5 Things NOT to Do After You’ve Found Your Wedding Dress

Whether you’ve tried on one or one hundred wedding gowns, finally selecting the dress of your dreams is a big milestone. But your work isn’t over once you’ve picked out your gown. On the contrary, there are several things you should—and perhaps more importantly, shouldn’t—do after you’ve found your wedding dress.

Here are five things NOT to do after you say 'yes' to that wedding dress.

Don’t keep looking

This is a biggie. Stop shopping. Now. Once you’ve selected and paid for your wedding dress, don’t visit other bridal salons. Don’t try on other dresses. Don’t look at other wedding gowns online. The more dresses you look at, the higher the risk that you’ll start to doubt your decision and want to make a swap. As the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song goes, “Love the one you’re with.” Your first instincts are usually right.

Don’t forget about the accessories

There are a few other items you’ll need to secure shortly after you purchase your gown. These include your shoes, hair accessories, jewelry, and undergarments. You’ll want to bring your shoes and wedding dress undergarments to your first fitting so that your gown can be fitted and hemmed properly. While it may seem difficult to purchase these items without your gown in hand yet, make sure that you have a few photos and a perhaps swatch from your gown to help put your wedding look together.

Don’t show too many people

You’re probably super-excited about your wedding dress and want to show the world. But we say try to hold back a bit on sharing photos with the world. While we’re sure that most people will gush about how gorgeous your gown is, there may be some people who aren’t over-the-top excited about it, or even those who may say something negative. These Debbie Downers may cause you to worry that you’ve made the wrong choice—and that’s a stressful place to be. That’s why we recommend keeping your dress photos to only your very nearest and dearest.

Don’t delay on your bridesmaid dress shopping

Bridesmaid dresses can take nearly as long to order, arrive, and be fitted as a wedding gown, so it’s a good idea to gather your gals and start shopping soon after you pick your dress (at least five to six months before your wedding, but the sooner the better!). Bring a swatch of your own gown to make sure that the bridesmaid dress color (or colors) you choose will complement, and not clash with, your look.

Don’t crash diet

Many brides want to lose a few pounds before their wedding day, but it’s important to do so in a healthy and not overly drastic way. There are obvious reasons why crash dieting isn’t the way to go, but major body changes can make the wedding gown you once loved look completely different. Yes, a seamstress can take a dress in, but taking in a wedding dress too much may affect the look of the gown entirely. All we’re saying is, proceed with caution.