Wedding season is well and truly upon us (lets hope the weather cheers up soon) and with that comes a whole host of women looking for the perfect footwear to complement their carefully chosen outfit. Sadly I don’t have any weddings on the horizon this Summer but that doesn’t stop me thinking about shoes!
I’ve made some massive mistakes with outfits and footwear in the past (and not only for weddings!) so I feel quite qualified to be passing on some nuggets of advice for those who are unsure where to start. I’ve also been blessed with larger than average feet, for a woman, so finding the perfect shoes is always a mission for me (thanks, Mum)!
The first thing to consider has to be where the wedding is going to be held. Will you be on hard flooring and spending the majority of time inside or will you be walking through a field and dancing on hay bales? No-one wants to be wearing stilettos for a Ceilidh!
Next you will need to think about how long you’re going to be wearing the footwear for. Are you spending all day and night in the same shoes or will it be only a few hours for a civil ceremony or evening ‘do’? Even if you’re spending only a short amount of time at the wedding you’ll still need to feel comfortable and finding fashionable yet comfortable high heels for women can be a mission!
The earlier you start looking the more in control you’re going to feel. I know in the past I’ve left shoes until the last moment, panicked and ended up splurging a load of money I hadn’t intended to just because the shoes matched. As my history teacher always said “if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail!”
Trying to buy wedding guest shoes in a shop is just asking for trouble. Unless you know the exact colour and length of your outfit you’re better off buying online. Order a load of shoes that look suitable and then you can take your time deciding which shoes look best with your chosen outfit.
Once you’ve selected your shoes make sure you break them in. Breaking in shoes isn’t a science but it definitely helps and wearing them once around the house isn’t enough. I’d suggest you have your shoes a good few months before the wedding and wear them multiple times to really ensure you’re going to feel comfortable on the big day. There’s nothing worse than not being able to enjoy someones wedding because your shoes are hurting you and after wearing such a beautiful outfit walking around bare foot would be a real shame – unless your wedding is on a beach!
If you’re still worried your new shoes might give you some pain later in the day you can always pack yourself a spare pair to slip in your handbag or have in the back of the car – after all, it’s an excuse to buy more shoes!
