For brides in the United States
Made to measure in Vadodara, fitted over video at an hour that suits you, and sent to you — with the customs position stated plainly, because it changed.
The rules changed, and most people have not caught up
For years the United States was the easiest of the four countries this studio ships to. Eight hundred dollars of de minimis relief meant a great many parcels arrived with nothing to pay, and brides planned on that. It is no longer true. The allowance was suspended, and US Customs made that suspension permanent regulation on 24 June 2026, so a shipment is assessed for duty regardless of what it is worth.
We would rather you heard that from us in September than from a courier in December. It does not change what a piece costs to make and it does not change whether it is worth having made — it changes the arithmetic of the last mile, and it means the border is a step in your calendar rather than a formality at the end of it.
The separate relief for bona-fide gifts is only a hundred dollars and does not cover a garment you have ordered for yourself, whatever anyone tells you to write on the label. The parcel is declared accurately. A studio that under-declares to save a client a few hundred dollars is a studio that will be casual about other things too.
What customs will cost you
The $800 de minimis allowance is gone and every parcel is now assessed. The rate depends on how the garment is classified, which is a customs decision rather than ours, so we will not quote you a figure we cannot stand behind. What we will do is tell you the declared value before the piece ships, declare it accurately, and give you the paperwork you need. The full four-country comparison is on the shipping and customs page.
All four countries side by side, and what we will and will not tell you: shipping & customs.
Counting backwards, with the border in the count
The making is four weeks at most start to finish, and six to eight weeks before the wedding is comfortable. What is new for American brides is that clearance now belongs in that count: since every parcel is assessed, a shipment can be held for paperwork in a way it was not before. Give the courier and the border more room than you would have needed two years ago, and tell us the date you want the piece in your hands rather than the date of the wedding. For Navratri, which falls on the same dates worldwide, that means ordering well before the studio is making for Navratri in India at the same moment.
Where our American brides are
- New Jersey
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Houston
- the Bay Area
These are where the studio’s American clients actually are — the Gujarati communities of Edison and Jersey City, of Naperville and Schaumburg, of Sugar Land and the South Bay. Not a list of cities we would like to serve.
Questions
Will I have to pay customs on a lehenga shipped to the USA?
Yes, in all likelihood. The $800 de minimis allowance that used to cover many parcels was suspended and the suspension became permanent regulation on 24 June 2026, so shipments are assessed regardless of value. The rate depends on how the piece is classified, which is not ours to decide, so we will not quote you a number — we will tell you the declared value before it ships and declare it accurately.
Can you mark it as a gift to avoid duty?
No. The gift relief is a hundred dollars and does not cover a garment you have ordered for yourself. We declare parcels accurately. A studio willing to falsify a customs declaration for you is one you should not trust with anything else either.
How does a fitting work across the time difference?
India is nine and a half hours ahead of New York and twelve and a half ahead of California, so the call is scheduled rather than spontaneous — usually your morning, which is the studio’s afternoon or evening. It takes about twenty minutes, you need a tape measure and someone to hold the other end, and Nirali watches where the tape sits and corrects it as you go rather than sending you a form.
I am getting married in India but I live in the States. Does that change anything?
It simplifies it. Many American brides are measured on a video call, have the piece made while they are still at home, and collect it in Vadodara during the trip for the wedding — no courier, no border, and a fitting in the studio a few days before. Tell us the date you land.
How far ahead should an American bride start?
About two months before the wedding. The making is four weeks at most start to finish, and since every parcel is now assessed at the border, clearance deserves more room in the plan than it needed two years ago.
Do you make chaniya cholis for Navratri garba in the US?
Yes, every autumn — for the garba nights of New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and the Bay Area. Navratri falls on the same dates worldwide, so order well before the season, because the studio is making for Navratri in India at the same moment.
How ordering from abroad works, start to finish: for overseas brides. Navratri is 11–19 October 2026 — chaniya cholis for garba. Marrying in India instead? Plan the outfits around your trip. Wondering about cost? How a lehenga is priced.
Also written for brides in United Kingdom and Australia and Canada.