Latest news with #bridal
Vogue
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Monique Lhuillier Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Monique Lhuillier showed her upbeat, colorful spring collection on a gloriously sunny New York City afternoon this week. The designer, who is known for her bridal gowns and eveningwear, zeroed in on zingy dresses with a sense of refinement for both day and night this season. 'I wanted to make it feel more modern, and really hone in on who my girl is,' the designer said. Focusing less on heavy prints or embroideries, Lhuillier allowed her striking colors and smart silhouettes to be the focal point for spring—but don't expect minimalism. Her opening frock in bright meadow-green with a high slit, featured a fresh sculptural asymmetric neckline; while her take on a white t-shirt dress was modern, thanks to the digitized floral print plastered over the front. For a designer who specializes in occasion dressing, there were clear attempts at making things a little less precious. Take her draped jersey dresses with artful built-in ruching, which could be easily thrown and rumpled into a suitcase. Nighttime is obviously her specialty. It was evident in a strapless ball gown adorned with blue metallic-raffia florals, or a corseted black lace dress with a drop-waist skirt that was sexy and timeless. Slightly wilder were her very on-trend leopard print two-piece suits and sequin column gowns—they were her attempt at reaching a slightly younger customer, though at Lhuillier's price point, they likely can't afford them. The showstopper was the sunset-hued chiffon number which featured a cascading scarf-cape trailing behind it. Forget a dress that makes an entrance—this one was all about the exit.
Fast Company
6 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Tariffs are making wedding planning even more expensive and stressful
Krista Vasquez had her heart set on getting married in a body-hugging, halter-style gown from Spain. In April, the Atlanta paramedic learned her dream dress would cost nearly $300 more because of new U.S. tariffs on imported goods. With little wiggle room in her timing, the bride-to-be quickly checked around for similar styles. The story was the same: Any dresses from Europe would come with tariff-driven price increases ranging from $150 to $400. And that was before President Donald Trump said he would increase the tariff on goods produced in the European Union from 10% to 50%. Vasquez, 33, went with her first choice, fearing shipping delays or additional costs like a rush fee before her October wedding if she placed an order elsewhere. 'It's already expensive enough to get married,' she said. 'It just kind of made me a little sad.' Wedding cakes, decor, attire, flowers, party favors, photo and video equipment, tableware, wine and Champagne. Not many goods used in the wedding industry remain untouched by the tariffs Trump has imposed since returning to office. How much of the import taxes get passed down to consumers is up to florists, photographers, caterers, and myriad other vendors and intermediaries, such as wholesalers. Olivia Sever, a 28-year-old online content creator in San Diego, has a lot of wedding shopping ahead of her. Much of what she wants may cost more because of tariffs. An immediate concern is some of her paper goods. Her wedding planner has already flagged a 10% price increase for the menus, place cards, and signage she wanted for her September celebration in Hawaii. Sever said shifting to American goods isn't always cost-effective. For instance, flowers grown in Hawaii are in high demand, with increased prices to match, in response to 10% tariffs imposed on a large number of imports around the world. That includes flowers from Ecuador, Colombia, and other countries that grow the bulk of the flowers the U.S. imports. 'There's just so many unknowns, but we have our budget and we're trying to work within our budget,' Sever said. 'If that means we can't get these, you know, specific shell cups I want, then we just won't get them and we'll get something else.' Here's a look from inside the wedding industry on tariffs. Tariffs and the wedding cake industry Clients of Phoenix cake artist Armana Christianson pay roughly $750 to $800 for one of her creations. She spent two years perfecting the 16 flavor combinations she offers. They range from simple vanilla bean, made with vanilla bean paste imported from Mexico, to dark chocolate raspberry with a whipped hazelnut ganache that's dependent on chocolates and powders from Belgium. Not all of Christianson's cost woes are tariff-driven. The chocolate industry was already struggling because of a cocoa bean shortage. 'I'm a small business with just myself as my employee. I've seen at minimum a 20% increase in just the chocolate I use. It's a type of chocolate that I've built into my recipes. Changing brands isn't acceptable,' Christianson said. The imported white chocolate in her white chocolate mud cake, a popular flavor, shot up from $75 or $100 per cake to $150. She used nearly 10 pounds of it in a recent order, a cake that had five tiers. Christianson may have to come up with new recipes based on less expensive ingredients. In the meantime, she said, she's eating the cost of tariffs for clients already on her books. 'I don't have it in my contract where I can raise prices for unexpected events like this,' she said. 'Unfortunately, that's something I have to add to new contracts for my future couples.' Tariffs and the wedding dress industry Almost all bridal gowns are made in China or other parts of Asia—and so are many of the fabrics, buttons, zippers, and other materials used, according to the National Bridal Retailers Association. Manufacturing in those countries, where labor generally costs less, has put the price of high-quality bridal gowns within reach for many American families. Retailers and manufacturers say the U.S. lacks enough skilled labor and production of specialized materials to fully serve the market. Skilled seamstresses are hard to find and often come from older generations. 'The materials that we sell in a bridal shop include lace, beadwork, boning for the corsetry. We don't really make stuff like that in this country. There just aren't very many designers who create and put their whole looks together in this nation,' said Christine Greenberg, founder and co-owner of the Urban Set Bride boutique in Richmond, Virginia. 'The designs done here are normally very simple designs. You don't see a lot of American-made gowns that have a lot of detail, a lot of embroidered lace, and that's a really popular wedding gown style,' she said. Many designers with gowns labeled 'made in the U.S.' still are using imported materials, Greenberg noted. If Trump's highest tariffs on China are reinstated after a current pause, Greenberg said her small business will pay between $85,000 and $100,000 extra in import taxes this year. 'For a small, family-owned business that only hosts one bride at a time, this will absolutely lead us and many others to close for good,' she said. 'We can't buy American when the products don't exist.' Tariffs and the cut flower industry Roughly 80% of cut flowers sold in the U.S. come from other countries. And lots of quality faux flowers are made in China. Colombia is a large supplier of roses, carnations and spray chrysanthemums. Ecuador is another major rose supplier. The Netherlands produces a huge share of tulips and other flowers. In addition, some of the cut greens used as filler in flower arrangements and bouquets in the U.S. are imported. 'If you're talking about cars and computer chips, they've got inventory that's sitting there. It's already stateside. Our inventory turns in days, and we saw the impact almost immediately,' said Joan Wyndrum, co-founder of the online floral distributor Blooms by the Box. 'We're all absorbing a little bit, but it's inevitable that it comes out on the consumer end of it.' Wyndrum, who works directly with wholesalers and growers, said the U.S. flower industry isn't capable at the moment of absorbing all the production from elsewhere. She does a lot of business with U.S. suppliers, though, and sees a huge opportunity for growth stateside. 'There's a benefit to the U.S. bride to have flowers grown here. It's the simple reason of freshness,' she said. Tariffs and the wedding industry overall Jacqueline Vizcaino is a luxury wedding planner and event designer in Atlanta. She's also national president of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association, a 3,500-member, education-focused trade group whose members include transportation and photo booth providers, makeup artists, caterers, linen distributors, and planners. Any one wedding may involve 40 or more vendors, Vizcaino said. Huge jumps in costs are already widespread due to tariffs, she said, with florals and fabrics among them. With many weddings planned up to a year or more in advance, she and others in the industry are girding for more bad news. 'We're going to see a lot of interactions that aren't so pleasant in the next eight to 12 months,' she said. Tariffs have delayed decision-making among many couples planning weddings. 'Decisions are taking double the time because of the uncertainty. People are shopping around more and wanting [vendors] to lock in at the lowest price possible,' Vizcaino said. McKenzi Taylor, a planner who coordinates weddings in Las Vegas, San Diego, and the Black Hills in South Dakota, said: 'Our inquiry-to-booking window has grown from 40 days to 73. Cancellations are up so far this year, on pace to double from last year, with costs definitely being a concern for couples. My vendors are shaking in their boots.'
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
My future mother-in-law wants to wear this dress to my wedding. Am I wrong for freaking out?
There are many unspoken rules when it comes to weddings, with the number one being don't upstage the bride. Others include, but are not limited to, don't propose at someone else's ceremony, and definitely do not wear white unless your name is on the invite in gold foil. However, one future mother-in-law (MIL) has thrown that rulebook out the window with her decision to wear a very questionable dress to her daughter-in-law's big day. The angry bride-to-be took to Reddit to share her wedding wardrobe woes, posting a picture of the dress her future MIL wants to wear down the aisle - and no, it's not her aisle. The offending frock is a full-length gown that's almost entirely white, save for a smattering of oversized floral prints. Elegant, but unmistakably very bridal. The thread has sparked a huge debate with hundreds agreeing that the MIL is most definitely in the wrong. And apparently, when it comes to wearing white at weddings, the rules come with some very specific numbers. 'The dress is like 75 per cent white and therefore not an appropriate choice for your future MIL. There is no reason why she can't find something else to wear,' one commenter wrote. When it comes to wearing white at weddings, the rules come with some very specific numbers Another user invoked what they call the 60/40 Rule, an unwritten code of conduct for navigating the tricky terrain of wearing white to a wedding Another user invoked what they call the 60/40 Rule, an unwritten code of conduct for navigating the tricky terrain of wearing white to a wedding. 'A very rough and unofficial guide for how white a dress can be is the 60/40 rule. If it's 60 per cent colour and 40 per cent white, it should be fine. But this is more than 60 per cent white. Yeah, that should be a no. And to add to that it's floor length. It reads as very bridal.' Others agreed, suggesting the future MIL may be trying to make the day about herself - or at the very least, drawing attention away from the bride. 'It'll go perfectly with her speech that recounts her son's entire birth and includes a line like 'I was the first love in his life,' another person joked. 'Horrible question, but is yr MIL a super skinny middle-aged woman? This is a rather demanding dress.' Upon further investigation, and in the MIL's defense, Femail can confirm that this exact Charmeuse One Flutter Sleeve Print Gown is currently being marketed online as a 'mother of the groom' design. On US website Teri Jon, the ivory satin frock (which retails for $1100 AUD) is listed among hundreds if other Mother of the Groom options with accessory suggestions to match, which could be seen as very misleading for those not-in-the-know. Despite our findings, some Reddit users did off some more diplomatic advice, suggesting the bride either ask her MIL to consider something with more colour, try a shorter hemline, or just tell her exactly what colours she's allowed to wear. Others suggested the future MIL may be trying to make the day about herself, or at the very least, drawing attention away from the bride 'This may be a hot take, but I think the bride should dress the MOB & MOG, just like the bride dresses the bridesmaids. Or at least give them a colour palette to work with, that's what I plan to do at my wedding.' But most agreed, when it comes to white at weddings, unless you're the one walking down the aisle, it's a no-go. The post has sparked a wider conversation about the blurry etiquette surrounding white at weddings. Is cream okay? What about florals? Can grandma wear a pale lace suit? According to Reddit's hive mind, the answer lies in how 'bridal' it reads. As one commenter put it perfectly: 'To wear a dress like this to someone else's wedding, you are sending a social signal of disrespect. Coming from an older generation where manners and etiquette were extremely important, you should understand this.'
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I was size 6 when I met my husband. Now I'm size 16 and people say he'll leave me and I'm deluded to think he loves me: TALLY RYE
On her wedding day last June, Tally Rye looked and felt stunning in her bespoke gown. 'I've never felt so amazing,' she says. And yet, at a size 14-16, she was the heaviest she'd ever been.
Vogue
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Sachin & Babi Pre-Fall 2025 Collection
What to make of the year in fashion thus far? Political turmoil, tariffs, a looming recession—you name it, our collective preoccupations seem to be anywhere but the industry. Nonetheless, designers are chugging along, building collections that speak to our everyday lives and a pursuit of normalcy in the face of, well, everything else. 'We're here in this crazy time trying to sell beautiful things,' offered Babi Ahluwalia of Sachin & Babi's pre-fall collection. In this delivery, that idea translated into linen and soft organza gowns in classic shapes and vibrant summer florals. The lineup's most novel pieces were a column gown and a shorter shift with broderie anglaise detailing, while the most striking were a run of painterly florals placed on bright green and fuschia gowns. The Ahluwalias have given their Garment District showroom a makeover, priming it to host bridal parties, wedding guests, and other occasion-wear clients for fittings and alterations. It's part of a broader effort to expand their direct-to-consumer footprint; one that, as reported by Babi, is very much working. 'The guest of the wedding is a big client of ours,' she said. It's self-awareness like this that keeps labels like Sachin & Babi going during challenging times.
