Nearly a year ago, I posted a poll asking whether your bridesmaids’ shoes needed to match, and 38% of you responded with “No. Who cares?” But if you add them up, a whopping 51% of you believe that the bridesmaids’ shoes should match if the wedding is formal or if the bridesmaids dresses would just plain look better with matching footwear. So why does it matter? Why should one care, one way or the other? If you’re not a natural shoe lover, have you considered that more and more shoe pics are finding their way into wedding albums? There are the wedding rings on the heel of the bride’s shoe photos, the bride and groom’s feet photos, the attendants from the knees down photos, the bride’s shoes with the bouquet photos, and more.
So if you are in the ‘matching shoes sometimes’ majority or in the ‘yes, always’ minority, and you know that your wedding photographer is going to zoom in on your feet and the feet of your bridesmaids, why not go for something a little funky? In this pic by Mike Bresnen we see bridesmaids gone wild in sweet strappy heels featuring some kind of pseudo animal print. When I think about how I’d replicate the look, I think I’d take it to the next level, with bridesmaids in popping red dresses and zebra print heels. Tacky? Maybe. Awesome? Yeah, that, too.
Would you put your bridesmaids in a funky shoe or is it going to be traditional all the way at your nuptials?
Looks like a great idea to have matching shoes.. looks quite pretty
I’m usually opposed to having matching shoes, more for bridesmaid comfort than anything else (by the end of a ceremony spent in bride-selected spike heels, I often have to cling to my groomsman for support as we recess down the aisle because my feet have gone numb). But if you’re going to go matching, go for something cool and unique like this instead of another identical set of dyed-to-match Coloriffics!
I’ve got very few set opinions about matching bridesmaid’s shoes. I’ve been in two weddings where we had matching shoes (both quite inexpensive and flat), and one where we were told a color and heel height (black, two inches) and set free to get what we liked within those parameters, so I was able to get something very inexpensive. That was kind of important to me since I don’t usually wear heels. Balance issues.
For my own wedding I told my bridesmaids to pick any flat shoes they liked, including ones they already owned if that floated their boats. That was it. No particular color, and the flat aspect was simply because of the venue (a redwood grove). I honestly didn’t care a fig whether their shoes matched, and I did want them to express themselves.
So the six of us (me, my MOH, three bridesmaids, and one junior bridesmaid) wore six very different pairs of shoes. They ranged from my scarlet dancing ghillies to my sister-in-law’s slouchy black boots, and we all looked and felt great. Then again, this was before the days of the obligatory shoe shot. Meh, I probably would do the same again and just enjoy how different the shoes all look if I had the shot done at all.
While I like the idea of matching shoes that are more interesting than dyeables, I do include the caveat to watch how it’s going to fit into your bridesmaids’ budgets, especially if they are a strong style departure for your girls.
I’ve been married twice – for the first one, my bridesmaids picked out their dresses (by committee, though I was allowed approval and veto powers) and their shoes, which were pretty, but dyed to match and fairly standard. I wore really great, funky, strappy sandals with heels and rhinestones.
For my second wedding, we kept it small with no attendants but still the traditional dress and suit. Under my giant classic white dress, I wore black fishnets and AMAZING black and purple heels.
Obviously, I am ALL ABOUT amazing shoes. Unfortunately, the weddings I’ve been in that weren’t my own were all matching dresses and shoes (one bride changed her mind at the last minute, so I now have 2 pair for that wedding sitting in my closet).
@Sarah C. Your second wedding getup sounds amazing! Thus far, I’ve been lucky in that no bride has asked me to buy or wear particular shoes. I’m pretty picky about shoes – wide feet, ugh – and I can’t imagine having to squeeze my tootsies into something uncomfortable for a day.