If the recent summer weather has shown us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. From a frazzling heatwave for much of the month, the back end of July has brought thunderstorms and showers instead.

All this should be a reminder to brides planning their wedding that to wear just the one dress all day can be a major hostage to fortune. Dresses for weddings should be a plural matter, not a singular one.

If you were to get married in the autumn, for instance, you could usually bank on reasonably cool weather. You won’t find yourself feeling too hot and sweaty and the chances are you will have already made some arrangements for the cooler and potentially wetter conditions, from long sleeves to having someone present with an umbrella.

In summer, however, even damp days can be warm and humid, so having another dress to slip into in the evening is a great way to cool off.

At the same time, a second dress that’s much lighter and simpler can enable you to have the best of both worlds. While you can be dressed in something wonderfully ornate with a lengthy train as you glide down the aisle, you can then be perfectly equipped for hitting the dance floor afterwards.

This also means what might become a family heirloom is protected from damage or drink stains, which in turn means you can go further in opting for ornate but potentially fragile design features for the ceremony itself.

Of course, there are extremes that some will push things to that most would not even contemplate. Last week, Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of the late Diana, Pincess of Wales, wore no less than five Dolce & Gabbana dresses for a wedding celebration of her nuptials to fashion tycoon Michael Lewis that lasted three days.

Suffice to say, for the rest of us who do not live in the gilded world of aristocrats and millionaires, one day and two dresses should be quite enough.