KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As engaged couples prepare to say, “I do,” they might want to focus on writing not just their vows, but also their budgets.
President Donald Trump paused tariffs on Wednesday on most countries for 90 days. Tariffs on China remain, with the president increasing those to 145% on Thursday.
This all comes as the wedding industry prepares for how tariffs could impact them. Wedding planner Sarah Quinlivan oversees every detail from start to finish. She’s the owner and creative director of Quintessential Events in Kansas City.
“With us, budgeting is a huge aspect of what we do,” Quinlivan said.
Data shows the average wedding in the U.S. cost $33,000 in 2024. Quinlivan is preparing her engaged couples for how tariffs could raise these prices.
“If prices, like the tariffs, are going to make our stuff rise, it's going to rise for the consumer because we just can't stomach it,” she said.
Quinlivan works with all the vendors for the big day, including food, alcohol, flowers and more. She said a lot of what couples need is imported.
“It's not just one area that's going to be impacted, it's numerous,” she said. “And that's going to cause the overall cost to go up quite a bit.”
Quinlivan said most vendors she works with are local businesses too.
Jeff and Jessie Pavalone’s event rental company is called Yours Truly.
“We have weddings that are booking out next year because they're like, hey, we don't want those prices to be increased on us,” Jeff Pavalone said. “We're able to consume that now and plan ahead.”
He said preparing for tariffs has helped them stay afloat. It’s why he said he sees their long-term goal.
“It's going to be a good thing in in my eyes, to even out the playing field, because we are on a more global scale with global trading,” Pavalone said.
Sarah Quinlivan said uncertainty is the toughest detail to navigate. For now, the best thing everyone can do, she said, is to wait and see.
“How do we properly budget for the amount of money that may or may not be coming in or out based off the scale of these tariffs?” she said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
