Although shoes are usually hidden under the dress, you have to keep in mind that they are your support on your wedding day. In bridal shoes, you'll be walking, dancing, striding, posing, running, and even standing still. There are many ways to choose bridal shoes depending on the dress, the venue, the couple, the time of year, and more. We'll help you and give you a series of interesting tips so you can choose your bridal shoes correctly. We'll also give you tips and tricks so you can choose between white shoes or colored bridal shoes .
How to choose my wedding shoes
There are three fundamental and indispensable factors that your wedding shoes must have: comfort, quality, and personality.
The most important thing for your wedding day is comfort. You'll need to choose shoes that provide the comfort you'll need to enjoy the entire day. The ideal is to find the perfect balance between the ideal bridal shoes and the most comfortable ones. When you try on the shoes, you should feel good; if not, forget about them (no matter how beautiful they are). Remember to choose the right size, avoiding shoes that are too loose or too tight. Comfort also depends on quality, so try to choose shoes made of leather or natural, flexible materials (especially on the inside).
As for personality, it's clear that they have to be true to your style. For example, if you've never worn heels, forget about stilettos and opt for flat shoes with a low or medium heel, chunky heels, and/or a platform.
We already know the basics of what your wedding shoes should look like, now let's choose the right footwear. Here's the most comprehensive guide and the factors to consider when choosing your wedding shoes . Shall we start with the color?
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Colored or white bridal shoes?
More and more brides are choosing colored shoes for their wedding day, but often for the wrong reasons. The first reason people often choose colored bridal shoes is thinking they'll never wear white shoes again. Wrong! Don't you wear white Converse or sneakers when you go out? If you think white doesn't go with anything, you're completely wrong. It's a spectacular color for winter and, especially, summer looks, but you have to choose the right materials. For example, satin or lace will be more difficult to reuse, but if you choose leather shoes, they'll be a perfect accessory all year round.
Choose a white, off-white, ivory, or nude bridal shoe if your wedding is traditional and you like to match the dress, you are a discreet bride, or you want to add a different touch without going overboard.
Choose a colorful wedding shoe if you're a daring bride and want it to play an important and distinctive role, complementing your partner, the theme, the decor, the dress, and other factors. Color is fun, but don't make your wedding look like a circus (unless that's your theme).
Let's look at different shapes, forms, and options for choosing your bridal shoes. As you read on, you'll learn whether you want to choose white, medium-toned, or colored bridal shoes.
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SELECT BRIDAL SHOES ACCORDING TO YOUR DRESS
You've probably heard and read it many times: first you choose your wedding dress, then your shoes. In most cases, your footwear will depend on the dress, the cut, the material, the style, the length of the dress, etc. Okay, great. " But what shoe should I choose for my wedding dress? " We've created an infographic to help you with the selection process.
Now that you've seen the idea, we're going to develop it a little further, but remember that you decide the ideal shoe; these are just some basic guidelines.
• Princess-style wedding dress: The great thing about princess-style dresses is that they accept any type of shoe. It's easy! Choose comfortable shoes and tailor your choice to the materials and accessories of the dress or the wedding in general (keep reading for other options).
• Simple wedding dress: If your wedding dress is simple, so are the shoes. But they can also be fun shoes! Choose stilettos, sandals, or pumps that are plain or have minimalist embellishments. You can also add a different touch and include some or all of the color in your wedding shoes.
• Short wedding dresses: With these dresses, it's important to highlight your shoes and try to choose shoes with medium or high heels to stylize your legs. It's a good idea to choose a different, original style, a jeweled style, metallic, or colored.
• Mermaid wedding dress: With this type of dress, you'll want to choose shoes that allow for good mobility. The dress already has some limitations due to its shape, so opt for comfortable and elegant shoes.
• Greek and Roman wedding dress: If we look back at ancient Greek and Roman culture, sandals were the most popular, right? Then this is the perfect option. Choose between strappy, minimalist, and simple sandals or unique but chic sandals. If you're looking for comfort, opt for platform shoes.
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You also have to take into account the MATERIALS , both of the dress and the shoes.
• Lace dresses: If your wedding dress has a lot of lace, opt for a plain material on your shoes. If it has lace on the top or middle, then your shoes can also be made of this material or have touches of it, but if they have it on the bottom, it's best not to overdo it. If your wedding dress doesn't have any lace embellishment, it also makes no sense to add it to your shoes.
• Sheer dresses or nude-colored undertones: These have become completely fashionable lately and are seen in every collection. Nude-colored shoes look great with these types of dresses because they complement the dress.
• Plain dresses: Here you choose, minimalism or adding a different touch to the shoes, but without going overboard or overloading the look.
• Dresses with rhinestones: Does your dress have a lot of rhinestones? Then keep things simple and choose something modest, a metallic material, or a small glittery embellishment. If your dress has a shiny detail and you want your shoes to stand out, you can buy shoes with embellishments or glittery materials.
• Tulle dresses: Caution! Tulle can snag on shoe decorations or materials like thick glitter. If your dress has tulle on the inside, you should avoid materials and objects that can snag, or you can also wear a petticoat (without tulle) to avoid this.
• Dresses with a touch of color: Many dresses feature gradient tulle, colored sashes, embellishments, or colored rhinestones. If you're a daring bride, you can choose shoes in the same shade.
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CHOOSE SHOES TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE TIME OF YEAR
This may be one of the most trivial and least important aspects when choosing bridal shoes, especially nowadays, but you should also keep it in mind.
Open-toed bridal shoes are usually worn for summer weddings, and closed-toe shoes for winter weddings. However, these days, we also wear sandals when it's cold, so we'll leave this section up to you. For example, velvet sandals look great in winter.
What you do need to consider is the material of your wedding shoes . If you're getting married in a grassy garden, in rainy areas and during the rainy season, you should skip the suede and textile materials, as they will get wet, damp, uncomfortable, and difficult to clean. If you're getting married on a plot of dry, loose soil, we also don't recommend these materials because they will stain easily.
Leather is a perfect material for any terrain and wedding, as it is easy to clean and better protects the foot in case of moisture.
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CHOOSE SHOES ACCORDING TO THE PLACE OF CELEBRATION
You need to carefully consider the location(s) and setting of the wedding. Walking on beach sand, grass, or parquet isn't the same. Weddings are often held in more than one location, so choose your shoes based on the terrain where you'll be spending the most time, or change yours.
• Regular, smooth floors: All shoes are suitable for asphalt, terrazzo, parquet, marble, etc. You can wear thin or wide heels. The platform provides stability, but on regular, smooth floors, you can wear any shoe, even with a thin sole.
• Grass: Any type of shoe can be worn on grass, but you need to consider the heel. Preferably a wide heel or use heel covers. Choose easy-to-clean materials like leather.
• Sand: High-top closed shoes or open-toed shoes with flat soles, such as wedges or flip-flops. Esparto grass wedges are ideal for fine sand. Choose easy-to-clean materials that are easy to remove sand from the beach.
• Cobblestone floors: We recommend closed-toe or well-supported styles, preferably with wide heels. Platforms are important. They can be small or preferably large. At the very least, the shoe should have padded insoles so you don't notice the ground and uneven surfaces when walking.
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CHOOSE BRIDAL SHOES ACCORDING TO YOUR PARTNER
The couple, along with the bride, is the star of the wedding. If there's no couple, there's no wedding, right? You can choose your wedding shoes with your partner in mind, whether male or female. Ways to choose:
Identical or similar shoes. You can wear the same shoes, such as sneakers, cowboy boots, or Converse. You can also buy shoes of the same style, material, or with the same embellishments or designs. You can use this trick for the wedding or for pre-wedding or post-wedding photos.
Matching shoes. Another option for matching your shoes with your partner's is to wear the same material or color. It will look great in photos and will be fun and different.
Personalized shoes. There are many artisans currently engraving meaningful quotes for the bride and groom on the sole, the leather, or the inside of the shoe. You can also create a special vinyl with a simple icon or drawing, which will further connect you as a couple. Consider where you'll place the quote or drawing because contact or cutout areas aren't ideal for messages.
When buying shoes, you also have to consider your partner's height. As a general rule (or rather, culturally), the groom is usually taller than the bride, but nowadays we see couples of equal height or even with a slight difference. If you are taller than the groom, it would be ideal to choose low-heeled shoes or bridal ballet flats, but if you want to wear heels, we have some tips and advice for you and your partner.
Tricks to wear heels if your partner is shorter.
Men's heels. No, we haven't gone crazy. Men's dress shoes also have heels and are still very masculine. They are flat, square, and wide heels, attached to the sole, and can be between 1 and 6 cm (usually 3 cm).
Shoe lifts for men. You can insert shoe lifts inside shoes, which may already have heels, to give your partner a few extra inches.
If your partner is tall, you can choose the shoe height you feel most comfortable in. It's no use wearing 15-centimeter heels to match your partner's height in photos if you're going to be uncomfortable or not know how to walk in them. You have to be consistent.
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HOW TO CHOOSE BRIDAL SHOES ACCORDING TO YOUR WEDDING COLOR
If you've decided to wear colored shoes, keep reading, and we'll give you some tips for choosing yours. Brides who have decided not to wear white shoes typically choose shades like nude, pale pink, bone, ivory, or pastel hues for daytime weddings, and for evening weddings, metallic, gold, or silver colors are often used to give the shoes that special sparkle in the dark. All of these shades combine very well at weddings, and you can also choose bolder colors that match the wedding's aesthetic.
• Match your partner: Aside from the advice you read above, you can also match the color of your shoes with your partner's suit or accessories: the tie, vest, shirt, or some other visible detail.
• Match the bouquet: If you're sure what your bridal bouquet will look like, why not match it with your shoes? You can also do it the other way around: show your florist the shoes you've chosen and let her arrange the different flowers to match your footwear.
• Match the decor: Most weddings tend to have a predominant color in the decor, and you can also use it on your bridal shoes. If your decor is pastel and white, you can choose nude shoes. If your decor is red, opt for shoes in this shade. Dare to try something new? Check out our post on black and white weddings.
• Match the dress: These days, many dresses feature skin-colored or sheer bottoms, and nude shoes are the perfect choice. Additionally, there are also wedding dresses that feature colorful details like bows, rhinestones, a colored belt, etc. Match your shoes to the dress.
• Bridesmaids: Choose your wedding shoes in the same color as your bridesmaids' dresses or accessories. You can also choose complementary or opposite colors. Another option is to match your shoes to your bridesmaids' bouquets.
• Makeup and accessories: Imagine bold red lips with matching shoes. Spectacular!
Despite all the advice, you may need a backup shoe plan. Keep in mind that you'll be wearing the same pair of shoes for many hours, and even doing all this in sneakers will make you tired of them. Just in case, have a second pair of wedding shoes .
Did this guide help you choose your wedding shoes? Is it complete, or would you add anything?