As the question of tariffs is still very much in the news, we asked boutiques their approach to two distinct yet related situations:

-Dresses and accessories that have been paid for by the bride but not yet delivered, and that will be affected by tariffs;

-New samples and re-orders

In the first case, dresses in the pipeline that have been paid for by the bride but not yet received and that will be hit with varying tariffs amounts when delivered, the answer was direct:

These costs will have to be absorbed by both brands and boutiques as there is no scenario in which the added costs can be passed through to the bride.

Stores seem willing to do so especially if the split is fair and the tariff is without markup.

In the second situation, beyond the legal and advertising considerations of passing along surcharges to consumers for reorders (outlined in previous email), there is no industry standard.

Instead, how a boutique handles those tariff surcharges passed along by their brands depends on a variety of factors including its unique characteristics, the collections offered, market position, demographics of the region and the margins needed to protect.

(Note that as of this writing, goods imported from non-Chinese countries face a 10% tariff surcharge during negotiations period that ends July 23; tariffs on Chinese imported goods are in effect currently at 168%.)

Within that framework, comments from boutiques to surveys conducted by VOWS, and during a webinar sponsored by Beth Chapman, White Dress Society in which VOWS was a panelist, reveal that most are considering one of two approaches:

-Adding a tariff surcharge of approximately 10-15% as a line item on brides’ invoicing;
-or re-pricing all goods and creating a “tariff-free” zone in their store.

Thoughts about increasing prices

Specific comments about increasing prices overall, without a line item included:

-“We have added the percentage to the whole sale cost and remarked all items effected. We are not going to post or comment socially on this issue to our customers, and our sales team has been advised in staff meetings not to bring up the remarking and higher prices or comment socially on this issue while working. As soon as tariffs are lifted we will remark our items again as we did when the shipping crises subsided.

Adding a charge to the sale at ordering is very hard to do. That would mean the sales person would have to mention the crises and tell the customer they have an extra charge for the issue. The customer will see a way out and choose not to purchase the item and wait out the crises.

If you tell the customer of the crises they will either walk out or lower their budget to compensate. It’s important not to get caught up in the politics, to understand the end game to sell the customer a dress, and strategize from the customers’ point of view.”

-We are not going to line item a shipping/handling/tariff surcharge to the bride, and instead have increased our prices across all categories. The bride knows prices for everything are going up, and when asked, which hasn’t been that often, we are honest and briefly explain that tariffs are challenging but we are doing everything possible to not let that intrude on the experience we offer. Moving off that subject quickly is a relief to our brides."

-We’ve increased prices as I’d never add a tariff line item on a bride’s receipt as it would ruin the experience and open up a difficult conversation about China when they might otherwise be unaware"

 

Line item surcharge

Comments from boutiques about a line item covered a full range of application and concerns as a majority will be doing so without mark up, and in a way that enables them to adjust the fee based on the tariff in place when the gown arrives:

-"We are doing line items and if they ask, we explain. And we have gotten no negative feedback from brides. It also makes it very fluid and it's easier to track (plus then we don't need to take the time to re-write tags)."

-"We are being as transparent as possible. We include a line item not charged when they say yes but reconciled when dress is delivered to actual applied up or down. We have let our brides know about the tariffs prior to them trying on their gowns. We haven't had any pushback yet."

-"We are doing a line item (15% on average cost), which we will adjust down if the tariff is less when the gowns arrive. I have not had any push back. Everyone knows what is happening with tariffs, and are appreciative that we will remove or lessen the fee accordingly"

- "We’ve taken an average of our wholesale payout for gown and are charging a flat fee of 20% of average wholesale to every order. They sign a waiver that acknowledges we will never increase that charge, and that it will be removed from their invoice if no tariffs are charged to us by the designer at the time their gown comes in."

There were also questions about tariff surcharges being taxable, effects on margins and other overhead costs, such as this:

-“ I don’t want to increase prices across the board because I would then be paying out larger commissions for sales we are actually making less on. And as someone who carefully tracks our numbers (profit margin), this will again look like we are making a higher % than we actually are.”

There is a down side to passing through tariffs… though doing so lessens the price increase to brides, but may ding your margins.

Other steps to protect margins

Regardless of which approach they are choosing, boutiques report taking other steps in the short term to help mitigate the impact on their brides and business. This is what you’re doing:

-“Cutting costs and reevaluating necessity of certain items”;

-“Considering shifting to heavier emphasis on an OTR model”;

-“Reviewing margins of accessories and service options”;

-“Removing prices from dresses due to fluctuations”;

- “Educating my brides who are coming in NOW that this is super fluid and pricing will be changing at any time so if they don't buy, we are not able to guarantee pricing on their favorites beyond that day of their initial appointment. I'm also educating my stylists on wording to use with their brides.”

- “We are anticipating layoffs to staff as the cost of operations of the business continues to increase, but our rate of sales may decrease due to the tariffs. Additionally, we are exploring other revenue sources not effected by tariffs as well as designers from other countries.”

- “Sell more of our discontinued dresses because they will be lower priced. And order from companies that have low or no minimums”;

- “We are trying to sell higher margin products to make up for any effect it may have on margin (and sales)”;

-“Allowing layaway payment plans without interest”;

- “Look at more private label gowns.”

- “Continue to focus on services to increase margins and have more price transparency across the country on designer collection. Look at bridal as a luxury goods and not fast fashion. If prices go up everywhere and we all price accordingly the consumer has to get on board.”

-“We work deeper with fewer manufacturers to minimize the difference from one brand to another. We talk about yearly price increases with brides who 'have to sleep on it'. It allows us flexibility with verbiage if they come back later to find increased prices without having to necessarily draw attention to the reality that it's the tariffs causing the increase. We don't feel the need to open up the can of worms a tariff conversation can bring since it takes the focus off the magic of the gown and puts it into a cold, manufacturing, and possible political conversation.”

-“Work with vendors and continue to focus on exceptional service.”;

-“We have partnered with some of the most fair and transparent vendor partners available and as such, we are honestly trying to simply ensure the consumer that they are receiving the best product, at the best value, from a reliable supply chain. We can’t do much more than that.”

-“I currently charge a fee for bridal appointments that is lower than most other boutiques in my area. I am considering raising the fee.”

 

While the tariff landscape remains uncertain and undoubtedly challenging and stressful, boutiques and brands are demonstrating remarkable resilience, creativity and adaptability. Whether choosing to re-price merchandise, apply a line-item surcharge or absorb some of the cost, there is no one-size-fits-all answer—only what aligns best with your store’s values, market and long-term goals.

What’s clear is this: proactive communication with brides, strategic partnerships with vendors and a flexible, customer-focused approach are critical in maintaining both financial stability and the emotional integrity of the bridal experience.