Choosing a wedding dress is not as easy as it sounds, especially when it’s the wedding dress of your dreams. You may have envisioned a wedding dress of a specific color that fits perfectly on your wedding day. Once you get that aspect of your wedding covered, you can set everything else in motion. Here are five crucial tips that will help you find the wedding dress of your dreams.

1. Start Looking for Your Dress Early

It’s never a good idea to do things at the last minute. Looking for your dream wedding dress can take weeks or months. In order to allow yourself enough time to shop around and play with different designs, you should start looking for the perfect wedding dress at least eight months in advance. Eight months gives you enough time to select the dress and make necessary alterations.

2. Purchase Your Dress Between the Special Buying Times

The magic occurs between Thanksgiving and Christmas. During this time, stores receive a large shipment of dresses to prepare for the engagements that occur at the end of the year. There will be many different dresses to choose from between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will be in your best interest to arrive at department stores early so you can have a variety of dresses to choose from.

3. Create a Realistic Budget and Stick to It

Create a budget that is reasonable and realistic for your wedding dress. Sticking to your budget may be difficult, and some associates at the wedding store will try to get you to exceed your budget. If your wedding dress requires alterations, you can expect to add an extra $200 to $900 to your budget. Make sure your budget is reasonable, so you will not have to continue to increase the amount of your budget.

4. Schedule Fitting Times for Your Dress

Making sure your wedding dress fits perfectly is essential. The one thing you want to avoid is the crowds. If you plan on doing the fitting on the weekend, you need to arrive early to beat the crowds and receive the sales representative’s undivided attention. It can take as many as three or four fitting appointments to alter the dress to ensure it fits perfectly.

5. Mastering the Perfect Fit

Getting the perfect dress doesn’t end with the dress. You have to make sure you do your part by wearing shape-wear and other accessories. Doing your hair for the fitting is fine, but do not apply your makeup. You don’t want to damage the dress and end up purchasing a wedding dress you do not want due to makeup smears.

Here are five tips that will help you find the wedding dress of your dreams. If you have already created a checklist, add these tips to help you find what you’re looking for in a wedding dress.