When to Order a Mandap from India: A Realistic Timeline for US Weddings
By Shyam Agencies Design Team, Mandap designers, Rajkot, India · Updated
A mandap built in India and shipped by sea takes longer than people expect, and the longest part is not the building. Work backward from your date.
The stages
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Design, quote and 3D mockup | A few days |
| Production in Rajkot | 4 to 8 weeks standard, 8 to 14 custom |
| Inspection, crating and export clearance | About a week |
| Ocean freight to the US | 25 to 45 days, by port |
| US customs clearance | A few days, longer if inspected |
| Delivery to your venue or home | About 5 days |
Added up, that is roughly three to five months from the day you pay your deposit. The shipping page has an estimate by region, and every product page includes a delivery date estimator.
Why we say four to six months
Three to five months is the working number when everything goes smoothly. Real orders also include time to decide, a revision or two on the design, and slack for something to go wrong. Four to six months before the event gives you all of that. Orders placed at least 120 days ahead qualify for our arrive-on-time commitment.
Work backward
- Pick the date you need the mandap in the venue. Not the wedding date. Ask the venue when you may load in. It is often a day or two earlier.
- Subtract a buffer of three to four weeks. Weather, port queues and customs exams happen.
- Subtract delivery, ocean freight and production. That gives you the latest date to pay your deposit.
- Subtract design time. You want your design approved by then, not still in discussion.
How the payment lines up
You pay 25% to reserve your production slot, 50% when production starts, and 25% before dispatch. You also see weekly photos and join a live video inspection before it ships, so you know what you paid for.
If you are short on time
Tell us your date in the first message. Options include choosing a ready design with no customization, sending small pieces by air, or choosing a piece we can build without a long revision cycle. Air freight costs more and only suits smaller items, but it can save weeks.
If your date moves
Weddings change. Tell us as early as you can, because a production slot is easier to move before the work starts than after.
Send us your date and venue, and we will tell you straight away whether your timeline works.
Related: how it works · shipping · quote