Shoes.

Dorothy, Shaq, Blahnik, Cinderella…

A little word evoking everything in the way of  thoughts, memories, desires… and concerns. What’s a bride to do??

Since glass slippers are pretty much out, you’re basically down to 3 choices for your wedding wear:  gloriously glitzy, classically plain, or downright comfortable.

We just saw a bride wearing wildly colored sports socks (as did all the groomsmen) and snappy white Converse (as did her little daughter). We watched as she processed, stood up, greeted, danced and still kept going late into the night with a huge smile on her face.   No shedding of the shoes and trotting around barefoot in a multi-thousand-dollar gown. Unless you’re really skilled at high heels, that 5-inch strappy sandal in silver glitter just won’t give you that same comfy experience. But maybe that’s what you have your heart set on.

So, 2 things to think of when deciding:

1) The length of time you’ll be in your shoes. If it’s a wedding where you get married, greet your guests and then change clothes or even slip away to your honeymoon, go for the glamour. But if you’re planning to stay until the last guest leaves, maybe it’s comfort you want.  (For the record, once Converse Bride was done with her preps and went public, we never saw a GLIMPSE of her shoes OR socks. Nor groomsmen’s socks either!)

2)  Which brings us to… the shape of your dress. No, she wasn’t wearing vintage Boho with a droopy vest and trails of miscellaneous fabric. She was wearing a  gorgeous lace full A-line with a train. Simply put, are your feet gonna show?  In a perfect floor-skimming length dress with lots of volume to the skirt, the answer is probably not! In a body-hugging curvy gossamer dress, you’re not going to get away with sneaks.

Maybe comfortable classic satin pumps or even fabulous flats are your answer. Maybe high heels and THEN flats…

WHATEVER, THIS DECISION DESERVES SOME FORETHOUGHT.  Your feet, after all, will be holding you up no matter HOW fantastical you’ve made the rest of your wedding day.

P.S. If the shoes you choose  are brand new with smooth soles, SAND those soles ahead of time. It will save you slipping when you want to be gliding instead!