How to choose the right shoes for your wedding ?

Today I wanted to talk about shoes! This is THE question of many brides-to-be: How to find and choose the right pair of shoes for your wedding? Just like the wedding dress (but less visible) they will enhance your wedding outfit. But wedding shoes are in my opinion just as important, if not more so. Because if you can’t walk at 5pm on the big day, the evening may be very long for you. So in this article, I’m going to give you some tips that can really save your life for your wedding!

Remember those famous questionnaires we all answered at least once? Well, this is for you! The question that comes up most often is “What will influence your purchase?”. And from there you have several answers: price? design? comfort? brand? resistance? Well, for your wedding shoes, all these conditions must be met. That is to say, find a pair of wedding shoes within the budget; with a design that you like and that resembles you; an optimal comfort to be comfortable and not to have sore feet; finally a brand known for its resistance and the quality of its shoes. In other words, you’ll have to find that rare pearl!

What style of shoes for my wedding?

You are spoilt for choice. Forget the traditional wedding shoes and try something original if you feel like it. Today, there are no more rules on the style of shoes for a wedding. Dare to wear pumps, sandals, ballerinas, derbies, babies, sneakers and even espadrilles! The important thing is to choose a style that you like and that you would be able to wear in everyday life. It’s up to you to see what you like but don’t forget to adapt it to the style of the dress. Yes yes, we always choose the dress first and not the other way around. If you have a princess dress, it will be complicated to associate it with a pair of sneakers! On the other hand if your dress has a more rock’n roll style with puffy tulle the sneakers can be the perfect original asset.

Also think about the season of the wedding, if you get married in summer, avoid ballerinas, derbies or any other closed shoes. Otherwise, thanks to the sweat and the sweaty feet during the day. Choose a nice pair of sandals or open pumps to let the foot air and avoid swollen feet.

White or colored shoes?

Here again it’s up to you. White remains the traditional color but very difficult to wear after the wedding. More and more brides dare to use light tones or bright colors to give their outfit a boost and avoid the total white look. Try to match the theme of your wedding and the colors you have chosen for your decoration or accessories. Don’t hesitate to go for gold or silver that will catch the eye without being too flashy.

For the colors I advise you not to use too flashy colors such as apple green, candy pink, yellow, orange etc… These colors will tend to attract too much attention to the detriment of your pretty wedding dress. Unless of course your wedding theme is very bright and colorful. Also think about the after wedding – do you want to take a pair of shoes that you can wear after the wedding? In this case, choose navy blue, beige, taupe, pine green etc…

Think safety first

It will be very important to take into account your reception place. If you are already choosing your wedding shoes, it is probably because you already have your venue. So take stock of the “danger zones” for your beautiful shoes. Will there be small gravels at the venue? Will it be grass? (It’s best to avoid planting cabbage all day)? Do you have to walk or climb a lot of stairs? Are there any slippery spots or waterways? Choose accordingly to be totally comfortable on the day.

Heels or no heels?

I will never tell you to put absolutely heels! First of all because it’s not true, nothing is mandatory. More and more brides choose to wear flat shoes on the big day or with a little bit of heels. You can see in an article my selection of flat shoes trends for a wedding. It’s up to you to see if you are comfortable in heels in general and if you will be on the big day. If you are not used to wearing 15cm heels I advise you not to take the risk for your wedding. Above all, be yourself. No one will hold it against you if you are less than 5 feet tall on the big day. Your guests know you and there is no reason to wear shoes that don’t look like you.

So you can opt for flat shoes: derbies, ballerinas, sneakers, espadrilles, barefoot. You can also go for shoes with a little bit of heel like babies or sandals with 5 cm heels. Finally, you also have the choice of taking shoes with high heels from 8 to 15 cm such as pumps or sandals with stiletto heels, thick or wedges. When you go over 10 cm the wedge heel is a great alternative because it allows you a comfort and stability not negligible. Don’t forget that you will wear your wedding shoes for at least 8 to 10 hours during the day.

The technique to avoid foot pain on the big day

I thought it was necessary to talk about foot pain on D-Day. It is the dread of all the brides-to-be, to be obliged to sit down or simply to take off your shoes at 5 pm. I wanted to give you all my little tips to limit the pain for your wedding.

First of all, always try on your shoes in store. You are free to order them on the internet afterwards but it is important to see them in real life and to try them on.

Second tip: Contrary to what you may read on the internet, I do not recommend wearing the shoes before the wedding. Your feet will remember the pain they experienced the first time around. In general you start to feel discomfort after 2 hours and pain after 4 hours. If it’s after 5 minutes you just haven’t chosen the right pair of shoes. You wear them once for 15 minutes to make sure you are comfortable and then it’s over! Hence my third piece of advice right after:

Always take a size up from yours and insert a sole inside to adapt it to your size. On the big day, your feet are bound to swell and you won’t feel comfortable at all. It will be time to remove the pre-installed insole and you will gain a free size! It’s always easier to remove an insole than to loosen the shoe, especially on the big day!

Finally, don’t neglect your bridal kit! I also call it the survival kit. It must come with you everywhere in your travels between the ceremonies, the wine of honor, the photo shoot, the reception place. And it is in this famous kit of the bride-to-be that you will be able to install your anti-blister bandages and a pair of spare shoes to be able to dance all evening! For the anti-blister bandages I use Compeed, they are transparent and adapt to the color of your skin. They are transparent and adapt to the color of your skin and the shape varies according to the area of the blisters.

I hope this article will help you in your search for the perfect shoes for your wedding.