The day after we got engaged, Dave surprised me with an “Easy Wedding Planning Notebook” and a stack of wedding magazines by my bedside. The magazines recommended finding a wedding dress a year before your wedding date and the planning notebook suggested dress shopping at least nine months in advance. Now, I don’t recommend this for every bride, but I was able to find my wedding dress within five days of my wedding. And, it was exactly what I imagined it to be, too.

I thought I’d share some of my tips and suggestions for finding a wedding dress you’ll love within a short period of time.

1. Don’t just shop at bridal stores

When you’re short on time, shopping at a bridal store won’t always be your best answer. You don’t have time to make reservations for an appointment and not all bridal stores have off the rack dress options. Instead, get creative and shop at local boutiques, prom dress stores, and large departments stores. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find! I found my wedding dress at a local dress boutique. The same store that I got my prom dress from 5 years earlier.

2. Make a list and call

To avoid driving from place to place, I made a list of all the stores I wanted to go to and then I called them up before actually visiting them. I simply asked the store manager if they had any off the rack wedding dresses or any long white dresses that looked somewhat bridal. If they said yes, I told them my size and that I was on my way. This was extremely helpful and saved me a lot of time. It also gave the store managers a heads up and allowed them to pull together the dresses they had available for me. When I arrived to the store, the dresses were in the fitting room, hanging, and ready for me to try on.

3. Customer service is key

As I mentioned, I purchased my wedding dress from a local dress boutique called, A Step Ahead. The ladies that work there are extremely accommodating and they made the whole process stress free and fun. I had a spray tan before one of my dress fittings (highly not recommended) and I ended up getting some bronze on my dress. The staff at A Step Ahead cleaned off the bronze smudge on my dress and made sure that it was spotless before I took it home. They double checked that all the beading was neatly in it’s place and that the tulle on the train was perfectly fluffed.They worked really hard to give me exactly what I wanted. This extra bit of customer care made the experience meaningful and memorable and it also took away any ounce of dress stress that I had.

4. Don’t try on too many dresses

You’ll give yourself a headache. If you’re as indecisive as me, you’ll definitely want to save yourself the hassle and only try on a few that you’re really considering. There are so many different styles and fits that when it comes to buying a dress last minute, the last thing you’ll want to feel is overwhelmed and unsure.

5. Bring your support team

Finding my dress was so special because I got to share the experience with my mom and my Poh Poh. They were so helpful and they gave me their honest opinions. When I decided on the dress, they were there to celebrate that special moment with me.

6. Be realistic and be grateful

When it comes to finding a dress in a short period of time, you can’t be too picky. It’s important to not compare your dress to other dresses out there, especially the ones you’ve pinned on Pinterest. Be grateful for what you found and love it because that’s what you’ll be wearing on the most important day of your life!

7. Remember the reason for the dress

It’s important to remember the reason for the dress and the wedding. It’s not about the linens on the table or the flowers in your bouquet. It’s about the man you’re marrying and the life that you get to create together. And, how cool is that!?

*All photos were taken by Léa Jones. You have to check out her blog, The Red Mop, because all her photos are so beautiful.