Wedding Shoe Shopping Tips

Wedding shoes are a once in a lifetime purchase. They are part of your wedding attire and will show when you take off your garter, so you want them to complete your look. Keep in mind to budget in wedding shoes so you don’t think of them as an additional afterthought expense.

Most retail stores don’t stock them, they order them because it’s expensive to stock a lot of shoes that will go out of style or may discolor if they sit on their shelf for long periods of time. Most shoes will not discolor, but if they are cheap shoes with glued on satin, the glue may yellow and give the shoes a yellowish color.

Wedding shoes are unique occasion shoes and the demand isn’t the same as a flip flop or pair of cute boots. Shop early and keep your options open. Shop so that you have your shoes in time for alterations because your hem length on your dress is dependent on the size of your shoe heel. You may need to buy the shoes before you order your wedding dress if you are having your dress ordered with your hem length.

Some brides decide to wear a color to match the accent on their wedding dress. If you decide to do color, make sure you wear color accents in your jewelry to tie it all together. There is a huge difference in quality in wedding shoes. Price doesn’t always indicate quality. Sometimes you are paying for the designer’s name. Sometimes you are paying for silk shoes versus satin or polyester fabric. Some of the same shoes that are high-priced in silk can be ordered in a less expensive fabric so you have the same look at a more affordable price. After you buy your shoes, make sure you break them in. Wear them around the house with a pair of socks to make them comfortable. If they have a leather sole, make sure you take them to a shoe shop to have a non skid pad put on the bottom so you don’t fall.