Cost of Shoes?

[violet02]

So I had a particular budget set for my dress which I just barely met (only because I didnt include tax and alterations). I figured that would be my big expense and the rest would be cheap and easy. Now I find mysef attempting to buy VERY expensive wedding shoes. I''m a slave to fashion and all but I''ve never bought 600 plus dollar shoes in my life! My question is, other than how well they''re made/comfort factor, does anyone really notice your shoes? Do beautiful shoes make a big difference? Of the three weddings I went to last year I noticed all three pairs of shoes because 1) wore a knee length dress with maroon heels, 2) wore dark heels, saw them briefly 3) wore red keds half the night for comfort. I do love the look of beautiful shoes though... is it worth it?

 

[violet02]

This topic should have really been titled ''How important ARE the shoes!''

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I have owned very expensive shoes and more budget consious shoes and the comfort and the look is more tied to the company than the cost.
I do notice shoes, but I would not think a bride wearing cheaper shoes was a problem.
If you have a particular pair in mind, perhaps you could find something cheaper that looks similiar if that''s the problem.
There are also amazing shoes designers who are neither budget nor cost $600. In fact, most of my favorite shoe designers (manolo Blahnik, Stewart Wiseman, Lulu Guiness) run less than $600 but are certainly not budget shoes.

 

[dani13]

Trust me- no one even notices your shoes (unless you are wearing a short dress- which I dont think you are). I started out like you...I have pretty pricey taste...I was looking at shoes from the $500 and up range. After a while, I set my priorities straight, and went to an upscale bridal store in the area with an open mind, and tried on all different shoes in different price ranges (not that they had any cheap shoes, but..)....I told myself I should be looking for a shoe that was comfortable (since I have alot of probs with my feet and cant tolerate uncomfortable shoes for long). I ended up getting a really nice pair of shoes for about $215, which is not cheap, but not insanely expensive either. They were SO comfortable, and totally cute. Remember, you are going to be wearing you wedding day shoes for probably 10+ hrs, so pick a shoe that is a good combo of comfy/cute/and reasonable, b/c you will never wear them again anyway!!!!!

 

[violet02]

Well the tradeoff was to buy a pair of Manolo Sedaraby''s... and then for sure re-wear them again. I was trying to use Bee''s idea of maybbe getting a silver pair then easily wearing it again. Unforutnately silver is completely sold out everywhere. So then there''s the one lone pair of white satin shoes which I can get but they''re white satin. The cool thing there would be to dye them a different color once all is said and done. If that''s workable. I find that I''m a lot harder on satin vs leather shoes so I''m bummed about those silver not being availabe. I think if I got very ''weddingy'' shoes I proably would never wear them again, if I get something more versatile that may work best. The price is so painful for a pair of shoes though....

 

[bee*]

Sorry to hear that the silver are sold out everywhere-what a bummer!

 

[violet02]

I guess I''ll get the white ones and see if I ''love'' them or not. If so I''ll keep them and dye them a different color later on. If I don''t love them I''ll return them and wait to see when silver comes back in stock. The sales people told me they get that style about two times a year, it just sells out so fast! I like the idea of a shoe I''ll wear again... I think if I buy bridal shoes I won''t wear them again. My co-worker says his wife''s $250 pair are still in the clost at her parents house since the day after the wedding. I like the idea of the silver ones a lot though, leather shoes versus satin means less dirt and wear and tear. The contrasting color is cool too. Bee, you''re a fashion guru!

 

[Independent Gal]

if you're flexible about the style, buy on sale. Check the Neiman & Saks websites, and also Bluefly.com and ebay. A lot of boutiques that sell them put thm on sale. I was in Barney's Co -op in new york a couple of weeks ago and they had some on sale for about 50% off too.

The thing about designer stuff (like, high design) is that it is made as art. It is definitely NOT made to last or to be comfortable. I have a lot of designer stuff, and most of it requires extreme care and gets ruined quickly. I have one Prada blouse that came with a tag that said "remove all jewelry when wearing this garment"... if you so much as look at it the wrong way, it will tear. And while I've never had a pair of Manolos, I do have a few pairs of extremely hot Prada shoes and some Louboutins, and they are agony to wear.

And no, pretty much no one will notice... maybe a couple of shoe afficionados but that's it.

So the reason to buy designer wedding shoes would be how they make you feel wearing them. If you are thinking "Oh Lord I love these shoes!" that feeling might be worth the money. But don't buy them for comfort, lasting power, or show. But buy them for YOU if it will make you happy and you can afford it.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh yeah, I love different coloured wedding shoes. Especially bright red or blue. Awesome. Sassy. Cool. Plus then you''ll definitely wear them again.

 

[bee*]

Indy, the Manolo''s are amazingly comfortable-seriously! I have Louboutins and Prada''s also and they''re so painful after a few hours, the Manolos are like slippers.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh, no! bee! Are you trying to give me ANOTHER expensive vice here?

OK, I''ll just have to try on some Manolos then.

 

[Rhea]

I didn''t spend much on shoes - about $50-$60 which is still a lot for me but I couldn''t really afford more with th cost of the wedding nor could I find shoes that I knew I''d wear again. If you''re a big fashion person and you can find shoes to wear again then I think you should go for it. I doubt anyone will actually see or notice them but if they are important to you and you notice shoes then that''s what matters.

 

[bee*]

Date: 2/3/2008 3:11:44 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Oh, no! bee! Are you trying to give me ANOTHER expensive vice here?

OK, I''ll just have to try on some Manolos then.

haha it didn''t take much to pursuade you

 

[Haven]

After wearing the most uncomfortable pair of shoes to a wedding last weekend, I have to say that comfort is KEY, and please wear comfortable shoes to your wedding. PLEASE.

That being said, I don''t think you have to spend hundreds for comfort.

 

[Independent Gal]

BTW, i just bought some Dr. Scholl gel insole thingies for fancy heels and they are fab. I took them for a spin, but really bought them for the wedding day. Something like that has got to be good for whatever shoes you end up wearing I''m sure!

 

[tberube]

Now that is something that''s totally different for everyone. But for me - I chose to save the cash for other things. I''m the kind of person who normally drops $100 - $200 on shoes, but only shoes that I''ll wear a lot. Why spend that money on shoes you''ll only wear on your wedding day? They''ll hide under your dress for a few hours and then they''ll be thrown under a chair while you dance the night away. What a waste.

So for my wedding shoes I plan to spend UNDER $100 (preferably $50ish) and I plan to buy them in a style and color that I will wear again. And just in case I don''t wear them again, at least I haven''t blown my chair-cover budget on them.

 

[basil]

I kinda really wanted these: Manolo Blahnik Perle in gold.

But I just can''t spend $625 on shoes when the majority of the audience won''t notice. I ended up with a nice pair of gold sandals that I like and will wear again. And though I''ve never had Manolos on my feet so I don''t really know how comfy they are, the pair I got look more stable, which is something I worried about. I decided it would be better to chuck an extra $500 towards the floral/decorations budget than shoes that no one would see or notice.