WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (WXYZ) — Couples planning weddings are facing higher costs than ever, with experts saying tariffs are contributing to price increases for everything from flowers to wedding gowns.
According to wedding planning platform Zola, the average U.S. wedding cost $36,000 in 2025, up $3,000 from the previous year. A June 2026 Bank of America report also found wedding spending increased 8.5% year over year.
For bride-to-be Camille Nimmons, those numbers have become reality.
Nimmons got engaged last year after completing the Detroit Free Press Marathon and is now preparing for her May 2027 wedding. While she expected wedding planning to be expensive, she said the price tags have still been overwhelming.
“We even had a wedding planner tell us that we're not going to be able to have a wedding that's no less than $50,000,” Nimmons said.
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When she heard the estimate, her reaction was immediate.
“I was like ‘oh, we gotta end this phone call,’” she said with a laugh.
Experts say the rising costs are driven by a combination of factors, including labor, venue expenses and inflation. But tariffs remain part of the equation, particularly for imported goods commonly used in weddings.
Jason Miller, a professor of supply chain management at Michigan State University, said tariffs on flowers imported from Colombia and Ecuador remain around 10%, while Canadian flowers now face a significantly higher tariff rate.
“Believe it or not, there will be higher tariffs on Canadian flowers,” Miller said. “When you think about flowers, they're fresh. It's expensive to ship them far, so those Canadian flowers are disproportionately going to come to the state of Michigan, and so that's going to drive up the cost.”
Flowers are not the only wedding item affected by tariffs.
Lyanna Harris, owner and designer of Always Couture Bridal in West Bloomfield, said many of the fabrics used in her custom gowns are imported from countries including Vietnam, China and Turkey. Those materials have become more expensive as tariffs have increased.
“There are days when I'm just daunted by the prospect of ordering the fabrics that I really want to order,” Harris said. “I only order high-quality fabrics.”
Still, Harris said custom gowns can sometimes save brides money compared with purchasing a dress off the rack and paying for extensive alterations later.
“What people fail to realize is when you buy a dress off the rack, you're going to have to have it altered,” Harris said. “And that can sometimes cost as much or more than the price of the gown itself.”
As for Nimmons, she's doing her best to navigate the rising costs while keeping her focus on the wedding itself.
“Just trying my best,” she said. “Trying to balance everything.”
7 News Detroit posted in a group on Facebook, called Michigan Weddings - Bride to Bride, asking them what they've seen first hand. We heard back from vendors, make up artists and designers who say prices are exploding.
"Everything, we've discussed, the DJ, the video, photographer, I mean that's just $10,000 alone," 2027 bridge Kaitlin Aubrey of Sterling Heights said.
"Every little decision quite literally has a price tag added to it. It's fun experience, but it's definitely experience very, very dragged out because I've been scared to talk to these vendors," Aubrey said. "scared to hear what they're going to quote me."
Wedding industry experts recommend couples get at least two quotes for major expenses such as flowers, catering and attire before making a final decision. While shopping around can help identify savings, experts say seeking more than three quotes often provides diminishing returns for the time invested.
