The idea of doing it without her seemed just as scary as taking her with me.  When I came out of the changing room there were tears in her eyes. Nothing could have shocked me more And so the day dawned. People asked me beforehand if I thought my mum would cry . I’d answered a flat no. My mother is not a crier. But as I came out of the changing room in a simple white silk dress, there were tears in her eyes. Nothing could have shocked me more. ‘You look beautiful,’ she told me.  Bridal shops only stock each dress in one size, so when you try it on it’s unlikely to be the right fit. This one didn’t zip up at the back and I did indeed need a bigger size; but my mother didn’t say that. She just told me how beautiful I looked. In that moment, all those rows we’d had were laid to rest.  We didn’t buy a dress that day.

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