REGINA -- Some local bridal shops are feeling the impact of the Coronavirus, as some are experiencing a delay in shipments coming from China.
Bridesmaid-to-be Lindsey Helland had picked out her bridesmaids dress when the retailer told her the order would have to be rushed, and an extra cost would be applied. The retailer told her the reason was the Coronavirus outbreak.
“We knew we were coming close to the date for cut off [before you would need] to get dresses rushed,” Helland said. “We were really thrown off, it was something we didn’t expect... we didn’t know if this was something we would experience at other stores so we just turned to online shopping.”
W Bridals in Saskatoon is experiencing holdups with manufacturing and shipments coming from China.
“Before this it was five to six months, now we're looking at a very hard six months,” owner Kimberley Camboia said. “Some companies even leaning in to closer to seven, which alters an entire time line as you also need alterations to the gown and what not afterwards.”
Camboia says wedding dresses are affected, but it's actually bridesmaids dresses that are taking the longest, as they require multiple units of the same dress.
Shops that source more of their products domestically aren't feeling the effects quite as drastically, but have still received warnings.
“Many of our designers source our fabrics from here in Canada,” Morgan Mayer, owner of Sweet Pea & Noelle said. “So, we've had a couple of designers email us saying 'hey we're not selling any extra fabric.”
Retailers are advising bridal parties to order their dresses as soon as possible if they’re coming from overseas.
