You all know that one of my favourite past times is finding new and exciting vendors who are pushing the boundaries and serving with love. This week I had the pleasure of meeting Sonny from Meera Meera Rentals, located in Thornhill.

Introducing Meera Meera Rentals – Indian Lehenga Rentals in Toronto!

Meera Meera Rentals provides designer Indian lehenga rentals and boy, can I just say that we’ve needed this service for a long time? I’m sure you all can think of a few companies that provide clothing rental options for Western wear, both formal and informal, but I can’t think of any for South Asian attire.

As soon as Sonny reached out to me on Instagram, I was immediately intrigued. As a second-generation Canadian of Indo-Guyanese descent, I’m no stranger to South Asian attire. The issue I’ve had is that I don’t wear lehengas and sarees with enough frequency to constantly update my wardrobe. Also, my knowledge of what’s currently styling is limited to scrolling Instagram and Pinterest. It’s also hard to justify dropping $400+ on a beautiful outfit that I’ll likely only wear once. By the time the next event rolls around, it may have even gone out of style! Cue heartbreak and tears from me because I can’t stand having things just sit in my closet unworn.

Meera Meera fills this gap so beautifully – especially for fusion weddings, in my humble opinion. Sonny’s reasoning is that she herself is in a fusion marriage, and found that the constant need for stylish outfits came at a pretty big price tag.  Many people find it intimidating to head to the shops to shop and compare. As a fusion-wedding planner, I can attest that shopping for Indian attire can be challenging for non-Indian folks. Even I struggle with using the right terminology for the type of outfit that I want. By providing this service, Sonny takes the guesswork out of shopping for stylish Indian attire. I love that she is being eco-friendly with this service, and giving women a chance to look bomb-diggity at an affordable price point. I love that this service also means that I’ll have more variety at my finger tips, too!

So how much does it cost?

Meera Meera’s Indian lehenga rentals provides a boutique-style experience with pricing starting at $85 CAD for a stunning outfit, and a 4 day rental. Sonny also provides minor alterations and accessory rentals. Each outfit is professionally cleaned after every wear, so no need to worry about that, either! You can literally reach out to her, have an outfit with a super-fast turnaround and show up at your event looking like a million bucks! Sonny’s showroom is stunning and you’ll love every second of chatting with her. She’s warm, caring and funny, and she’ll make you feel right at home as you find the perfect outfit for your next event!

As an added bonus for Whim readers, let Meera Meera know that we’ve sent you, and you’ll receive $10.00 off of your first rental!

Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators, specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples who are madly in love. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan – I’ll be the first to admit it. I have had weddings where a vendor has had to cancel, I’ve also had couples book me at the last minute to help them figure things out for the same reason. I want to address this issue today because it’s a sensitive topic on both sides and merits some discussion. Also, please note that I am not talking about vendors who ghost on you – only vendors that reach out in advance to discuss a cancellation. So, with that said,

What do you do if your Wedding Vendors Cancel?

This is going to sound silly, but try not to panic. As stressful as it is when you get notice that a wedding vendor is having to cancel on you, chances are there is a solid reason for it. Most wedding vendors are well intentioned people who also have families, personal lives and any host of things that could cause an emergency to come up. If the vendor wasn’t legit, they would have ghosted on you and attempted to keep your money (we have seen this before, too). The fact that they are reaching out means that they are just as committed to helping you find a solution. Here are a few things to keep in mind before and after booking your wedding vendors.

Consider purchasing wedding insurance from the onset of your planning

Wedding insurance liability policies often have additional optional provisions that can save you a LOT of frustration and money if a vendor happens to cancel on you. Click here to read more about enhanced wedding liability insurance. Policies cost as little as $55.00 for a LOT of peace of mind!

Life happens sometimes – try not to take it personally

In most cases, when a wedding vendor cancels, it is because of a personal emergency. While you are dealing with a business, the people behind the business do have families and circumstances that are sometimes out of their control. I’ve seen many examples of this, including

• Death in the family
• Pregnancy/miscarriage
• Personal illness

Do keep in mind that vendors are not required to disclose the nature of personal issues even though some will. Remember to be gracious as this person is navigating murky waters that have blurred across personal and professional lines. It’s easy to only think of the wedding but a little compassion goes a long way. Chances are, your vendors are doing everything they can to deliver the perfect wedding for you, and are considering alternatives in case they cannot.

So what do you do if a wedding vendor cancels?

Let’s go through our options.

Pull out your contract and review cancellation clause to understand what is required of you vs the vendor

Anyone providing a service or product should have a cancellation clause in their invoice and/or contract. This clause will outline what happens if the client cancels vs if the vendor cancels. Typically if a client cancels within a certain amount of time, there is a forfeiture of initial payment (deposit). Usually if a vendor cancels, there is a full refund of the amount paid. If there is a partial cancellation (ie some services will still be provided) the amount paid is adjusted on the final invoice.

As the vendor who cancelled to suggest alternative vendors for their service or product

Chances are, they’ve done this already. Like I said before, it’s stressful for a vendor to have to cancel. This is their livelihood and most wedding vendors are very keen to provide end-to-end excellent customer service. In the unfortunate instance of a cancellation, chances are they have sought out alternative vendors available on your date to cover the service or product they are providing. Some vendors will do this under their contract with you on the back end, others will have you cancel with them and create a new contract with the new vendor.

Consider hiring a planner if you’re super stressed and are out of resources

Not to throw in a shameless plug, but wedding planners have the resources to find you vendors very quickly. Not only that, they are finding you reputable vendors that can provide the same, if not better, quality than you originally contracted. I’d love to say that hiring a wedding planner from the onset means that you won’t have any vendors cancel, but that wouldn’t be fair.

To my beautiful couples out there in internet-land reading this – if a wedding vendor cancels, they probably are mortified. Chances are they are super stressed about letting you down, and also with whatever it is that has caused the cancellation. You do have options, and don’t be afraid to ask your original vendor to help you navigate this tricky issue.

Whim Event Planning and Design is a team of Toronto wedding planners and day of coordinators, specializing in modern romantic weddings for fun, sweet couples who are madly in love. Get in touch with us today to start planning your dream day!