When a bride walks down the aisle, she does so in a pair of very special shoes. As with the dress and veil, her wedding day is likely to be only time she will ever wear this particular footwear.
Finding the perfect pair of wedding shoes is a bewildering task, considering the vast variety of options now available. Traditionally, wedding shoes were distinguished from ordinary formal shoes by their combination of high heels, white color, and ornate design. Today, however, many colors and styles have become quite popular.
Fashionable Wedding Shoes
What constitutes the ideal wedding shoes for the bride, as with any kind of special occasion shoes, is largely a matter of taste. Some of the most common types of shoes seen on bride’s feet at their wedding ceremonies, however, include the following:
Flats and wedges
Flat wedding shoes are typically more comfortable wedding shoes, which is, perhaps, the number one reason for their recent popularity.
Open and Peep Toed Shoes
“Peep toes” are distinguished by being narrower, and thus allowing less toe to show, than their “open toe” counterparts.
Sandals
The straps are often kept thin and as inconspicuous as possible, even being hidden behind the heel and around the ankle.
Lace Wedding Shoes
The snowflake-like patterning is very detailed and complex.
This kind of shoe will be instantly recognized as belonging to the world of weddings.
Designer Wedding Shoes
Jewels and crystals are often decked over designer wedding shoes, making them glisten brilliantly in the light.
Unique contours and strap designs, however, are also a typical feature.
Vintage Wedding Shoes
The desire to wear vintage wedding shoes often stems from a desire to look like a parent or grandparent did when she walked down the aisle.
The curiosity of dressing up your feet like those of Victorian-Era England, 19th-Century America, the 1930s or the 1950s also has its appeal.
Dyeable Wedding Shoes
It is also possible to imprint special dye designs or text on such shoes.
The Most Popular Wedding-Shoe Colors
While shoes are to be had in any color imaginable, some of the most common colors and some reasons why one might select them are as follows:
- White Wedding Shoes: This is the most traditional choice, and it speaks of the purity and joy of a newly wed bride.
- Ivory Wedding Shoes: Ivory wedding shoes, a more or less “off white” color choice, tend to communicate an elegant, graceful form of beauty.
- Silver Wedding Shoes: These are the shoes that glitter and shine like no others. Prosperity and preciousness of love can be signaled.
- Red Wedding Shoes: Red is the color of deep romantic affection, and red shoes at a wedding can indicate a couple “head over heels” in love.
- Blue Wedding Shoes: Certainly not a symbol of feeling sad in this context, blue shoes on the bride can symbolize loyalty and friendship.
- Purple Wedding Shoes: Deep purple is often the color of royalty, and purple shoes could easily fit into a theme of being each other’s “king and queen.”
Popular Wedding-Shoe Brands
While a multitude of wedding-shoe brands exist, certain brands have risen far above the others in popularity.
Badgley Mischka
Christian Louboutin
Jimmy Choo
Stuart Weitzman
Knowing a good brand name is a good place to start in your search for the perfect wedding shoe, but in the end, the features and quality of the shoe itself will be what matters.
Conclusion
Shoes rank among the most important of all bridal accessories, and finding the right shoe is worth a little research and comparison-shopping. There are more choices today than ever before, and some of the recent trends are far from traditional.
Comfort, in particular, has risen on the scale of importance to wedding-shoe shoppers. Nonetheless, traditional shoes continue to sell in huge numbers right alongside the more recent innovations.
Shoes of many styles, colors, and brands will compete for your attention, but the shopping-wise bride will be able to navigate the plethora of options and find her that special shoe for her most special occasion.
