It’s a question every bride to be will have no doubt contemplated. Can I justify buying a pair of Louboutins/Manolos/Jimmy Choos* (insert dream brand here) for my wedding day?
Let’s be honest for the average girl these brands are a stretch and by very virtue of the fact you will have to drag them through who knows what in the outside world, they are easily ruined!
So, at a time when you’re dipping your hand in your pocket virtually every five minutes in the wonderful world of wedmin, can you dip it in there one more time for some outrageously impractical but fabulously desirable footwear?
My friend who posed the question was drooling over a pair of particularly lustworthy Louboutins when she stated ‘John would be raging if I spent the same on a pair of shoes as the dress!’ Quite. (A sentiment most brides could no doubt appreciate!) But it goes deeper than that.
I think we can all agree that the pointy, cream satin, sling back kitten heels of yesteryear are hideous and their present day cousins can be equally uninspiring. Row upon row of sparkle, glitter, satin and lace becomes overwhelming and they’re not cheap either!
So in the name of longevity do you break the mould and go for a non trad pair you can wear again? Personally I explored this avenue, at one stage considering the green Hangisi Manolos (to match my emerald engagement ring).
The Hangisi – we’ve all thought about it!
Who doesn’t want to feel special on their wedding day? An expensive Cinderella moment as you sip champagne is sure to help but it’s not a prerequisite either.
The Vision…
You glamorously saunter down the aisle, one fabulously shod foot in front of the other, drawing admiring glances from every female guest in attendance. Shoes this expensive are well made and therefore must be comfortable so you’ll have no issues dancing the night away. You’ll even wear them to bed, hell your new husband will thank you for it!
The Reality…
Somebody knocks a glass of champagne over your satin and Swarovski encrusted numbers because the photographer decided it would make a great shot to have them nestled amongst the getting ready paraphernalia. Your bridesmaids are sent to the bathroom to perform damage limitation and dry the soles with fistfulls of bog roll. On the plus side the sticky champagne might give you extra traction down the aisle. You concentrate far too hard on not falling over for most of the day, you can’t take them off even though your feet are beginning to burn as your mother insists it’ll ‘ruin the line of your dress!’ and besides you haven’t even finished the canapés. You stand on Aunty Nora’s foot, unable to see beyond the voluminous folds of your dress. Kicking them off after your first dance is one of your best ideas all day (besides marrying your beloved). Nobody has even seen your shoes and you spot your four year old nephew sitting under the buffet table at 10.15pm using them as fire engines for his Lego men.
What did I go for? Well I splashed out about $60 on holiday for a pair of non descript silver sandals that I’ve worn on just one other occasion since (a work black tie event) that were reasonably comfortable but that I didn’t love. In writing this post I was searching the archives for a picture of them on the day but alas they were barely visible in any of the photos!
In summary, don’t feel pressured by the snobbery of the ‘getting ready photos’ but if you do splash out, enjoy it and so what if you kick them off after walking down the aisle? Oh and if you’ve chosen a shorter dress then go crazy I say!
What shoes did you wear on your wedding day or what are you planning on? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below…
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I went Jimmy Choo. Most disproportionately expensive item but considering my parents very kindly and in keeping with tradition paid for most of the wedding, it was my personal little extravagance. Now with a mortgage, 2 kids in daycare and 2 maternity leaves under my belt, it will be awhile before I allow myself anything close to that again. Sooooo many people told me how great they were and so much better than the standard white never-to-be-worn-again type. And i got great pics with them AND the red flipflops I ended the night in. And have worn them at every possible opportunity since. Big thumbs up from me!
A definite splurge worth making then! I think if you can get additional wear out of them it’s a no brainer!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Lindsey!x
Jimmy Choos for me too! Worth every penny even though I did kick them off for dancing and ended the night in my wedding wellies that I think cost less than £10 – in my defence it was snowing. I have only worn them twice since in the last 6 years but no regrets as similar to Lindsey it will be a long time before I treat myself to something like that again.
It seems the Choos are the leading choice so far! Definitely worth it for feeling fab on your big day. It’s nice to buy something special for yourself that you wouldn’t normally purchase. Sounds like you had a great wedding Kate, thanks for commenting!x
Hope I’m not too late, but if you want to walk on your wedding day its a no for Louboutins. Absolutely gorgeous and such a wide selection but they are extremely uncomfortable and this is not just my review please read other ladies experiences. I’m not saying never own a pair, but they’re only good for dates or meals anything where you’re not on your feet a lot! xx
Nope, not too late Alicat-it’s a timeless issue! I think the most important thing to consider is that comfort is subjective and also that there is a huge variation between what people are willing to put up with on their big day. For me I don’t mind wearing heels and used to wear them most days for work but these days I do tend to sport flats more often and I have to say my heel wearing stamina has definitely gone down a notch as a result! On my wedding day I wanted comfort AND style (which also helped my dress decision when I was between two) but I don’t believe the two are always mutually exclusive. I say find something you are happy in whatever that may be!
Thanks for commenting and good luck with your new blog!x
I’ve always wanted to wear louboutins for my wedding day whenever it comes haha! But I was brought a pair for my birthday off my boyfriend as a surprise and I absolutely love them but I can’t wear them for more than five minutes, I’m going to look at getting them stretched see if that helps. I will let you know! And I totally agree!! Thank you so much and your blog looks great!!! X
Well I hope that you get your Cinderella moment on your big day! I’ve heard that thick socks and a hairdryer on hot can help but have never tried this personally-good luck with the stretching!
You should write a post about your Louboutin endeavours!
Thanks for your kind words Alicat!x
Thank you I will try that! And I’m planning to just trying to find a possible solution first ! And no problem keep up the good work !! X