“That whole five months, my parents were constantly looking for who was going to India of all our friends living in the United States,” Ms. Eichler said. “I had to coordinate all sorts of handoffs between uncles.”

Until more options emerge for Indian bridal wear in the United States, the shopping trip to India and all its accompanying chaos remains the norm for many women. On Facebook, a roughly 2,200-member group for Indian-American women planning weddings called “The Little Brown Diary” regularly lights up with recommendation requests for visits to Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and more, where they intend to buy their own clothes as well as outfits for family members and bridal parties.

Itineraries are hastily stitched together through tips and direct messages from strangers and references from loved ones, and then, it’s time to hope for the best and prepare for totally unpredictable events. For example, when my older sister, Dr. Deepali Maheshwari, traveled to Jaipur, India, ahead of her wedding in July 2016, there was a strike that shuttered every jeweler in the country. I managed to order my wedding lehenga just before protests over a contentious citizenship law made it virtually impossible for my parents to access Chandni Chowk.

In my case, I’m pleased to report that Asiana Couture was, in fact, as good as my cousin said it was. In fact, we ended up buying a lehenga that I tried on that first, exhausted night in Delhi — but only after days of visiting a slew of other shops, to the chagrin of my patient father.

And even though I was halfway around the globe from home, fighting jet lag and wearing an outfit that had been lifted and tied onto me by no fewer than three people — I still felt that common spark that most of my friends describe when they buy their wedding dresses as I exchanged a tearful hug with my mother.

Now, let’s just hope that it fits.