wanting to sacrifice the guest experience (average 112 guests).
Vendors are good about helping couples figure out ways to make changes to suit their budget or plan for increases, said Lauren Kay, executive editor of The Knot.
"They want to help you have the best wedding ever and they want to help you pull that off, whether that's avoiding a tariff or making a trade off so your budget isn't terribly impacted," Kay told USA TODAY.
Couples do not seem to be panicking, Kay said, as they deal with another moment in wedding planning.
"It's not so much of a concern about the tariffs, itself, but just thinking about how we are going to plan our weddings and stay within budget with all of the economic factors that we're facing today," she said.
The average U.S. wedding in 2024 costs $33,000, down slightly from $35,000 for 2023, according to The Knot's Real Weddings 2025 Study.
Some vendors, like Krivachek, are already starting to see those increases.
"When they first came out, it was like, oh my gosh, this is going to be really devastating. We were seeing anywhere from 10% to 25%, and when you're talking about a wedding in flowers, when it's $5,000 plus, that 10% to 25%... really adds up quickly," said Krivachek, referring to the average floral budget for weddings.
Some suppliers have also used the tariff news to unfairly raise prices as much as double, Krivachek said.
A lot of florists and couples have been panicking on how to offset tariff increases and checking contract language, which may allow vendors to raise prices due to market fluctuations, she said.
Krivachek said she and other wedding vendors learned during the COVID-19 pandemic that they had to include a clause in their contracts to allow for unexpected market pricing fluctuations. She added she's communicated with consumers about other options, rather than pass tariff-related prices to prospective brides and grooms.
"They can either up their budget to keep everything the same or we can sub with local varieties, which I've been loving and it's really been a positive thing for local growers," Krivachek said.
She has told some brides, especially those with winter weddings, that if their heart is set on a particular type of flower that cannot be grown domestically in the winter, they will have to increase their budget.
Krivachek is also getting married in July. Her floral budget is the largest portion of her budget at a hefty $36,000, partially because she feels like she needs to make a statement as a florist.
She's made some adjustments to keep her budget the same, including using a lot of landscaping plants and bushes.
"I'm excited about that because I want to make that a trend where you use these flowers and bushes that you get to take home and plant and remember your wedding and have it be sustainable," she said.
She has also reduced the number of imported cut flowers she is getting to stay within her budget.
She has not seen any tariff-related increases on other parts of her wedding budget, she said.
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A lot of the components to design and make a gown come from various countries, so between the materials and the execution of the product being made and transported, tariffs impact the price, said Nayri Kalayjian, owner of Lovella Bridal in Los Angeles.
"Price increases are everywhere, so the wedding industry is no different, no matter where the gown is being manufactured," she said.
Some designers are doing a straight price increase while others have added a percentage for the tariffs, she said. Kalayjian said she's seen some tariff surcharges anywhere from 10% to 35%.
But typically bridal boutiques see price increases multiple times a year, regardless of tariffs, Kalayjian said.
Kalayjian said she often tells brides if they see a dress they absolutely love, don't wait too long or it could be discontinued or increase in price.
Bridal gowns are also taking longer to make since they are all custom-ordered, she said. The turnaround time is typically six to eight months.
However, Kalayjian also said there are dresses at every price point for every budget, even with price increases. Brides can often get sample dresses at steep discounts, she said.
(This story has been updated to correct an error.)
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How are tariffs impacting weddings? We explain.