Bridal Shoes

An important journey in the life of a woman is probably strolling down the aisle during her wedding. This walk of her life surely deserves the best pair of shoes. Memorable bridal shoes with Cinderella perfect fit lend classic elegance.

Credit goes to Queen Victoria to have inspired millions of modern brides by choosing a white wedding gown and white shoes to go with it during her wedding in 1840 although blue was the color of choice for bridal ensembles earlier. The famous Princess Diana chose low heeled, pearl encrusted ivory silk flat footwear for her wedding.

Bridal shoes - Types and styles

Modern brides choose a pair of shoes in keeping with their individual style and taste. A trendy bride might prefer a bridal shoe with chunky heels, whereas a romantic at heart would go for a lacy white grandmother boots. The magical bridal shoes could be high heeled, low heeled, sandals, pumps or silhouettes, sling backs or ballet flats. Toes can either be open or closed, pointed, rounded or squared.

Bridal shoes come in bronze, silver, gold, pewter metallic shades. Soft pastels, ivory and white are also popular. Bridal shoes come in different styles, classic, strappy or just sling backs or elegant satin shoes that can be dyed to match the wedding gown. Embellishments such as jewels, beading, color trims, embroidery, lace and bows add a lot of attraction and glamour. A tiny crystal or a bead embellishment in a color similar to the flower on the bridal bouquet can add that touch of romance. The trend of the day is bridal shoes with ribbons. These shoes can be laced around the ankles.

Today's bridal shoes are designed to capture the atmosphere of the wedding in harmony with the wedding gown, be it a glamorous event or a Bohemian rhapsody or just a beach casual or a destination wedding. These days' brides do not choose to select a bridal shoe just to be worn on the wedding day. Instead their choice is to pick up a gorgeous shoe that can be reused again.

Designer bridal shoes

The season's hottest styles are strappy sandals and sling backs. Unique bridal shoes could be a Cynthia Rowley in white satin with bow fittings and padding, dyeable to match the color of her bridal costume; or it could be a Vera Wang with stunning 'purr-fect' kitty bridal shoe for a summer wedding accented with rhinestone buckles in fabulous offbeat colors; or it could be a Salon Venice silk satin sandal with a real heel height in definite colors.

Beautiful and stylish wedding shoes, with feminine designs in luxurious and romantic fabrics such as silk, organza and delicate lace and satin have been skillfully designed. Several novel styles including pretty, low heeled pumps, peep toes and ankle strap shoes should make any bride extraordinarily special. Some of the designs are guaranteed dyeable. This is to ensure that there is perfect harmony between the bride's dresses and her shoes. Designer bridal shoes could be embroidered, adorned with gems, bows and open toes.

Some top designer bridal shoes such as Vera Wang, Kenneth Cole, Jimmy Choo and Gina Shoes are the cream of the crop in wedding shoes and any bride would be thrilled to glide down the aisle in them. But not all designer shoes are as expensive. Some popular picks in designer bridal shoes are:

• Kate spade 'Gali' designer bridal shoes which are made in Italy and exude feminine charm. These sling back sandals in traditional white and an array of colors should do any bride proud.
  
  
• Made in Spain Stuart Weitzman 'Solitaire' bowed bridal shoes are seductive and shapely to say the least and they are gorgeously overdone.
  
  
• Delman 'Selma' sandals are unique and delicate with lattice design and accents in metallic silver and leather.
  
  
• Vera Wang bridal shoes are not glamorous but widely sought after for their design and ultra feminine t-traps with leather uppers infused with glitter and extra heels.
  
  
• 'Putziba' Manola Blahnik bridal shoes are absolutely stunning and far from traditional.
  

Designer bridal footwear also comes as adorable jelly sandals, crystal accented and with kitten heels, wedge heels and platform heels. One interesting feature with these designer bridal footwear is that though trendy, tradition still plays a key role and several designers line their footwear with azure colored fabric to meet the 'something blue' traditional requirement.

Dyeable bridal shoes

These are the best option simply because the fabric can be worn or even tinted to match the bridal dress. The white satin or silk dyeable shoe can be coated with special solution to allow the fabric to accept the dye. The coating is almost invisible and does not stand in the way of the look and feel of the fabric. Alternatively the shoe could be worn in white as well if the bride prefers.

Since most of the dyeable shoes come with a fabric swatch, one can pre approve the color before the shoes are actually dyed. These shoes could also be treated with water repellent in case the bride is caught up in the rain. Designer brands of dyeable shoes like Vera Wang, Cynthia Rowley, Stuart Weitzman and Filippa Scott can be dyed in darker shades several times according to one's choice.

Choosing bridal shoes

• Bridal shoes should offer quality and look no doubt, but comfort is the key factor. A bride possibly has to dance her way through the night. A poorly fitted pair of shoes would ruin the party. Also the various pre and post wedding ceremonies require the bride to walk around comfortably.
  
  
• Choose a shoe style that enhances the wedding gown and not one that draws too much attention away from the bride herself. Platforms, sling backs, sandals are some of the best styles one could opt for.
  
  
• Choose dyeable shoes that can perfectly match the bridal dress. It is normally not possible to have the same fabric color on the shoes unless they are made from the same fabric. It is ideal to carry a swatch especially when shopping for factory dyed bridal shoes to ensure color match. It is also essential to ensure that the bridal shoes blend as close to the hue and depth of color of the wedding gown as possible.
  
  
• Silk and satin are traditionally the two most popular choices for wedding shoes. If a non traditional wedding dress is chosen then the shoes also should not be traditional either.
  
  
• The fabric of the wedding gown and the shoe should match as closely as possible to create the desired harmonious effect. Some use satin material at the bottom of the wedding dress to enable a glossy finish on satin bridal footwear. Silk faced satin complements such as peau-de-soie, luxe or ultra satin texture which are matted without sheen are also viable alternatives.
  
  
• It is best to choose a heel height that is comfortable enough to carry the bride through the day and night with ease. A wedding involves a lot of standing, walking and dancing. Although it is tempting to go for 'killer heels,' no bride would prefer to have blisters and sit out her dance because she could get hurt. Instead 'kitten heels' are a good choice and will look pretty enough on the wedding day. Alternatively, flat, satin ballet slippers also make beautiful bridal shoes.
  
  
• The height of the bridal shoes is bound to have a telling effect on the bridal dress. It not only affects the overall appearance of the wedding gown, but a wrong heel height could make the wedding gown drag the ground while the bride is dancing or socializing.
  
  
• A bride with a larger foot should take extra care that she does not settle for bridal shoes designed for smaller feet. Select bridal shoes that come in special plus sizes for such brides.
  
  
• For those brides-to-be who are unsure to pick for the wedding, it will be better to do a little research, browse through magazines, Internet, look into malls and seek suggestions from friends and family or a stylist who can help out.
  

Hints for happy feet

• It is always better to go for the trail of wedding shoes much before the big day to enable the feet get accustomed to the shoe style. Be sure to stand a lot and walk around with the bridal shoes till it is made sure that the bride can wear them comfortably for at least four to five hours at a stretch. Wear the shoes around the house before the wedding to break them in a bit.
  
  
• The bride may have to walk on different floor surfaces; the aisle may be carpeted; the reception hall may have slick floors. It could become difficult to walk or dance on with the new pair of bridal shoes. Consider adding self adhesive pads to the bottom of the shoes for added traction or use sandpaper to scuff the soles well before use.
  
  
• To ensure a good fit, it will be better to shop for shoes at the end of the day. Feet swell during the course of the day and the feet are at their largest in the end of the day.
  
  
• Normally closed toe and closed back bridal shoes are comfortable for a wedding.
  
  
• It is better to tuck bandages and moleskin into the wedding kit just in case blisters occur.