Why David’s Bridal said ‘I do’ to AI

For 75 years, David’s Bridal has been the go-to dressmaker for America’s brides, selling a third of all wedding dresses in the country. But in a strange twist, the company wants to reinvent itself as something else entirely.

Next week, the retailer unveils its new identity as a technology platform for the $70 billion wedding industry. It begins with the rollout of Pearl Planner, an AI agent for couples planning their wedding. It provides checklists for each step of the process and connects users with vendors who pay David’s Bridal a commission for each sale. If this tool is successful, not only will it provide a compelling model to companies looking to monetize generative AI, but it would also be one of the biggest brand transformations in recent history.

Kelly Cook, who was promoted to David’s Bridal CEO in April 2025, describes this as an evolution from “aisle to algorithm.” For years, the company’s business was designing and manufacturing wedding dresses across a complex supply chain. Like other apparel businesses, it’s a model that involves risk, since the company needs to acquire inventory that may not sell. But Cook says the fundamental premise of the business is changing. “One of the core tenets that underpins our strategy is that we’re asset light,” she says. “We’re focused on AI first. This is how we’re making every single decision going forward.”

From Bankruptcy to Rebirth

This radical change comes after a turbulent period. David’s Bridal has filed for bankruptcy twice over the past seven years, first in 2018 and again in 2023, citing persistent operational and financial challenges.