Every girl hopes that shopping for a bridal gown will fulfil all her cinematic fantasies of champagne, weeping friends, and a genuflecting sales assistant as you emerge from the plush changing room breathing ‘it’s the one’.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work like that for everybody. My experience was fast and furious: a fisticuffs sample sale in uptown Madrid, a sales assistant shouting at me in Spanish, a quick dart back into the changing room to sneak in one more dress to try, and then the quick decision that it fit nicely and was really rather beautiful. In the bag, and off to the cafe for a celebratory cortado with my mum and my sister.

However, if you are shopping in London for your wedding dress, there is one place that I urge you to try for that ultimate rose-tinted bridal experience: The Vintage Wedding Dress Company. With an elegantly white washed loft show room just off Tottenham Court Road, VWDC is a treasure trove of vintage wedding dresses carefully chosen by founder Charlie Brear and her team of experts. Gowns range from Victorian-era lace confections all the way up to Studio 54 slinky Seventies gowns via liquid silk bias cut gowns from the Thirties and flirty minis from the Sixties in between. If you haven’t a notion what style of dress you want for your wedding, this is the best place to start.

You’ll be welcomed by one of the company’s extremely competent staff (a special mention here goes out to the amazing Jess, who looked after my sister for her wedding and is a wizard at telling what will suit your shape and style) and then you’ll be led into an elegant changing room and given a vintage silk kimono to wear between trying on dresses – a lovely touch. The staff really know their stuff and know exactly what alterations will work with each gown you try on. Not only that but they’ll style you up with exquisite antique hairpieces, fur stoles and decadent piano stoles so you can really get to know what works for you.

So popular has the vintage wedding look become that Brear launched a range of wedding dresses inspired by each decade, and these are just as spectacular as some of the originals.

It’s by appointment only, so be sure to book well in advance.

http://www.thevintageweddingdresscompany.com/

See editor Carrie Tyler's guide on where to shop for your wedding dress