Wedding dress designer Caroline Castigliano bares the secrets of the bridal changing room in today’s Daily Mail in which you realise just how awful some girls shopping experiences are.

“Drama often stems from the company customers invite along” she writes. “Now that the average bride is 30 years old, many women are shopping with their mother for the first time in 15 years. Often Mum has travelled a long way and dress shopping is a highly-charged occasion... for the wedding and the mother/daughter relationship too”. As my Mum said, just wait ‘til we shop for her outfit...

“One mother turned round recently,” Caroline continues “just as her daughter found The Dress, and said “are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Because if I had my time again I wouldn’t get married”. Poor old Dad.

Poignant moments gather apace as she recalls “when another mother spoke her mind to her daughter, the girl said, “I’ve waited all my life for you to say something nice to me – I can’t believe you can’t even say it now”.

But it seems friends are often no better companions. “Jealousy is a huge issue... it’s crucial the bride-to-be is encouraged as they are extremely insecure about making a mistake. It amazes me how much influence other people have on the dress choice. You wouldn’t have a Laura Ashley sofa instead of a leather suite because a stranger preferred it.” Caroline, I’d lie in front of a friend’s car to prevent her from going to buy a leather suite but I get your point.

The bottom line is, if you’re not a confident dresser you have to be very careful which companion you choose. Everyone has a different style and opinion, not all of which are right for you. Do you even like their style? To prevent you being railroaded, it’s best to stick with one person for the journey. That way you can compare and contrast fairly.

Oscar de la Renta said you shouldn’t shop with your Mum, but mine has proved the perfect plus one; quietly waiting for my reactions first, asking questions I didn’t remember to and understanding my concerns and expectations. How has she found it? “I haven’t seen her with this few clothes on since she was a little girl” she declared to an assistant while I was being hauled in and out of dresses in only my knickers. See, bonding.