These just kind of speak for themselves, really. Though it’s a bit hard to tell, the bride and her FG are wearing white canvas sneaker-mules embellished with “delicate satin roses, pearl beads, crystal rhinestones, and elegant sheer ribbon” from Savvy Sneaks.
Now, I have nothing against brides wanting to avoid podiatric pain when they say their vows! But someone — perhaps The Manolo himself — needs to tell ladies like the one in this photo that there are perfectly comfortable, event-appropriate shoes out there that do not look like the trainers your Aunt Ida bedazzled for you when you were in fifth grade.
It’s HATE all the way here. What do you think?
Ugh. My sister-in-law had some at her wedding (they said Mrs. Hub’sFirstName since our last name is too long for a shoe) because there was so much dancing, but I agree that there are much more fashionable alternatives. It’s almost so campy it’s cute, though. Almost.
The worst part? My SIL wore the shoes when she and I went to a movie a few weeks ago. Now, those things should NOT be seeing the light of day.
By the way, she didn’t wear them at the ceremony!! Just the reception.
Completely hate. Shoes with personality are one thing. Completely tacky bedazzled canvas shoes are another. Yuck!
I’m all for the flower girl wearing whatever shoes she will keep on her feet for the whole evening. Nothing worries me more than little girls sliding around the dance floor in tights or bare toesies waiting to be cruched by my stiletto. The bride, however, has many, MANY options of a comfortable shoe. I almost would have felt better if she had just worn some plain traditional Keds! But there are hundreds of styles of lovely, cushioned flats or low-heeled shoes out there!
Of course, my over-arching philosophy is “whatever makes you happy,” but if sneakers with ribbons make her happy, then her husband is in for a pretty easy time.
It surprises me how those bridal sneaker can cost a good $150-$200. I mean you can do so much better just getting a nice simple white tennie and adding some embelishments yourself. It’ll also look a lot nicer in the end as well.
Hate with the fire of a thousand supernova-ing suns over here.
As has been said before, there are thousands of attractive, situation-appropriate alternatives to over-Beadazzled sneakers and flip-flops. And as has also been pointed out, the bridal versions sold in stores and over the internet are insanely expensive for what the customer gets. A bit of ribbon, a few beads or tacky satin flowers, a touch of hot glue and you can save yourself about a hundred dollars.
Honestly, if you just pick a shoe that’s comfortable to begin with, you won’t need to change your shoes mid-reception. Splurge on something that’s got some decent support in a height you’re used to wearing for long periods, and don’t fall for the two hundred dollar grade-school craft projects that will only look tacky and make you trip over skirts that are suddenly three inches too long.
I was married in my Scottish country dancing ghillies, and at the end of the reception my feet felt fantastic. What’s more, I’m not cringing with embarrassment at pictures of me at my wedding in completely inappropriate footwear.
There’s been exactly one exception to my feelings about bridal sneakers, and they showed up on an episode of Whose Wedding Is It, Anyway. The groom designed sneakers for a living. He did the graphic designs for the wedding and designed matching sneakers for his bride and her daughter that matched the wedding. It also helped that they were fairly svelte lines for sneakers.
But if you or your fiance do not design sneakers for a living, or you go for the Beadazzled Addidas look…just no.
Yep, not a fan.
I have all sorts of foot/ankle problems, so my usual shoes are most charitably described as “sensible.” For my weeding, I wore character dance shoes — basically pumps with a mary-jane like strap. Since they’re made to be danced in, they were much more comfortable than the carboard-and-satin dyeable monstrosities at the local bridal shop.
Completely hate! I am not wearing heels at my wedding but I found a beautiful pair of flats at J Crew on sale that are really comfortable. I don’t think I could ever go the sneaker route even though I love comfort. http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod90694153&catId=cat90244
I’m not a big fan of the white sneaker in any setting other than working out or doing chores or errands where you hope you don’t meet anyone you know or would like to (but, alas, usually do).
However… given that the rest of her looks nice, including a dress that neither screams hooker nor 70’s prom attendee, and that she has an appropriately dressed and happy flower girl, I’ll give her a passing grade (C+) as long as said dress covers this fashion autrocity.
WHAT is the point of spending $500-$3000 on an event gown if you’re going to wear those abominations under it? Shouldn’t you be donning a white J. Lo rhinestone-studded hoodie instead?
I agree with Leah that sneakers for the flower girl are acceptable, but not for the bride. Even dress flats have the tendency to be slippery unless you really break them in or put no slip grips on the bottom of them. I think ballet flats would be a much cuter option for both FG and bride, because they are comfy like a sneaker but aren’t as slippery as a dress shoe.
Honestly, though, this is a problem outside of weddings as well. I see the skirt and sneaker combination all over the place, and it is not work appropriate in my opinion. People always default to the sneaker for “comfort” when there are much more stylish AND comfortable options. And there are insoles and such for people who are looking for better arch support.
$200 for “bridal sneakers?” Oh sweet merciful Lord. Those looks like something I’d have made at a slumber party at age 11 with Puffy Paint.
Melissa B., there are retailers (and, of course, wholesalers as well) who think if you slap the word ‘bridal’ or ‘wedding’ on an item, people will buy them. Alas! They are not far wrong.
SJHC’s idea is a great one. Dance shoes come in a variety of heel heights and are built to keep your feet comfortable and well supported while dancing. Once upon a time I did a lot of acting, and wore character shoes all the time on stage. They’re amazingly comfortable and were probably the only heels I ever wore that I never toppled off of. If you’re looking for comfortable wedding shoes, a dance store is not a bad place to start your search.
They do indeed speak for themselves. They say “No.” And so do I. As the other ladies have noted, there are many other more attractive options; even the Keds skimmer in white is infinitely preferable! In point of fact, one can have ghillies made for oneself in white, which would be much more attractive! (Of course, I’d like to have the knee-high version in white … and red … and gold kid … but I have a bit of boot addiction, myself.)
Twistie, did you wear standard dance ghillies, or did you indeed get yourself a white pair?
I wore my bright scarlet ones, LaBellaDonna. They looked festive peeking out from under my terribly Pride and Prejudice gown and matched nicely with the Dress MacDonald arisaide I wore.
Mmmm…gold kid knee-high ghillies…I like the way you think. They might not do for every day, but they’d certainly make a statement when it counts! (lusts)
I am wearing a broken in pair of my Converse All Stars in my wedding color(orange)! I figure that since my feet won’t show, why not be comfortable? Plus, they ARE my trademark…haha
I think if you’re going to wear sneakers with your bridal outfit, you should be getting married in a white tracksuit!
What I mean is, it’s not so much the sneakers that bother me, it’s that they just don’t go with a long, formal dress. And don’t even get me started on those rubber flip-flops.
I wore low-heeled gold wedge sandals with a padded insole (Natural Comfort H111), and they were the MOST comfortable, light, wonderful shoes ever! Truly like walking on a cloud. I was on my feet for pretty much my entire wedding, so that came in handy. They were almost as comfortable as my sneakers.
And I read that flip-flops are actually bad for your feet.
Twistie, I send you HERE: http://www.medievalmoccasins.com/
so that I am not the only one filled with heartfelt yearnings. Yes, I want knee-high red ghillies! And gold ones, and silver, and black, and and and …..
Well, wanting is free.
Flashback to the movie, ‘Father of the Bride’ – at least she had the excuse that her dad owned a sneaker factory.
And a huge LOL at the person who recommended the sneakers be worn with a blinged-out J-Lo hoodie… I had an immediate mental image that was too funy to be true!
I had actually planned to buy my wedding shoes from that shop, La BellaDonna, but then I became an ethical vegetarian and all thoughts of wearing leather went straight out the window. At least wanting is both free AND cruelty-free, so I can still drool over those ghillies when I feel so inclined!
You know, I had always planned to get my wedding shoes from there too … to wear with my sari! The gold ones.
Sometimes I still wish I got them from there. I’m determined to get a pair, one of these days.
Yes, I’ve seen Medieval Mocassins and I have their site bookmarked for drooling purposes. One day I will have a pair from them. After all, when a girl’s too much of a klutz to wear heels, she’s still got to have a way to get hot, show-stopping footwear.
Sunflower, I’m assuming that’s from the Steve Martin remake? Because that wasn’t in the Spencer Tracy/Elizabeth Taylor original! But yes, I would give a pass under limited circumstances to someone actually in the sneaker business (see above re: the groom who made sneakers for a living and designed ones that matched the wedding motifs), but only under pretty limited circumstances. J-Lo hoodie, indeed!
I was happy with the latest shoes I picked up as a possible pair for The Occasion; cute and simple (no frills or bows or glitter) maryjanes from the children’s section (lucky the kids’ feet are getting so big nowadays) with comfortable less than ½” heels, until you evil temptresses pasted that link to the medieval moccasins!
My sister, many years ago, wore dress shoes for her ceremony, but changed into white decorated sneakers at her reception. I know, because I made them for her. They were a huge hit; everyone asked to peek at them. And other than those who asked, nobody saw her feet anyway.
My attitude toward just about everything in weddings is that if the couple is truly happy and being kind, and no one else is inconvenienced, bothered, or legitimately offended, then I’m happy. It’s your wedding; it’s meant to be special to you, and it breaks my heart that something that’s meant to add a bit of fun would set tongues clicking. The bride looks wildly happy; for me, that’s good enough.
I don’t care what she wears on her feet and am all down for comfy shoes (why spend a bundle on uncomfortable shoes no one will see under your long, poofy skirt anyway?) but I don’t see the point in gussying them up.