As Tariffs Hit Bridal, Dressit’s AI Confidence Engine Elevates the Shops Brides Actually Need
Megan’s surprise engagement in Montauk reminded me why I’m building Dressit—because the wedding journey starts with connection, not a cart.
This weekend, two moments hit me within an hour.
And moments later, my friends texted me this photo of them walking into their daughter’s surprise engagement in NYC.
Not a coincidence.
Because one shows what the industry is facing.
The other shows exactly what we’re fighting for.
Weddings aren’t meant to be commoditized.
They’re meant to be felt.
Her fiancé had planned every detail - a weekend of celebration surrounded by their closest friends and family, her friends secretly buying engagement dresses for her to change into. When I saw the moment they walked into the surprise party ( pictured above) I got chills. And yes - tears.
Because this is where the wedding journey begins and this is what Dressit is fighting for.
Not with a box on the doorstep.
Not with endless tabs and filtered scrolls.
But with emotion. With intention. With people.
A centralized platform that brings it all together, without losing what matters most.
It's a journey filled with emotion, trust, and meaning - and the wedding dress is at the heart of it.
That's why I built Dressit.
The Wedding Dress Industry Is Under Pressure
The U.S. recently imposed a 145% tariff on wedding dresses imported from China. Considering that 90% of bridal gowns are made there, the impact is massive. Designers have to raise prices. Timelines are slipping. And once again, independent boutiques are expected to absorb the pressure.
Unless you are a shop owner or consultant, you truly have no idea how emotionally stressful the ripple effect of panic can be.
I’ve been building Dressit for the past year because the industry was already cracking.
Boutiques weren’t being threatened—they were being ignored.
But here’s the truth: Bridal shops are the solution.
They offer what brides need most right now: trust, availability, and connection.
Heidi is the owner and operator at Antoinette Bridal Boutique in Versailles, Ohio. She was my bride and purchased her own wedding dress from me! She is also a representative for Barbie Ann Bridal. specializing in “modest”, modern or a more traditional wedding gown
This Isn’t Just About Tariffs. It’s About the Ritual.
I've been on the inside. I owned a boutique. I watched as brides used shops to try on gowns, then left to buy cheaper alternatives online. Not because they didn’t care. Because they didn’t have clarity.
The digital path to finding a wedding dress was (and still is) broken.
Brides are overwhelmed by resale scrolls, filtered Pinterest boards, and chaotic search results. They’re being led to believe that buying a dress online is more efficient. But it’s emotionally expensive.
They end up second-guessing, buying two dresses, or worse—regretting the one they ordered.
That’s not confidence. That’s confusion.
“Our industry is going to get wiped out if it doesn’t change… If shops and dress brands close their doors for good, not just businesses—but also the ritual of finding garments for special occasions and family milestones—will be lost.”
That ritual? I saw it this weekend in Montauk.
Why I Built Dressit
Dressit was never a reaction to tariffs. It was built in anticipation of this moment.
After exiting the boutique world, I couldn’t unsee the patterns:
Brides were inspired online but disconnected from reality.
Boutiques held the inventory, the expertise, the heart—but they were digitally invisible.
Designers lacked insight into what was really happening between retailers and brides.
I built Dressit to fix that foundation.
We’re not a marketplace. We’re not resale. And we’re not just another DTC shortcut.
Dressit is a confidence engine.
We connect brides to real dresses in real boutiques, searchable by fit, price, style, location, and availability. We give boutiques visibility. We support designers through real-time data. And we help brides make emotional decisions with actual confidence.
A TRUE starting point that begins with connection to the specialists in the boutiques who care.
Sheila Salemme is a wedding dress designer and owner/operator of Delana Muse in Columbus, Ohio. When she launched Delana Muse, she didn’t just design gowns - she designed a movement. Rooted in cultural storytelling and sustainability, her work was recently featured in Brides Magazine and continues to inspire modern brides everywhere.
Bridal Boutiques Hold the Advantage - Now More Than Ever
Here’s what the CNBC headline got wrong:
Tariffs aren’t threatening small shops.
They’re revealing just how critical these shops are.
Bridal boutiques still hold:
Gowns available now
Relationships with designers who stock in the U.S.
Trusted alterations specialists who bring fit to life
And networks of other boutiques that help one another succeed
This moment is hard. But it’s also clarifying.
The power has always been in the boutique.
Dressit simply makes it visible.
“We chose to be an early supporter of Dressit because we wanted a more unique online presence that would provide an amazing experience not just for our brides, but for us as well!”
The Path Forward Is Human, Local, and Tech-Enabled
This isn’t about disruption. It’s about connection.
We’re live in Ohio. Coming out of beta. And growing with retailers and designers who believe that experience still matters.
If you’re a bride, your dream dress is closer than you think.
If you’re a boutique, you’re not just part of the story—you are the story.
If you’re a designer, the future starts by empowering your strongest partners.
This weekend, I was reminded exactly why this matters. That engagement moment in Montauk? It wasn’t just a celebration. It was a spark. A reminder of what weddings feel like when they're rooted in connection.
That moment deserves a path built on clarity, not chaos. Emotion, not guesswork. And confidence, not compromise.
Let’s bring that kind of bridal back!
