First the proposal, next the ring, the wedding date, the dress and then the shoes or is it the shoes and then the dress? So what do women look for when they are buying their wedding shoes? Regardless of which comes first, is it designer driven or comfort driven? Although it is only one night out of the rest of your life, walking down the aisle in your dream pair of shoes in comfort from designers such as Prada, Jimmy Choo, Givenchy, Kate Spade, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Steve Madden or your favorite designer would be a win, win for you and for your feet.
Whether you're looking for a specific style such as sandals, peep toes, pumps or the perfect heel height, you want to look good and feel good from head to toe without being in shoe or feet hell.
According to Lauren Rudy an associate buyer at David's Bridal she notes that "there definitely seems to be an attachment to a certain brand, wanting something to work back to their dress, something that complements it without taking away from it, and being on trend."
Wedding shoes like any other pair of fashion footwear should fit properly and not be too tight, too small or too big. Even if it is the only night you wear those shoes, walking down the aisle, standing in a reception line and dancing the entire night away should be as painless as possible.
Feet come in different sizes, widths and shapes with lumps and bumps in all the wrong places when it comes to buying your wedding shoes. Shoes only come in sizes and widths. If you are purchasing your shoes online, in a bridal shop or at a department store, always buy your true shoe size not ones that almost fit.
The land mines to avoid when purchasing your shoes is making sure they do not pinch in the toe box or rub the top, tip and sides of your toes. That could lead to the formation of blisters and corns. So make sure you have enough wiggle room in the toe box of the shoe. If the shoes are too narrow or wide, by the end of your night your feet will probably be screaming at you to take them off. Feet can swell after being on them all day. Blisters and corns can form on the toes due to constant rubbing, friction and the toes trying to grab the floor of the shoe for stability.
If you have developed bunions or hammer toes over the years you now have to accommodate those bony issues when buying your shoes. Having a narrow heel can also cause problems when buying shoes because of heel slippage. Bunions can trigger the big toe joint to get red, swollen and painful by the end of the night. Hammer toes can increase the chance of developing blisters. Shoes that are too wide can cause the balls of your feet to slide and burn because of excess movement within the toe box area of the shoe. Wedding shoes that have too steep of a pitch such as 4-5 inch heel can initiate muscle spasms in the arch, pain in the ball of the foot pain and toe cramping. That is because of the muscles in the arch of your foot are getting tired and begin to fatigue from the stress of being on your feet that day.
Most women will throw caution to the wind and think, who cares it's my wedding day and I can endure any minor foot pain. However, it is always better to wear wedding shoes that are comfortable, supportive and will last the entire night.
This Is How You Do It!
Always look for shoes with soft leather because the last thing you want to do is break in your wedding shoes. Placing over the counter arch supports in your shoes is the best way to solve muscle spasms and arch fatigue during the wedding day. They will also reduce the burning or ball of the foot pain from wearing 4-5 inch heels. An additional benefit is that there should be less jamming, redness and swelling of the great toe joint due to the acute pitch of the shoe. An added bonus is that they can also take leg and low back fatigue away too after a long night of partying!
Bring your wedding shoes with you if you buy them at a local store to insure proper fit making sure there is enough room for both your foot and the arch support, some products can be too bulky. Buying arch supports online is another option and there are arch products that can just fit in the arch of the wedding shoe regardless of heel height or style. Just peel the adhesive backing off and stick them in. When online type in key words such as, arch supports for fashion footwear, instant arch support or arch support for high heels or wedding shoes. Another way to provide your feet with instant comfort is to place a soft thin inner sole in your shoes they will reduce friction and burning as well as provide extra padding.
And she walked happily down the aisle with her feet feeling great and said "I Do!"
