Conshohocken, Pennsylvania—When David's Bridal filed for bankruptcy in April 2023, announcing plans to lay off more than 9,000 workers, Casy Carrico had already placed her order. She drove to the Salt Lake City store that Tuesday, picked up her dress, and went home. The store stayed open. Her wedding proceeded. But something had shifted.
The largest bridal retailer in the United States, a company that once dressed one in four American brides, blamed the filing on what court documents called "less traditional wedding attire, including thrift wedding dresses." Flower girl outfits ranked among the products affected. David's had stocked sizes from infant to teen at prices the company considered accessible. Now parents wondering whether their orders would arrive found themselves reading bankruptcy notices and calling customer service lines staffed by a fraction of the former workforce.
She tries to stock samples in sizes 4 to 32. The flower girl section presents different challenges. Children grow. A dress purchased in March may not fit in June.
Wedding planners advise ordering two or three months before the ceremony, but that window causes its own problems. Some parents show up at boutiques with measurements taken weeks earlier. The child arrives for a fitting and the hem drags or the bodice pulls. Alterations cost extra. Penny Bowers-Schebal, who runs Formality Bridal out of a former church in Geneva, Ohio, built her business on discounted last-season samples. She sells gowns for up to $999, nearly $1,000 below average. Her flower girl selection follows similar logic—clearance inventory, accessible prices, less ceremony.
Not everyone agrees on what flower girl attire should cost or who should pay for it. Traditionally, parents of the flower girl covered the expense while the couple selected the style. "My daughters are flower girls in an upcoming wedding and I paid for their dresses—$190 each—ouch!" wrote one mother on a wedding planning forum. Another described finding options on Zulily for around $40. The range reflects a market without consensus.
Department stores carry flower girl dresses between $30 and $200. Amazon and Etsy have become what one wedding guide called "go-to spots" for faster shipping. Some brides coordinate the flower girl with bridesmaids. Others match the child's outfit to the wedding gown. A few have abandoned formal attire entirely, dressing the youngest attendants in comfortable clothes that won't trigger complaints about itchy sequins or slippery shoes mid-ceremony.
Independent boutiques report mixed conditions. Some owners say sales remain stable. Others describe customers who arrive with smartphone screenshots, expecting to find the same dress at the same price, grown frustrated when the physical inventory differs from the digital catalog. The parent browsing flower girl dresses confronts a version of the same problem: an abundance of options, uncertainty about quality, and a child whose size may change before the order arrives.
Shane McMurray, chief executive of market research firm the Wedding Report, told the Washington Post after the David's Bridal filing that the dress sector remained stable. "It's the healthiest part of the business," he said. "The majority of people spend money on the dress." Whether that applies equally to children's formal wear remains unclear.
The questions parents ask—who pays, how early to shop, what fabric holds up—predate any bankruptcy. The answers have not settled. Silk wrinkles. Tulle tangles. A three-year-old in ballet flats may or may not make it down the aisle without assistance. The dress, when it arrives, will be worn once.