4 Steps To Perfect Wedding Shoes

There’s no denying that your wedding dress is going to be one of the most eye catching and talked about fashion aspects of your big day, but your footwear is equally important and is where you can add a dash of colour and personality.
Your footwear deserves as much consideration as the dress and you need to take more than their appearance into your decision. When it comes to shoes you need to consider the style, colour and their comfort as well as a few other factors.

Here are our 4 steps to perfect wedding shoes:

Try them before you buy them
You might have an idea of what your dream pair of shoes are for your wedding day, you might even have found a version of them online.
However, while they might look gorgeous on their own, will they suit your dress? If the shoes simply don’t match the style of the dress or the theme of the wedding, they might attract the wrong sort of attention and detract from your dress.
Try and narrow your search online to within a few styles and colours and once you have an idea of what you want the next step is to try the shoes, and if possible try the shoes with the dress on.
This lets you see if they work well with the dress and give you the desired height, but most importantly ensure they are comfortable enough that you can dance the night away at your wedding reception.

Your shoes don’t have to be white, cream or ivory
Nowadays having shoes that match your dress can look old fashioned and outdated, many modern brides are adding a splash of colour with the shoes, with many using their shoes as a ‘something blue’.
Your shoes can match your bridesmaids outfits, your bouquet or simply add a little extra sparkle. Some brides are even writing on the soles of their shoes with a little note saying things such as, ‘I Do’ or ‘Mr and Mrs’, that will be seen by your guests when you kneel during the ceremony and also provide a fun and novel photo opportunity.
Comfort is everything
It is easy to fall in love with a pair of shoes and not think beyond how gorgeous they look, but asking yourself if they are comfortable for you to walk in is almost as important as saying ‘I Do’.
You’re going to be on your feet for most of the day and there is nothing worse than blisters cramping your style, especially when you have all that dancing to do at the reception!

Some brides mix and match shoes for the ceremony and the reception, choosing to have a set pair of flats for the reception and for dancing.
Flat shoes don’t have to be plain; you can put as much thought into them as you have with the heels and co-ordinate them with your heels, the theme or colour scheme of the wedding.
Never commit to a shoe until you’re sure and until you can assure yourself that they will be comfortable to walk in and stand in all day – regardless, have some blister plasters to hand.
A good way to get the best from the plasters is to use them at the back of your shoe’s heel where blisters would form (the inside of the sho)e, it stops it sweating off as you dance.
Versatility – pick a shoe you would wear again
If you’re going to splash out on a pair of heels for your big day you’re going to want to buy a pair you can wear more than once. This is why comfort is so important, not solely for the big day but for future use.
Try walking in your shoes prior to the wedding or walking in them while wearing thick socks until they are worn in, gel insoles are useful but don’t always allow you enough space to fit your foot into the shoe once you have them inserted.
If you buy a pair of shoes and hope to use them again in the future, there is nothing more off putting than a bad and painful experience with them.

Another option for versatility is buying removable straps, these are straps that match or closely match your shoes and can be wrapped around your shoe between the sole and the heel and then wrapped around your ankle. It adds an extra layer of support and also can completely alter a look in a very simple way.
By Felicity McKee, Excalibur Press

AUTUMN/WINTER 2017 EDITION AVAILABLE TO BUY ONLINE NOW