Quite possibly one of the most exciting sentences I’ve ever been able to write… this week I bought my dream wedding shoes. A pair of Manolo’s, that I’ve literally been dreaming of ever since we got engaged. The box arrived, and I actually felt breathless when I opened it; I mean, buying a beautiful pair of shoes like this is exciting anyway, but then when they’re for your wedding day… well, excitement levels went through the roof. They’re the most special pair of shoes I will ever wear and own, and that’s why I thought it would be a good idea to put together a little post guiding you through my ideas and thought processes around purchasing said wedding shoes. Believe it or not, there are quite a few things to consider, so hopefully if you’re on the lookout for your special pair, you may just find this post helpful. Obviously as they’re my wedding shoes, I don’t want to do a big style reveal right now, I will however do a full unboxing and review on them once they’ve been worn on the big day.
Style
Ah good old Pinterest and Instagram, I spent a good few weeks admiring a super glittered stiletto on social media because of how the image aesthetic made it look – it was sat upon a white fur rug, beautiful cream background, and I’m sure they had used that sparkly app on it too, you know – just to give it even more of the wow factor. That’s not to say it wasn’t a beautiful shoe, it was, but was it really me, or had I just been swept away in all the Insta glamour..? I’ve never owned a glittery pair of shoes in my life, they’re incredibly fabulous, don’t get me wrong; but they’re just honestly not my style. This is your wedding day, one of the biggest days of your life, you want to look back on your photos in years to come and recognise yourself, and have your choices reflect your true personal style and taste – not something that was just trendy or exciting to you for a moment. What I’m trying to get at here, is stay true to your own style. If you’re a glitter girl, brilliant – go and buy those shoes right now! But if you’re not, chances are you might feel a bit uncomfortable on your special day. You’ll more than likely be buying them pretty far in advance too, so make sure you will still adore them when the big day rolls around.
Dress
I would definitely recommend choosing your dress first, or at least being certain on the type and colour of fabric you will be wearing. You obviously want your shoes to compliment your dress – if you’re going for something massively embellished with lots and lots of detailing, do you really want crystallised shoes too? That also works the other way round though, if you’re looking at a very simple, classic design; a heavily embellished shoe may just be the perfect finishing touch to your look.
Timing
That being said, you do need to have your shoes bought before your first dress fitting; as the heel height will obviously affect the way the dress looks. If you’re struggling for choice, and really can’t decide before the fitting, you could always take a pair of shoes that mirror the height you want to go for – but you do need to be decided on that factor for definite, before the fittings. Give yourself plenty of time, this part of your wedding planning should be exciting, and very much stressless; considering these things will help to keep it that way.
Colour
Again, this ties in with knowing your dress; if you’re having a brilliant, bright white dress, maybe you want to go for a creamier, toned down shoe? It’s 2019, there are so, so many different variances on the shade white these days, have a real shop around and consider your options before committing to anything. Likewise, if your dress is completely made of satin, do you want your shoe to be of the same material too, or would you prefer something like suede to break it up a little? It may be that you don’t want to go for a nude hue at all, and instead want to mix it up and throw some colour in, again, it’s 2019, the choices are endless, and I’ve actually seen some lovely shoes with blue soles on the market right now, an ideal way to incorporate your “something blue”. Whilst I spoke about the negatives of social media above, there is actually some really great inspo out there on Pinterest right now for things like this, so have a window shop around as much as you can to really get a good idea of what will work best for you.
Seasons
As I mentioned above, chances are you’ll buy these quite far in advance of your actual day, and weather is something that you do really need to consider. If you’re having that crisp white winter wedding, and hoping for snow, do you really want to be wearing a brilliant white suede shoe? Your feet also change dependant on the temperature, shrinking slightly when it’s cold, and if you have a summer wedding and that summer is anything like the one we had in 2018 (best summer heatwave ever), your feet can swell quite a bit too – just one to take into consideration when you’re sizing up.
Budget
No matter what your budget, your wedding shoes are going to be special – no one really cares about how much they cost; how they make you look and feel is the only importance here; go for something that is true to you and makes you feel incredible. What I mean by budget, is getting the most out of it. Obviously I’ve gone for a bit of a splurge on my shoes, but actually I didn’t take that lightly. I’d actually been eyeing up some that were really intricately embellished, they were breathtaking – they were also breathtakingly priced too… and when I thought about it, as gorgeous as they were, it’s not something I’d ever be able to wear again, unless I finally get that Oscars invite (I’m still waiting on it, best dramatic performance will be mine some day – just ask my boyfriend or my Mum); so to spend so much on a shoe I will only ever wear once, for one day, just didn’t make sense to me. Obviously some people reading this may think “surely that applies to your dress too?” not so much, your dress is the focal point so that’s a little different, your shoes are an accessory that complements it; I don’t think any brides shoes are ever the first thing I’ve noticed about them. Anyway, because I was splashing out here, I made sure I went for a style that I could get my wear from afterwards too.
Material
Go for a material that complements your dress – as also mentioned above – but that also works for you too. Suede is much more forgiving in the comfort ranks, as there’s much more give on it, however patent tends to pinch a lot more. Whatever you do choose, just make sure you’ve had a few practice runs around the house beforehand, to make sure they’re going to work with your foot and be as comfortable as possible on the day.
Heel Height
This is a real obvious – sorry, but I couldn’t not include it. I’m sure you’ve already considered this, it was probably the first thing you thought about in the shoe purchasing process, but just don’t underestimate the importance of it. It’s going to be one of the most magical days you’ll ever experience, you don’t want a nagging pain in the sole of your feet putting a damper on that, nor do you want to be having to kick off your special pair by 3pm. It’s also important to wear a heel height that you are comfortable in, and have had lots of experience with. Yes 6 inch heels can look stunning, but if you’re not used to walking in those kinds of heels, you’re going to feel and look uncomfortable.
Venue
Know your venue and the kinds of surfaces you will be walking on throughout the day. If you’re spending the majority of the day on grass, is a super skinny stiletto heel really going to work, or will you be spending the entire time digging yourself out of the ground? Likewise, if your aisle or dance floor is super shiny, will that cause you an issue with extremely high shoes? Things like this are a good consideration for colour too – not massively, I wouldn’t let it completely dictate your shoe colour choice, but do just have it in the back of your mind.
*Affiliate links used
