Some women dream about their wedding dress and looking like a princess from a very young age. Others never even imagine that they’ll be wearing a wedding dress. Either way, your knight on his white horse has proposed, and now is the time to prepare for your big on-in-a-life-time day!

A lot of brides dread the idea of shopping for a wedding a dress. What if I don’t find a dress that I like? What if others don’t like my dress? We’re here to let you know that selecting a wedding dress is so much easier than you imagine. Just like everything in life, choosing a wedding dress is a task that you got to be physically and mentally prepared to. It’s all a matter of simple organization and assertiveness.

Following is our bridal guide to help you chooses the dress of your dreams:

1-Set a budget:

Before you think of going to any store, decide a budget and let your salesperson know your budget before they start bombarding you with options to choose from. The last thing you want is falling in love with a dress you cannot afford. Moreover, remember that they’ll be other minor costs here and there for accessories, undergarments, the veil, and so on.

2- Do your research:

You need to decide on a couple of styles that you would like to see yourself wearing in the biggest event of your life. Search the internet for the latest trends, what celebrities are wearing in their wedding, what wedding gown styles are out there. Whether or not you’d like the dress to be shape-hugging, long or short, exposed back or covered chest, these are all styles that you might need to choose from. Hence, do your research to go prepared. However, you also need to be open-minded. Yes, it is possible that you go to a store with an image in your mind and leaving with a completely different perspective. Wedding consultants or experts may advise you to try something other than what you like; be open to experience, you never know till you try.

3- Don’t postpone:

You want to start the process of deciding on a wedding dress as early as 4 to 6 months before your wedding day; particularly, if you want the dress to be tailored. The period by which you should start actually depends on you and the length of your engagement. You got to start early because you need to make sure that your dress will 100% be ready and available before your wedding day. The earliness will put your mind on ease till the big day. But don’t start too early if you know your engagement will be long so that you dress doesn’t go out of style or out of shape.

4- Wedding gown sizes:

Wedding gown sizes can be tricky. When you’re bridal sizing, you’ll notice that you’ll most likely wear one or two sizes bigger than your everyday wear, and that’s something to never worry about. Plus, shop to your current true size and weight even if you are planning to lose weight by the time of the wedding. It’s always better to work with a loose dress than with a snug one.

5- Shopping buddies:

When you go bridal shopping, make sure to take the right entourage with you. You want to take someone who’s honest but not too judgmental and will respect your final decision. You don’t want to over-stress, so bring someone who can calm you down. It’s advised that you go shopping in a weed day, rather than on the weekend. And make sure to make an appointment in the bridal shop if you have to.

 Here is all you need to know about your bridal lingerie.