Rental vs Buying Wedding Mandap: Guide for Event Planners

Event planners and decorators serving Indian and South Asian weddings face a key decision: rent mandaps from suppliers or build their own inventory. The answer depends on volume, market, and long-term strategy. This guide breaks down the economics and helps you decide—with a focus on how importing from India can make buying more attractive.

Rental: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• No upfront capital; pay per event
• No storage or maintenance
• Access to variety without commitment
• Ideal for planners doing 1–5 Indian weddings per year

Cons:

• Rental fees add up—$800–$2,000+ per event in USA/UK
• Limited availability during peak season
• Less control over design and condition
• Margins squeezed when passing costs to clients

Buying: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Own inventory; rent out for profit after break-even
• Differentiate with unique or custom designs
• Control quality and maintenance
• Importing from India offers 30–50% cost advantage

Cons:

• Upfront investment ($2,000–$8,000+ per mandap)
• Storage and transport requirements
• Maintenance and repairs over time
• Need sufficient event volume to justify

ROI Analysis

Assume a fibre wedding mandap costs $2,500 landed (including import). Rental market rate: $1,200 per event. Break-even: ~3 events. After that, each rental is largely profit (minus transport, labour, minor repairs).

For planners doing 10+ Indian weddings per year, owning 2–3 mandaps can significantly improve margins. Importing from India makes the math work—local purchase prices in USA/UK are often 2x higher.

When to Buy

• You host 10+ Indian/South Asian weddings annually
• You want to offer exclusive or custom designs
• You have storage and transport capacity
• You're building a rental division within your business

When to Rent

• You do fewer than 5 Indian weddings per year
• You prefer flexibility and no inventory risk
• You're testing the market before committing
• Storage is limited or expensive

Bulk Import for Planners

Shyam Agencies works with event planners and rental companies in USA, UK, and New Zealand. Bulk orders (2+ mandaps, or mandap + reception stage + wedding furniture) attract better pricing. We can tailor designs for rental durability—fibre mandaps withstand repeated setup and teardown.

Frequently Asked Questions