When you’re planning a wedding, there is a lot to think about: The venue, the dress, what kind of deodorant to put in the bathroom baskets. With so much on your mind, it’s easy to forget about one of the most important things… Your skin.

True, some skin issues can be covered with makeup (that’s 90% of the point of trials, after all) but if there is something that’s bothering you, or that you want to perfect before your wedding day, it’s better to be safe than sorry and get to the dermatologist, STAT.

Too many brides wait until the last minute to address their skin problems, says Dr. Shereene Idris of Wexler Dermatology, and there isn’t much that can be done to fix any major issues. “It’s trial and error, so you don’t want to try something a month before your wedding in case you, God forbid, have a complication and it didn’t sit well with your skin type,” she says. “Time is of the essence when you’re talking about brides, so you want to make sure theres time to recover in the worst case scenario.”

Since brides are all working on a deadline, Dr. Idris suggests adding “booking a skin consultation” to your to-do list around the same time you’re looking at venues and trying on dresses. Considering you can’t change your wedding date because of an unforeseen skin issue (though wouldn’t it be great if we could all plan our lives around knowing when we would break out?) it’s important to give yourself enough time to get it all figured out and ensure that doesn’t happen. Here are seven skincare tips your dermatologist wants you to know the minute you get engaged, most important of which is to get to their office as soon as you’ve had your ring fitted.