I’ve never been married but I already know that if it’s ever on the cards there are few sartorial decisions I will be sticking to.

1. There will be no veil. I’m a little too long in the tooth to convincingly keep up the demure virginal bride charade. I would fool no- one.
2. There will be no white dress. There are seven colours in the rainbow and I intend to colourblock and pattern clash my way down the isle in at least three of them.
3. I won’t buy a dress that doesn’t fit.

Why do so many women insist on buying a dress one or two sizes too tight as an incentive to lose weight for the big day? Worse still, why do some women go to the extreme of never even setting a date until they have whittled away a few pounds in a quest to “look their best” at the altar, and refuse to even begin to plan a wedding until they’ve reached this physical nirvana? What’s the big obsession with what size your wedding dress is? Am I alone in my bemusement? So many questions, not a big enough word count.

Planning a wedding is stressful enough without the additional pressure of trying to quickly slim yourself into an expensive too tight frock. I’ve seen enough episodes of “Bridezillas” to know that this strategy does not always work, and that if this is your approach it is advisable that you make sure you conceal some safety pins and extra fabric inside your garter in case of a wardrobe malfunction.

I’m not against dieting itself, I’m just against dieting pressure. As women we are tirelessly told from all angles that our bodies are not good enough as they are and that they need to be sculpted, tweaked and forced into submission, especially if there is a big occasion like a holiday or a wedding ahead.

Too many of us fall for it and use the size of our waistlines to influence how happy we are allowed to be. Being a beautiful bride isn’t an exclusive privilege for the slender. If you’ve been putting off your wedding since forever, for goodness sake set a date, buy a dress that fits you today and get thee down that isle. Here are a couple of frou- frou free dresses to help inspire you...

Carolyn de la  Drapiere Forever Yours Champagne Wedding Dress in Taffeta and Beaded Silk, £950, drapiere.com 

Vintage 1950s Strapless Satin Bridal Dress, £139.98, loveorromance.com

Would you/did you diet to fit into your wedding dress?