Wedding Shoe Shopping – Online Edition

I recall a time when weekends were for working out at the gym, grabbing a latte and shopping ’til I dropped, followed by a night at the movies and take-out, ahh back when the economy was booming and I could shop freely with no worries! I have long had an affinity for shopping, and particularly, shoe shopping. I have also been convicted guilty of keeping 90% of my shoes in the original box swaddled in tissue paper. In fact, this behavior has often been subject to ridicule for keeping my ‘babies’ safe and clean in their original home; it’s not that strange is it?! I mean Carrie Bradshaw does it right?! Now, as times have changed, I am basking in the glow of internet window shopping, where anyone can freely browse Neiman or Barney’s with no repercussions to your credit card statement. Whether you are a bride-to-be, a member of the wedding party, or a guest, it is almost guaranteed if you have ever attended a wedding, you subsequently went on the hunt for the perfect pair of shoes.

Naturally, I had to assemble some picks for wedding day shoes, and in typical shopping addict fashion, I could not settle on just one pair, so let’s have some fun with it, shall we?

I started off at the very top, the crux of shopping for all fashion addicts and shoppers alike; Neiman Marcus. Once you arrive to their site simply hover over shoes and select ‘evening’ with the click of a button, in mere seconds, you will have countless high end designers at your disposal. The Christian Louboutin “glass slipper” particularly has my heart, fit for a princess or a bride!

 

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Next I headed to the more reasonably priced counter part of Neiman Marcus; Nordstrom. Once again I selected shoes and ‘evening’. I am loving the yellow Nina peep toe! It also comes in a variety of shades and would be an amazing pick for a bridesmaid or a guest with plenty of opportunity to wear again and again.

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Not to be forgotten, I clicked my way happily to Zappos, where I have always enjoyed the pleasure of free shipping and trendy finds. This time I typed ‘bridal‘ into their search bar, the first thing to pop up? Dresses! I had no idea Zappos sold bridal dresses, I’ll keep that one in my back pocket for later! I went back to the search bar and typed in ‘bridal shoes’ and chose the following below. I did pick two pairs of Badgley Mischka pumps, but all other designers seemed to flail in comparison to what Badgley Mischka was offering up! I was squeeing with delight over the the feminine and floral feel of the “Thora” in Nude with a chiffon bow, and the girly side of me couldn’t divert from the heavily jeweled “Kiara”.

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Time to come back down to reality, and the more reasonable price point for me, so I went to Payless! I clicked Women and ‘special occasion’.  I am drawn to the Cobalt Blue Klubbin stone sandals as a bride’s “something blue”. The leopard flats, designed by Christian Siriano (love him by the way!!) for Payless would be adorable for a guest wearing a black cocktail dress. Who would’ve thought Payless would have such cute (and affordable) finds!

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For the uber fun bride, or wedding, but most certainly not for the faint of heart, let’s not forget the popularity of my old High School stand by’s, Chuck Taylor’s. So fun!!! I cannot even begin to count how many different themes Chuck Taylor’s can be incorporated into!

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If you are not a heel wearing type of gal but do on occasion break them out for weddings, ‘roll-up’ flats are great relief and will, in fact, roll-up into any reasonably sized clutch or evening bag. If you fear your bag is too small some brands come with their own carrying case!

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If you are dead-set and ready to shoe shop online, here are a few helpful tips:

• Start early (2-4 months) to allow yourself plenty of time for returns/disappointment
• Know your true size; many designer shoes are stern on sizing and should offer a size chart as well as a  suggestion on whether sizing runs “true to size” or “tight fit”, normally the latter, you may need to go up anywhere from half a size to a whole size
• Coordinate your purchase so that you have your shoes in hand for all fittings
• BRIDES, I recommend (if you have your heart set on a certain shoe but are still unsure about the dress) to have your shoes in hand PRIOR to ANY dress shopping
• If there are a pair of shoes you have previously seen in a department store but are now unavailable, check out Amazon or Nordstrom Rack, you may just find them there, and a discounted price!
• Read reviews of products you are seriously considering prior to clicking “checkout”, consumers have nothing to gain by being honest about previously purchasing the same product you are now interested in
• Do not be afraid to add a pair of inserts to your online shopping bag if they pop up as a recommended purchase, many pumps without a platform will have the ball of your foot screaming for mercy before the ceremony is even through

Have you shoe shopped online? Do you have any tips you’d like to share? I always love to hear of others experiences!