Brides have a lot to juggle when planning their weddings. Now, add tariffs to the list.
When President Trump imposed steep tariffs on China and other countries, couples quickly realized that geopolitics could blow up their budgets for the big day. Everything from flowers to linens to catering might get more expensive.
And that includes the wedding gown. About 90 percent of wedding dresses sold in the United States are made in China, according to the National Bridal Retailers Association.
Distressed brides are on TikTok, sharing budgeting advice. As one of the millions of Americans currently planning a wedding — an estimated two million ceremonies are expected to take place this year — I watch at least a dozen of these videos a day.
Kelly Cook is watching, too. In April, she became the chief executive of David’s Bridal, the largest wedding dress retailer in the United States. The company, which says it sells one in three wedding dresses in America, relies heavily on workers in China to produce its gowns, which typically sell for $700 to $800.
Ms. Cook, who was previously president of brand, technology and finance at the company, has recently shifted dress production to countries throughout Southeast Asia. By this summer, none of its dresses will be made in China, down from two-thirds at the end of last year.
But that won’t necessarily spare the company from tariffs, given the global scope of Mr. Trump’s levies. It’s just the latest challenge for David’s Bridal, which tipped into bankruptcy twice in five years, most recently in 2023. The company has nearly 200 stores across the United States and Canada and about 5,000 employees.
Can it survive the latest economic storms? Ms. Cook, 58, took over the retailer as it announced a new strategy called “Aisle to Algorithm,” an A.I.-powered push to become an online marketplace for everything about weddings, not just dresses.
Ms. Cook is convinced that brides won’t skimp on their gowns, even as their budgets are squeezed elsewhere. “She’s sacrificing pieces of her wedding, but the gown is such a beautiful and integral part of that dream,” Ms. Cook said. “She’s protecting the gown at all costs right now.”
This interview, which was conducted in the headquarters of David’s Bridal in King of Prussia, Pa., has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Tariffs are on every bride’s mind, including mine. How are tariffs affecting the production of your gowns, since most of them are made overseas?
We have 36 design and production centers all over the world. As soon as Trump started talking about tariff activity at the end of last year, we sat down and started to optimize where we were going to have production to ensure that we never pass tariff-related costs to a bride.
We are vertically integrated. What that means is from a sketch on a piece of paper all the way to this beautiful gown in a store, we own everything.
Does that make your dresses tariff proof?
I would describe us right now as tariff resistant. We still have to address it.
Many retailers like Walmart have said that they may raise prices because of tariffs. Why is that not the case for you?
Three reasons. One is we simply moved production out of China, and we have design and production centers in Myanmar and Vietnam and Sri Lanka and so forth.
Two, we started expense controls at all of our design and production centers to ensure that we didn’t pass anything on. We started looking to see if there was anything else we could do internally to offset a cost someplace else.
And we really don’t want to pass tariff costs to a bride. That is the last thing.
But what about your own costs?
We’re able to buy things in massive quantities, like fabrics. We also produce our own laces. We have A.I. models that allow us to custom-make laces, then we hand-sew beads or sequins or pearls on top of those laces. Our supply chain is extremely efficient.
There is currently a 90-day pause on the steepest tariffs. Are you doing anything to bring in dresses during this window?
We already have 300,000 gowns in the United States. We have them stocked in each store and a distribution center here in the United States.
Most bridal shops in the United States are boutiques that don’t have that sort of scale. What do tariffs mean for your competition?
Because we own our supply chain, we’re able to get dresses. You could take them home today. Very few of our boutique partners out there have the ability for what we call “take it off the rack now.” So we think we are going to gain.
They also basically buy from other designers. They’re at the mercy of those other designers’ prices. Most of those designers are making those dresses in similar locations as our factories and production centers in Shenzhen. So I’m assuming that those prices are going to be passed through.
Let’s talk about the company’s emphasis on A.I. When you’re on wedding TikTok or bridal Instagram, it feels as if the algorithm keeps showing you the exact same things. How do you prevent that sea of sameness?
The unique thing about us is that you aren’t being segmented. We know it’s you, and we know who you are.
We’ve done an A.I. analyzer on your Pinterest boards. You’ve given us information. So we’re taking A.I. and we’re building an experience around everything that you’ve told us that you want to see.
We have a machine learning tool that’s saying, “OK, when girls watch Aruba videos and then they search for beachwear and then they buy a dress with no sleeves, the odds are they’re going to want these kinds of other dresses and these shoes.”
What do you see your company doing in 10 years that it’s not doing now?
I want every bride that comes into a David’s to use a digital screen to do augmented reality on her wedding. I want her to see it rendered on the screen, and I want her bridesmaids to go back and forth between different color dresses so she can see if a blue dress conflicts with the ocean behind her. I want that all rendered in front of her using A.R. and A.I.
This is your first C.E.O. role, after stints at retailers, airlines and other companies. Was there ever a point in your career when you were told that you needed to be different or act different to become C.E.O. material?
Oh, yes, ma’am. It was kind of hurtful actually.
When I became a director at Continental Airlines — that was a big promotion for me — one of my mentors told me: “If you ever want to be a V.P., you’re going to have to cut your hair short. You can’t wear red lipstick. You can’t dress like this. They’re never going to take you seriously. You laugh too loud.”
I remember thinking, “My gosh, how can I be authentic and change all those things?”
That weekend, I went out and bought different clothes. When I went back to work, I felt like an alien. After a week or so, I said to myself, “I would rather be me and have the cards fall where they may.”
Thankfully, it worked out because you’ve got to be true to who you are.
I’m also realistic about the way I dress and my personality. I probably won’t be C.E.O. of a funeral home or a bank, and that’s OK.
Let’s rewind even more. You were born and raised in Houston. What was it like at home?
I wouldn’t describe myself as poor, but I wouldn’t describe ourselves as middle class. Stay-at-home mother, and my dad was a fireman. Born in a very, very strict Southern Baptist household.
I grew up with two things: strong faith and a strong work ethic.
Tell me more about your upbringing.
I got a scholarship to Baylor when I came out of high school, but my parents divorced my junior year in high school and it sort of sent my mom off the rails.
I couldn’t go off to college, so I had to live at home. I had to help with the bills.
All I knew was that I loved math. I went to a junior college, and took everything on that subject the school had to offer. I loved it. I have red lipstick on, but there’s definitely a nerd under here. A mega-nerd under here.
During that time, I fell in love and married very, very quickly. About eight months after we were married, my beautiful daughter, Candice, was born. My take-home pay per month when I divorced her father and was living on my own as a single mom was $882. My car note was $350, and my rent was $350.
Wow.
I ate a lot of pinto beans and cornbread.
Classes were during the day, and I worked at night. I was a Bennigan’s bartender on weekends, and during the week I worked as a registration clerk in the emergency room at the hospital my mother worked in.
It proved to me that life’s tough, but you don’t have to worry about life. Just worry about today.
Do you think formal education or real life experience matters more?
I learned more on jobs. I wish it was a requirement to work a year in a service-related field before you go to college. Serving others — that really teaches you a lot about yourself.
Is something lost if you just consider formal education and credentials on someone’s résumé?
I would much rather hire for attitude than aptitude, because I can train you on a skill. The most underrated skill that they don’t teach you in school is having intellectual curiosity about the world around you and being willing to suck at something new.
Time for the lightning round. What are your thoughts on a bride changing her dress for the reception?
I love it. I’m all about it. And I think she should change again on her way out.
What is an overrated wedding trend?
Seat assignments. Let people sit where they’re comfortable.
What’s one of your favorite new trends that you’re seeing at weddings?
I love cigar rolling. I think that’s really fun.
What’s the most creative wedding venue you’ve heard about?
A high-rise parking garage. It’s empty on the weekends, right? They got married on the top floor. Everybody parked on the other floors, so the parking was perfect.
That also sounds cost-effective. What’s your favorite wedding TV show or movie? I’ve been watching a lot of “Four Weddings.”
I love any movie that people are getting married in. I love “Moonstruck” and “Notting Hill” and the first season of “Bridgerton.”
What is your go-to article of clothing when dressing up? It doesn’t necessarily have to be for a wedding.
It’s always going to include at least one of these: ostrich feathers, leather or sequins.
Do you personally use A.I.? And if so, what’s the last thing you asked it?
Yes, I use A.I. all the time. The last thing was, “How would a comedian describe employee engagement?”
What did it tell you?
The answer was: Hiring the right talent is important. It’s like assembling IKEA furniture. If you pick the wrong part, nothing fits and then someone ends up crying.
Jordyn Holman is a Times business reporter covering management and writing the Corner Office column.
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