Your Wedding Shoes

Twenty years ago, my wedding shoes were plain white three inch heels. The heels and toes were closed. I got them at a discount shoe store and I am sure many other women had them as well.

As I was getting dressed at the church on my wedding day, several other girls were in the room with me. All of a sudden, my flower girl's mom gasped. I looked at her, thinking something awful had happened. She said, "Oh, no! I have on the same shoes you are wearing! Do you want me to take them off and go barefoot?"

I thought to myself, "Girl, are you kidding? So what!"
She was dead serious about it.

I told her it was fine for her to wear the shoes and that I did not expect her to go without shoes because she bought her shoes at the same place I bought mine. Besides that, with my long dress and train, my shoes never even showed. Same shoes--no big deal to me.

Now, wedding footwear seems to be a much bigger deal. Brides are buying expensive designer shoes. Bridal gowns can be shorter and many do not have trains, leaving the bride's feet exposed, at least partially.

The footwear that brides are choosing range from too-high heels to pretty shoes with sensible heels to ballet flats, and from comfortable sneakers to the ultimate in comfortable footwear--wedding flip-flops!

Yes, you read that right. Smart brides know they will be on their feet for many hours on their wedding day and comfort is a big priority. Sneakers and flip-flops, when beautifully decorated, can fit the bill, especially if you are having an outdoor wedding or a beach wedding.

Plenty of brides are wearing them for indoor weddings too. They come in handy for all of those wedding dances.

To avoid embarrassment that you will remember for many years and to avoid unnecessary pain so you can enjoy your wedding day, do yourself a favor. Limit your heel size to two or three inches if you wear dress shoes. Anything higher will make your feet very uncomfortable after several hours of standing.

The embarrassment? This comes from catching a heel in your dress and tripping and falling or turning your ankle and having a sprain for your honeymoon. Play it safe and pain-free. The closer your feet are to the ground, the better.

Wedding shoes should look pretty but more importantly, they should be comfortable on one of the happiest, yet most stressful days of your life. When you shop for shoes, keep in mind that your feet will swell a little because you will be standing all day long.

Make sure your feet have plenty of wiggle room when you try them on. Definitely get some of those cushiony gel inserts for your wedding shoes. They are great.

Whatever type of footwear you decide on, purchase them several months before the big day. Start breaking them in. Practice walking around your house a little each day to get used to them. Don't take them outside and get them dirty.

Sometimes new shoes will give you a blister or irritate your feet at first. Get used to them and by your wedding day, your feet will be happy you did.

Ballet slippers

by Elizabeth
(Hartsville, SC)

My fiance and I are the same height. I didn't want to tower over him at our wedding, so I chose simple Isotoner lacey white bedroom slippers. Many brides wear these during the reception as well. Pretty, dainty and very, very comfortable.

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Great idea! Thank you for sharing!
--Juanita

Slippers
by: Paula

Hey, I like the idea about the slippers. Thank you for the heads up.
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Glad you like it. They are so comfy and you will definitely need comfort for your feet on your wedding day. You may want to wear heels for the ceremony and then change or just wear the slippers the whole day!
--Juanita

Wedding Sneakers

by Carolyn
(San Diego)

I want to use some wedding sneakers at my wedding like on Father Of The Bride. I thought the lacy white wedding sneakers Steve Martin's character made at his shoe factory for his on-screen daughter were just beautiful. They will be comfortable and just right. Also, with a long dress, not that many people will see your feet anyway so why would anyone want to be uncomfortable in heels all day long? Please provide some decorating ideas for sneakers to make them look like they were made for a wedding.

You have a great site. The Bible verses are especially helpful. Thank you for putting this site together for brides to be!

Wedding Sneakers
by: Juanita

Carolyn,
Thank you so much for the compliment. I am glad my site is helpful to you. Especially, that you find the Bible verses helpful. My wedding Bible verses page gets thousands of hits each month and is my biggest page. In this day of so many wanting to do non-Christian things, it is good to know that there are still thousands of brides searching for Bible verses to include in their wedding ceremony.

Wedding sneakers are a great idea. Comfy and pretty, you can make your own or buy them already fancied up!

Lacey Wedding Sneakers

by Kara
(San Bernadino)

I am going the way of Father Of The Bride and wearing white wedding sneakers. I am putting lace on them. I have not done it yet. I really need to see some photos so I know what I am doing. I am going to use pretty lace for the shoelaces so that will look fancy.

I think I will glue the lace around the top of the shoe where the foot goes and maybe around the cloth at the bottom where it connects to the rubber. Maybe a lacey bow on the toes? Guess I will just get creative and try some ideas out and see how they look before I glue them on.

Lacey Wedding Sneakers
by: Juanita

What a great idea for your wedding, using lacey wedding sneakers with long lengths of lace for the laces!

This is a wonderful way to keep your feet comfy and cushie since you will be on them for hours dancing and greeting your guests.

Best wishes on your wedding.

Wedding Flip Flops

by Marie
(Laguna Beach)

I am having a beach wedding. I found some pretty white wedding flip flops and that is what I plan to wear. I think I will leave them plain. However, I am thinking about decorating them but would like to see some photos of decorated wedding flip flops.

My groom is also going to wear brown flip flops to go with his brownish wedding suit. It is more of a camel. Very summery and nice looking for the beach. I have not heard of decorating groom flip flops. Do you know of how to decorate them? I think plain is probably best for the groom. There is no way he would wear lace or ribbons.

Wedding Flip Flops
by: Juanita

Marie,
I love the concept of flip flops for the bride instead of horribly uncomfortable high heels and blisters. Plain wedding flip flops are fine but if you have it in you, try decorating them. You will be proud of them and they will make the day even more fun for you.

I have never seen a groom wear decorated flip flops. I would be safe and stay with the plain ones for him.

Best wishes.

Sparkling Wedding Heels

by Lois
(Chicago)

I wanted to make some comfy wedding heels. I have a wide foot so I had to shop early and find wide white heels that were cushy and not too high. I chose some 2 inch heels with a soft inner piece.

Okay, size and comfort, done. Now I wanted something special, not just another pair of white heels. I bought some clear glass glitter and, using craft glue, I glued the glass glitter to the toe portion of the shoes. Then I glued some sparkling white glitter to the heels and the heel portion of the shoes. To prevent the glitter from falling off, I sealed it by painting a coat of decoupage glue over the glitter.

They looked beautiful and no one else at the wedding had the same shoes as the bride! I got a lot of compliments because I lifted my dress a little all day long for everyone to see. I was so proud of my sparkling wedding heels!

DIY Wedding Heels
by: Juanita

Lois,
I just love the idea of you decorating DIY sparkling wedding heels! I wish you had uploaded a photo. They sound just beautiful.

I don't blame you for showing them off as much as possible. That had to be so much fun. I bet friends and relatives will come to you and ask you to decorate some for them. Maybe you could start a business?

Best wishes on married life. Thank you for sharing your idea.

Don't spend $200 on fancy shoes for your wedding. Cheap wedding shoes that look nice can be found at discount shoe stores like Payless Shoes.

Payless Shoes always has a nice selection of dress shoes in a variety of colors and if you have wide feet like I do, you will be happy to know that they carry many styles in wide sizes. My family shops there for our shoes almost always. Several times a year, they have a BOGO sale. BOGO stands for Buy One, Get One Half Off and the shoes are already cheap.

No, they are not designer shoes made out of the finest leather. They are nice looking shoes at a decent price so you can stay within your budget and still have new shoes for your wedding.

Remember that you will be on your feet a lot on your wedding day. Make sure you have plenty of room in the shoes you plan to wear then. Your feet will swell so you need to make sure they are roomy and comfortable. Consider putting gel inserts in your shoes for extra comfort. Walk around in your cheap wedding shoes for a few hours each day in the house to get your feet used to them. Don't go outside and get them dirty.

If you buy plain white heels, consider dressing them up with rhinestones, gem stones, beads, lace, or ribbon, especially if your wedding dress does not go all the way down to the floor. This is not necessary, but can be fun for you and for all of your guests as well. Craft glue will hold the decorations on. Don't use Elmer's school glue. Alene's Tacky Craft Glue works wonders. You can find it any craft store and at Wal-Mart in a gold plastic bottle with white lettering. Great stuff.

Once in a while, Wal-Mart has some nice heels and flats in wide sizes as well. If you have skinny feet, you can find good shoes there. Happy shopping!

Wedding sneakers? Yes! Don't you remember the movie, "Father Of The Bride" with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton? In it, Steve Martin plays the father of the bride and he owns a sneaker factory.

He has a beautiful pair of white tennis shoes specially made and decorated for his daughter's wedding ceremony using sparkly white lace for the shoelaces and on the front of the shoe for his daughter. What a great idea! They were gorgeous and such a comfy alternative to uncomfortable high heels!

Bridal tennis shoes can be feminine, frilly and very comfortable. They are not just for athletic types. Who doesn't love a comfy pair of sneakers or tennis shoes?

You can order them online, fully decorated, and pay a bundle of cash. Or, if you are crafty, you can save a lot of money by designing and decorating them yourself.

Just go to Wal-Mart or a discount shoe store and buy several pairs of inexpensive white sneakers or tennis shoes to experiment on. Make sure this is done months before your wedding day. If you would rather buy some to match your wedding colors instead of white, that is fine, too.

Choose lace and ribbon on rolls that you think would look pretty on your wedding sneakers. Pick out tiny pearls and little jewels, even silk flowers at your local craft store. These all come in a variety of sizes and colors.

If you don't own a hot glue gun, you can purchase a cheap one and hot glue sticks to match from Wal-Mart, craft stores, and even at some dollar stores.

Another pretty idea for lace-up wedding sneakers or tennis shoes is to pull the laces out and replace them with lengths of pretty ribbon in satin or lace. The ribbon can be white, metallic, or in a color to match your wedding colors. This really adds style to your bridal shoes. Comfort and style--the perfect combination for your feet when you have to look and feel beautiful all day long!

If you must wear heels, do so during the actual wedding ceremony and then change into your pretty wedding sneakers for the reception. Your feet will feel cozy for the entire day, which means you will look beautiful for your entire reception. Why? Because your feet will not be aching which means you will be smiling on one of the happiest days of your life!

Wedding flip-flops are great shoes for a beach wedding or a tropical-style wedding. These ultra-casual sandals are in style right now for everyday wear.

Everybody is wearing them from children to teenagers to self-made millionaires. They are so comfortable and can be worn with shorts, capris, jeans, and dresses. If you choose to wear them on your special day, you will definitely be in style.

Everybody is wearing them from children to teenagers to self-made millionaires. They are so comfortable and can be worn with shorts, capris, jeans, and dresses. If you choose to wear them on your special day, you will definitely be in style.

Here is a quick video for inspiration. Get some great ideas and craft your own stylish wedding flip-flops.

Buy several pairs of cheap flip-flops along with some decorative items. These can include ribbon, lace, glitter, silk flowers, miniature jewels and pearls, small shells, anything you think will look pretty on your wedding flip-flops.

Make sure you have a hot glue gun and hot glue sticks to hold your decorations in place. If you don't have them, you can find them at dollar stores, Wal-Mart, or craft stores.

Once you have finished decorating a pair, put them on and walk around in them. Make sure they feel comfortable with the items you have put on them. Also, make sure each item is securely glued on.

Walk around in them inside every few days to get used to them.

Another idea is to decorate flip-flops for both you and your groom for the honeymoon. Maybe some look-alike ones for the beach. Just make sure his look manly or he won't wear them! No pink, no flowers or lace, etc., on his pair!