California wedding boutique suffers from coronavirus fallout
A bride checks outa dress at Enchanted Bridal Boutique in Bakersfield, Cali.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The coronavirus is not just taking a hit on people's health, the wedding industry in Bakersfield is also feeling the impact.
Angela Jourdan, Enchanted Bridal Boutique owner, says brides getting married this year should not put off ordering their gowns.
Her boutique is feeling the effects of the coronavirus. Although she's not sick, her supply line is.
"Everything that we get [that comes] from China affects us dramatically," Jourdan said. "We can't survive as a business unless we do trade with China."
Almost every wedding dress in her boutique is made with Chinese fabrics, including, silk, chiffon, and satin.
The coronavirus outbreak is delaying shipments for those fabrics and gowns.
"You have no air travel, you have no employees to work on the gowns, you have no production," she said.
Dresses are delayed up to six weeks right now, which Jourdan said can set a wedding back months.
"Your wedding could be delayed until 2021, you could lose deposits, and so on and so forth."
Even worse, if you can't push back your wedding, you might have to say yes to a dress you don't love, simply because it's on the rack and available right now.
Jourdan advises brides to order their gowns early because manufacturers are not rushing any orders due to slowed labor and closed factories.