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Bridesmaids' shoes

Bridesmaids' shoes


Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio
Alison Hargreaves Updated:
8th of March 2023

You have finally found the perfect bridesmaid dresses but now it is time to find the bridesmaids shoes. Do not underestimate this challenge in terms of time and budget! It can be really quite a tricky task. As with dresses, every bridesmaid is different and every bridesmaid will feel comfortable in something different. Firstly remember that comfort comes before colour and style. The last thing you want is for your bridesmaids to have aching feet for your entire wedding. The hard bit comes when you have to find shoes that everybody is comfortable in. Why not decide on a few, from which the bridesmaids have to choose. This means they don't feel like they have been pressured into having a certain shoe. If you do this, make sure they are of a similar style, for example, all peep toe or all ivory.

If you have a very tall bridesmaid, why don't you suggest that she wears flat shoes, like ballet pumps? Not only will this level out the height of the bridesmaids but it will also make the tall bridesmaid feel more comfortable with her height. Furthermore, it will keep the attention on you, the bride, and not the giant standing to your right. Equally, if you have a bridesmaid that is vertically challenged, you could suggest that she wears heels. But don't force her to wear anything that she doesn't feel comfortable in.

If traditional is up your street, then you could go for the classic ivory shoe. These are available in most bridal shops and you can get a range of different shoes which appear fairly similar. If you go for the type of shoes that you can dye, make sure that they are all coloured in the same batch, so they are all exactly the same colour. It may not seem an issue at the time, but when you look at wedding photos in years to come you will regret not asking them to all be coloured together!

Bridesmaid Shoes

Are your shoes even going to be seen? If you are having long dresses, it might not be worth spending lots of money on shoes which are not even seen. It has been known for bridesmaids to wear trainers under their dresses! I would not go to that extreme, a flash of trainers on the wedding video, may be something you regret in ten years time!

If you have given your bridesmaids lots of flexibility in their dresses, then you could either go two ways. You could ask for uniformity in the shoes, for example all the same style, colour or height. Or why not go all out and give them an equal free rein on their shoes giving an individual and unique style to their look. It would look stunning against the backdrop of a fresh and modern wedding!

Why not give your bridesmaids a colour palette to choose from?

Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio

About the author


Alison Hargreaves

Alison has been advising brides, grooms and bridesmaids for more than 25 years. She has an unrivalled knowledge of the British wedding industry and frequently appears on podcasts and expert panels. She regularly attends international wedding conferences to keep the UK at the forefront of wedding planning trends.

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