Ozempic-fueled slimming is blowing up the wedding dress industry

Price distortions and dysfunction are nothing new in the $73 billion wedding industry. But the explosion of weight-loss drugs in the 2020s has created an extra snag for the seamstresses and designers responsible for the Big Day’s centerpiece garment: the bridal gown.

Price distortions and dysfunction are nothing new in the $73 billion wedding industry. But the explosion of weight-loss drugs in the 2020s has created an extra snag for the seamstresses and designers responsible for the Big Day’s centerpiece garment: the bridal gown. The Hollywood weight-loss secret is out, and it’s more accessible than ever. GLP-1 drugs, known by brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, have become widely available, in part through compounding pharmacies that offer cheaper, non-FDA-approved versions. (The Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers of risks associated with unapproved GLP-1 drugs, and a recent JAMA Network report found that immense demand has spurred a rash of illegal online pharmacies selling the drugs without prescriptions.) And, as my colleague Tami Luhby reported this week, demand for these drugs is set to grow even more as employers increasingly consider covering them for weight loss — not just diabetes. For better or worse, many brides are using the drugs ahead of their big day, lured in by the promise of rapid weight loss. That’s complicating the already complex business of buying and altering their gowns. “The first issue is the dysfunction in the bridal industry right now, where it takes five to nine months to order a dress,” Susan Ruddie Spring, a designer and owner of bridal styling service The Wedding Dresser, told me recently. Like many industries, bridal fashion went through a lull during the pandemic, followed by a rush of demand as couples rescheduled their nuptials.