Shoe Tip: What to Wear when in a Bridal Party

Photo: http://www.merleshop.com

So I know last week I talked about wedding talk finally being over, but before I completely ended it on the blog for now, I had to impart just a bit of wisdom to those still needing to participate in weddings this year.

And that is — don’t choose cute over comfort.

I know. I know that’s haaaaard for us women to do. But let me tell you a little story about 5 bridesmaids who all wore different variations of gold sandals for a wedding. One chose a pair of 5 inch heels, another chose a pair she’d recently purchased but hadn’t broken in yet, another chose an old pair that she’d maybe worn 4 times, another chose 4 inch stilettos, and the last chose a pair with 1.5 inch heels.

One guess as to who was the only bridesmaid not dying to kick off her shoes as soon as pictures were taken after the ceremony.

And here’s why — because being in a bridal party is totally different than anything else you will have to do while wearing your heels. So you may be used to walking in high heels normally, but are you used to standing straight in them for 20 to 40 minutes with no break?

Are you used to then posing in them for several minutes?

Or running errands in them?

Maybe you are. But probably not.

Listen, I consider myself somewhat an expert on heels, and I was totally not the one who chose the sensible ones. I was the one who thought to myself, “well I wear anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5 inch heels on a normal basis, so these 3 inchers will be perfect.”

And they were… until about minute 20 of standing up straight in them. That’s about the time I became fidgety, and trust me — you don’t want to be the fidgety bridesmaid in front of 150 guests.

So take my advice – choose comfort (and don’t forget to still break them in before the wedding). That doesn’t mean your shoes can’t be cute. The bridesmaid who chose comfort? Her shoes were still cute. They just weren’t what we normally see as cute. They weren’t sky high heels. They weren’t winning any awards for best stiletto. But she was able to walk and stand in them without crying inside. And when it comes to being in a bridal party, that’s a major win indeed.