The box arrived requiring minimal assembly: just folding up the lids and using the included double-sided tape to assemble the inner box. I found the included instructions perfectly clear, but the YouTube videos had some great ideas for customizing it. It was a lot of fun to put this together, and it was spectacular when finished. One thing I discovered that wasn't noted by others is that the outer two rings of "petals" for photographs are actually envelopes as well, so you can insert things like gift cards, cash, or other small flat items in addition to putting a gift in the central box. The LED lights don't have an on/off setting, so they come on as soon as you insert the batteries. I was concerned because I intended to mail the box and wanted the lights to be on when my sister opened it. But I did a test run first, and with good AA batteries the lights were still running after 10 days! So no problem mailing it unless it's going overseas or something.