I wasn't expecting this to require full assembly, but I suppose it's the only logical way to ship. On the plus side, each piece is packaged very well. On the con side, the assembly can get a little frustrating. It took me about an hour, but I had a nice sense of accomplishment at the end (kind of like finishing a puzzle!). My cord wasn't properly positioned between the two main pieces, so I had to feed it through. Be careful with this step! If you don't do it very gently, the wire will fray (though luckily my chandelier still works). FYI, the light bulbs aren't included. But overall, a gorgeous and elegant chandelier - exactly what I was looking for.