Unless you’re having a back to nature barefoot wedding, you’re going to need to wear shoes when you’re going down the aisle.
Do you need to get new shoes? That depends on several things. Do you already have a pair of shoes appropriate to the sort of wedding you’re planning? Are they comfortable enough to wear all day, dance in all night, and still feel good? Do they look good with the gown you’ve chosen?
If the answer to all of these questions is ‘yes,’ then you certainly don’t have to get new shoes…though you still may want to get them. If the answer to any of them is ‘no,’ then yes you probably do need new shoes.
The question remains: what sort of shoes do you want to wear?
White or ivory satin dyeables? Thousands of brides wear them ever year. You could certainly be one of them. White or ivory not-so-dyeable designer shoes? Again, plenty of brides can’t imagine another way to go. You’ll certainly get no grief from me if you’re one of them.
But who says bridal shoes can only be white or ivory?
Who says your shoes can’t be red?
Or yellow?
Or blue?
Or Orange?
Or pink?
Then again, why choose one color when there’s a whole rainbow out there?
Colorful footwear is an easy way to add a touch of whimsy to the event without undermining the importance of it. Then again, it’s a very effective way to thumb your nose at tradition, if that’s your preference. Whatever your motivation, it’s a detail that tells your guests they’re at your wedding.
Oh gosh how I love all of them! Especially where the groom has colour too. And do I see red soles / heels on the beautiful green ones??
We went totally crazy with our shoes and our moms hated them. My tea-length dress couldn’t hide mine. But it was our wedding and our friends laughed a lot. To the reception I chose my old H&M pair of purple pumps which I knew would not hurt. And I’d sampled all my purple coloured stuff and from them and picked a dress to suit!
Of the weddings I’ve been to, my fave so far for shoes was the most recent, where the bride wore glittery ruby-red heels. It was her nod to the tastefully-done theme of the Wizard of Oz, and it was amazingly subtle (especially under her traditional floor-length-with-train gown). (As for the rest of the theme, she and her father danced to Over the Rainbow, the tables were named after scenes in the movie, and the girls wore emerald green. And…that’s pretty much it.)
Shoes say a lot about one’s personality without being obtrusive about it. I LOVE these pictures, because they show exactly that.
OR Tartan…
(Scroll down for shoe pics, worth browsing the blog, really good, and very nice photographer)
http://andycraigphotography.blogspot.com/2009/06/natasha-owen.html
My godsister wore her big, black, knee-high, stompy platform boots under a big poofy white gown. You couldn’t even see them unless she hitched up her dress a bit, but her mom was not thrilled! I loved it on her. They were not only comfy and so *very* her, but they also counted as her something old, since she’d had them a good decade.
I had black and violet (wide) strappy shoes with a very high heel and fishnets under my classic poufy white dress. I also had a violet furry cape- it was February 🙂
The quirky touches suited me, which is the whole point of the day. Going straight-up traditional would have felt wrong.
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) just wore a great pair of red shoes at her wedding over the weekend. I really wanted a pair of navy or peacock blue shoes for my wedding, but I couldn’t find any that I liked in my size in the very low heel that I wanted. There was a Delmain shoe from a season or so before in peacock hues that I adored, but I never found my size. So I ended up in ivory shoes–gorgeous, undyeable ivory shoes. And a pair of yellow low-topped Chuck Taylors, with a pattern of daisies and ladybugs, in case the shoes hurt. But they never did, and the day went so fast I never put on the Chucks. Also, I adored my wedding shoes so much I didn’t want to take them off, I kept stealing glances at my own feet. They were the most beautiful, most expensive shoes I’ve ever owned, and they were worth every penny.
Johanna–the green shoes are probably Christian Louboutin, whose shoes always have red soles, no matter the color. I myself was tempted to get a pair of Manolos, just because, but I couldn’t find any that I really adored other than the name.
I would recommend, though, that if your colourful, open-toed shoes are going to star in a photo or two, it’s worth it to have a professional pedicure beforehand – or at least have a professional apply the toenail polish.
And if you can’t afford that – and I understand that it isn’t always possible – try to do it yourself as close to the day as possible. The first photo just looks as if it isn’t really what the bride would want to have memorialized, the contrast between the lace hem and the lumpy nail polish.
And it’s not as if I go out of my way to pick on the brides presented here, either; I’m usually last in line for THAT trip.
Happy thought! I just realized that at least for her own photos, the bride can probably photo-shop them to perfection. I’m not saying she SHOULD, mind – just that if she wants to, she can.
All of the brides in weddings I’ve participated in have worn non-traditional shoes. My friend Brandy wore red Chucks under her dress and her sister wore Kelly green. They have a really cute picture of the two of them sitting on the steps of the altar waiting for the guys to get their group photos done. The photog casually shot them without them noticing and sent her a bonus print of it all in black-and-white except for the shoes. It was adorable and one of her favorite shots from the wedding.
I also was in my friend CC’s wedding and she could not find shoes that were the right height for the dress. She’s really short and the dress maker could NOT take the hem up any more (it had to be taken up at the waist). Plus the dress was a warm ivory color with blush pink roses embroidered on it. We spent the 4 days before the wedding attacking the dyed red shoes from Brandy’s wedding (!) with nail polish remover and Clorox spray until they were just the right color of pink. And the shoes were already broken in, so they were super comfy!
Alright, I am preparing for the lashings I am about to receive…I have read the blog long enough to know the hatred for wedding flip flops. HOWEVER, I also see all the praise for being original and “true to the bride.” I am wearing flip flops at my wedding (at least reception). I ALWAYS wear flip flops, they have become a trademark of sorts. I wear them so much people express concerns when I am caught wearing ‘real shoes’. I live in the Midwest, USA. We have regular snow fall in the winter. As long as I have a clear path to walk on and the snow isn’t covering my feet, I am in flip flops. I would be very uncharacteristic of me to wear heels or even shoes with a back to them. I am 5’3 and very happy with my height. Yes, I know finding a dress will be difficult, but I am not about to wobble around in 3 inch heels to compensate for it. Also, the groom is only 5’8. I would prefer to show our true heights in photos. I know, I know I could do this with flats, BUT they aren’t my signature! You can have some solace in the fact I will not be bedazzling them with rhinestones and lace. They will be simple, lovely, and very me! 🙂
The picture with bride and bridesmaids wearing red shoes, exactly what I want! What kind of shoes are they? Where is this picture from? I want to see more pictures of that wedding!!!!!
THX!
Ask and ye shall receive, Question Mark! Here’s a link to a few more pictures from that wedding… cheers! (The original photog is Whitebox, fyi.)