Kansas City wedding boom on the way, vendors continue to face challenges - KSHB

LENEXA, Kan. — A record number of Kansas City couples are wanting to say "I Do" this year, but bridal shops and wedding planners say couples will be paying a lot more to tie the knot in 2022.

"People always fall in love," said The One Bridal owner, Ashley Jones."They're always going to get married.

The One Bridal opened in November of 2020, and Jones says sales at her store are up 30% compared to this time last year, but the supply chain crisis is taking a toll on her business.

"It could be that they (brides) could come in one weekend and find a dress they love and the next weekend, we're not able to provide it if that lace is no longer available or shipping timelines have changed," Jones explained.

The One Bridal carries several designer dresses. They say lace and other materials have been tough for designers to source.

Before the pandemic and supply chain crisis, The One Bridal says brides were in good shape ordering their dresses four to six months before their wedding date. Now they're encouraging brides to get their wedding dress orders nine to 12 months ahead of their big day.

"There's so many things that go into making a dress that I think a lot of people aren't aware of and sourcing the lace. World events impact what happens as well," Jones said. "So it's always, you know, a little bit of a rollercoaster and figuring out when the dresses are gonna arrive."

The Wedding Report estimates 2.47 million weddings will take place in 2022, up from 1.93 million in 2021. And weddings will cost couples an average of $22,300.

"We took two years off events that should have happened. They had nowhere to go. So a lot of them have ended up landing into 2022," explained Sarah Quinlivan, owner of Quintessential Events.

Quinlivan has been warning her clients of the challenges facing the wedding industry and believes couples wanting to tie the knot will have to pay 10% more this year because of the demand. Some couples are already booking wedding dates well into 2023.

"Be flexible, be prepared to pay more, and then also you need to plan as soon as humanly possible," Quinlivan said.

Specific wedding dates in Kansas City are already being booked well into 2023. Quinlivan explained that Kansas City couples typically want to get married in October and September because of the weather.

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