Set a budget. Don’t start your married life with unnecessary debt. Establishing a wedding budget that includes a wedding dress budget and sticking to it will take away some of the financial stress associated with getting married. Although the bride and groom should work together on establishing a wedding budget, the groom may want to allow for leeway when it comes to buying the dress.

Start early. Start looking at least six to nine months before the wedding. It takes dressmakers about four months to make the dress and another two months to complete the alterations. Starting early will help you do the necessary research, visit many different stores and comparison shop. Choosing the wedding dress early will remove much of the stress leading up to the big day. When shopping for the dress, buy the one that fits, not the one that you think will fit you when you lose weight. It’s much easier, less expensive and gratifying to take a dress in than to let a dress out.

Bring help. Finding a close friend to join you for wedding dress shopping shouldn’t be too hard. Bring a couple, and only a couple, of trusted friends to advise you. You’ll also want to bring wedding gown accessories when you try on dresses. This includes necklaces, veils, shoes and whatever else you plan on wearing. Although most shops will supply some of these items when you try on the dress, for best results, you may want to bring the actual item you’re going to wear.

Look for deals. An effective way for staying within your wedding budget is finding deals. In addition to sales racks, many top dress designers hold closeout sales to clear out gently used inventory or discontinued samples. Stay in touch with gown designers by visiting their websites and signing up for mailing lists.

Get it in writing. It’s the most important day of your life. Make sure you get it right. Before putting down a deposit and signing a contract, find out when the gown will be ready, if it can be shipped to the wedding location (if necessary), the cancelation policy and the cost of alterations. Be sure to double check the style, size and color.

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