Shehnaai Couture

I had a good experience here making an outfit for my wedding. I found Shirin to be patient and she had good input. She insisted I shop around and see other vendors even though I was pretty sure I wanted to go with her. I thought that was a good move on her part. We talked through the design process a lot and I was very happy with my final product. I would have appreciated if she was there for my final fitting but her assistant was perfectly competent. The swatch that arrived was not exactly the same as the sample material/​outfit and I preferred the sample design (same color, just a different brocade pattern) but it just wasn’t available. I was slightly bummed about that but the final product was very pretty. The fit was perfect and I spent a lot of time with her assistant learning to tie the dupata exactly the way I wanted. She obliged graciously. Overall, I think they have a good eye for great design, they were very reassuring (I did freak out once just because about-​to-​be brides do!) and everything arrived on time (I placed my order 6 months before my wedding date). They are good value for money (I didn’t have the time nor patience to go out of the city or head to India for my outfits) and I was a bride that was willing to pay a good amount for my dream outfit. I would recommend them for sure.

Shehnaai Couture and Events was by far my worst wedding vendor experience. I ordered my wedding sari and lengha 8 months before my wedding and put down a 75% deposit (which the owner, Shirin Vinayak, claimed was standard). I was promised swatches to approve within 3 months of the order, and the final product 2 months after that.
This is what happened:
(1) Swatches were never made.
(2) Shirin and her assistant lied constantly, alternating between saying the swatches were on their way or the swatches were in production.
(3) The deadlines were missed by months.
(4) The lengha was made in the wrong colors, without my approval.
(5) The final lengha (remade in the right colors) was of such poor quality that I was unable to use it for my wedding.
(6) The sari didn’t arrive until 1 month before my wedding (7 months after I ordered it).
(7) The sari was a completely wrong color.
(8) Shirin refused to rectify the situation at all until I got my (very well connected) florist involved — then she agreed to refund my deposit.
Do not be fooled by Shehnaai’s showroom or the sample dresses on display — the final product is subpar at best. Worst of all, because of all her lies about when the dresses would show up, I ended up having to get my dresses from other vendors at the absolute last minute, something no bride (especially one who was looking for dresses 8 months in advance) should have to do.