Kate Middleton’s wedding gown designer may be the bride-to-be’s best-kept secret for now, but the entire world will know his or her name come April 29. Jason Wu, who has had his own experience with being thrust into the limelight, has a few words of wisdom for the royal dressmaker.

“You become a global brand overnight,” he told Women’s Wear Daily while in London on March 22. “People outside of fashion know your name, and they get excited about fashion.

Of course, Wu’s words come from experience: The designer was catapulted into the public eye stateside when the (then) brand-new First Lady, Michelle Obama, wore his one-shoulder white gown to President Obama’s inaugural ball.

“I could have been a reality star, a TV personality, a spokesperson for this or that. There were book and movie proposals. They wanted to make me into a ‘personality.’ It’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind,” he said.

For the yet-to-be-named bridal designer, Wu offered some sound advice. “Embrace the moment of attention, but be prepared to make your next step,” he said. “Your career is not just about one experience, one hit show. You have to figure out what your next acts are going to be.”