Let’s face it: on your wedding day, you’ll be on your feet a lot. From the time you put on your gown, you’ll probably spend most of the rest of the day standing, walking, posing, dancing, posing some more, walking, and… well, you get the picture. Believe me, I’ve known a lot of brides who never got to sit down again once they got going!

And if there’s one thing I know from my many misspent years in retail sales, it’s that miserable feet make it extra-difficult to keep up a picture-perfect smile. When it came time to plan my own wedding, comfortable feet were among the less traditional priorities I chose. It paid off, too. When I got ready for a quiet evening of basking in being married to Mr. Twistie, my feet felt as good as they had that morning when I rolled out of bed.

The funny thing is, it wasn’t all that difficult. If you’re thinking about how to keep your feet happy all day, I’ve got a few tips to help you in your efforts.
(more…)

(Image via Scotimages)
Let’s talk for a moment about feet, shall we?

The simple fact is that on your wedding day, you’re likely to spend a lot of time on your tootsies. Standing around in your wedding finery trying not to let anything get wrinkled, walking up the aisle, the receiving line or table hopping to greet guests, dancing, and so on and so forth… chances are at some point your feet are going to get mighty tired.

And while I can hear plenty of brides to be chorusing ‘no problem, I’ll have flip flops!’ I happen to think there are a plethora of better ideas for foot happiness that would not make the Manolo weep into his favorite pair of peeptoes. Hey, it’s your wedding and I can’t stop you, but I can offer alternatives to consider.
(more…)

I love the red blue combo for wedding color schemes, for outfits, and for interiors. On a recent rainy yucky day, I wore bright red shoes with a dark blue dress and felt absolutely springy and fabulous in total opposition to the weather. So if you’re still shopping around for a wedding color scheme or a palette for your bridesmaid attire, consider red paired with blue. Or blue paired with red, if that’s how you prefer to think about it. Isn’t it a lovely fun and bright combo either way?

Merrily mismatched red shoes from Ampersand Photography

(more…)

Should I be a little ashamed to admit that I didn’t ever once thought about after-market bridal shoes add-ons for my own wedding day footwear? Or that of my bridesmaids? Maybe not. But I am entirely ashamed to admit that I have gone my entire life admiring this shoe or that, never realizing that the pretty baubles adorning the back or the front of said shoe might not have come with the shoe itself. So hello, bridal shoe clips!

Shoe Clips for the bride are basically jewelery for your bridal shoes – any shoe that doesn’t already have decoration (or maybe just doesn’t have enough decoration for your tastes) can be transformed with shoe clips. Keep in mind that while I did say jewelry, shoe clips don’t have to be blingy. I’ve seen amazing peacock feather shoe clips and shoe clips with gorgeous felt flowers… not to mention shoe clips that look like miniature nests and adorable bows and more.

Popular in the 1940s – I’m thinking thrifty chicks who wanted more variety – shoe clips have made a massive comeback and are becoming the wedding footwear accessory of choice for more and more brides. What I can’t figure out is who was the target market in between the 40s and today’s brides since quite a few of the mass market shoe clips I’ve found have been baubles that one associate with sexy Halloween costumes.

Isn’t that weird? No matter. Want to know my favorite source for beautiful and fun shoe clips for the bride, bridesmaid, or regular gal? I love all the shoe clips at Fink Shop! Definitely give them a look if you’re in the market for this particular wedding accessory.

(Images via: 1, 2, 3)

If you’re looking for wedding stationery that tells your personal story, Beyond Bespoke may be what you’re looking for. I love how comprehensive they are – the pre-design consultation is an in-depth interview where the goal is to get your perspective on the ultimate invites (and programs, menus, maps, place cards, table numbers, etc.). They want to see your fabric swatches, your fave album covers, and anything else that will help them understand who you and your intended are, design wise.

(more…)

About as different from your standard Kate Spades as you can get, vintage bridal shoes are getting popular enough that shops like Kindred Sole are starting to carry them as part of their regular inventory.

Brides who are committed to employing vintage bridal shoes as their “Something Old” may still have a hunt in front of them, however. With vintage, what you see is what you get, and that includes size. Better to have a pair of vintage style bridal shoes made for you by a shoemaker, I think, as these could still serve as your “Something New” and if made beautifully, will fit your feet like a dream.

Which brings me to another way to do bridal shoes, namely the humble bridal slipper meant to be stored in the wedding day emergency kit until the bride’s poor dogs are barking. Fit in Clouds sells slipper-like shoes that fold flat and fit into a pouch for portability, cost about twenty bucks, and have a ballet shoe-esque split sole.

For those brides and bridesmaids happiest walking barefoot, I can see a pair of slippers from Fit in Clouds being the perfect solution to tired tosies. However, brides and bridesmaids who require some degree of support to feel comfortable on their feet might want to just stick to the well-made shoe.

(Photo via)

Okay, can someone please tell me why anyone, brides or otherwise, would want to wear clear shoes? Seems to me that the end result would be a gruesome view of slightly squished feet… possibly even very moist and sweaty feet. I wore jellies as a kid in the 80s, so I know what happens to feet in shoes that don’t breath!

Here we have two examples of shoes, both being marketed toward the bride. The first pair of clear bridal shoes differentiates itself with a silver toe, while the second appears to have been bedazzled to within an inch of its life. In case it wasn’t clear, I hate both.

What say you?