Find the Best Wedding Shoes & Bridal Shoes

Wedding Shoes:

Everything You Need to Know

Wedding shoes are an often-overlooked part of your bridal ensemble. Finding the best wedding shoes can be a challenging process. From wedding heels to beach wedding sandals, the choices for wedding shoes can be seemingly endless. At Carats & Cake, we can streamline your search for the best wedding shoes by providing you with photographs of real weddings and information on the vendors who helped to make them happen.

If you are wondering where to buy wedding shoes, Carats & Cake maintains a lengthy list of wedding shoe designers and boutiques that can help you to narrow down your search. By browsing our list and touching base with the right local wedding shoe stores and vendors, you can find the perfect bridal shoes for your wedding, your reception and all the other celebrations surrounding your special day.

Find the Perfect Wedding Shoes

Your wedding shoes can reflect your own personal style, or can complement the color and design of your dress, veil, or overall wedding theme. Depending on the length of your gown, your bridal shoes may be on display or may be nearly hidden from sight. So it’s up to you how much of a statement you want your wedding shoes to make.

So how do you even begin to locate and purchase the best bridal shoes for you? We’ve outlined the variety of choices you have available to you for your wedding shoes, as well as provided some guidance on choosing the best wedding shoes for your venue and your style. Browse the wedding galleries on our site to find the perfect shoes to complement your dress, your floral arrangements and your overall decor theme. Taking color swatches and photos of your gown to wedding shoe stores can help in making sure that your bridal shoes match the rest of your ensemble perfectly.

Consider Different Styles of Wedding Shoes

One of the most important recommendations we can provide at Carats & Cake is to fully explore your options. This is just as true for choosing your wedding shoes as it is when selecting a venue or a wedding planner. Your wedding shoes can have a real impact on your comfort, your confidence, your photos, and other factors that will affect the way you remember your wedding day. Here are some of the most popular styles for bridal shoes to consider for your wedding day.

Types of Wedding Shoes

Classic Pumps: You can’t go wrong with a pair of classic pumps that when choosing the perfect wedding shoes for your big day. Pumps are available in a variety of heel heights and designs that will make you feel beautiful and special from the tips of your toes up to the top of your head, plus they provide structure that is less likely to give you blisters by the end of the night—just be sure to break them in in advance!

D'Orsay Pumps: A variation on the traditional pump, d'Orsay pumps are shoes that are cut away in the middle to reveal the arch of your foot. These wedding heels offer a vintage look for your feet (think 1940s glam!) and can sometimes be more comfortable than over-the-top wedding heels. Not all wedding shoe stores will carry d'Orsay pumps, so if this is the style you want, it may be a good idea to call ahead to see if they are currently in stock, or to search for this style of wedding shoes online.
Low Heels: Sometimes referred to as kitten-heels, low-heeled bridal shoes can be a beautiful and practical choice for you. These bridal shoes can be considerably easier to walk in than higher wedding heels, which could make them a better choice if you are concerned about navigating the aisle safely.
High Heels: The good news is that high wedding heels are available at a huge range of prices, and can help you look taller and more elegant on your wedding day. Wedding shoes with higher heels, however, could pose a greater risk if you are not used to walking in this type of shoes. Considering your experience level, the best shoes for weddings should be not only gorgeous in photos, but also manageable for you to wear for what is a very long day. Wedding shoes with a low heel may be a better compromise if you do not feel absolutely at ease.
Wedding Flats: If you are less than comfortable with high heels or wish to minimize height differences at your wedding, there are a variety of elegant and beautiful flat wedding shoes that are pretty enough to wear for the ceremony and comfortable enough to continue to wear through dancing at the reception afterwards. Wedding flats are available in simple ballet-shoe styles, strappy flat wedding sandals, embroidered wedding flats or flat wedding shoes that feature pearls, rhinestones and many other sparkling and shining enhancements. Flat wedding shoes are available in both simple and over the top designs, colors and configurations as diverse as wedding heels.
Strappy Sandals: If you are more excited by the idea and look of strappy wedding sandals, they can make a real impression at your wedding ceremony or reception. Designer wedding shoes and wedding sandals are created to create maximum visual impact. But when the music gets loud and the dancing starts, strappy wedding sandals may cut into your feet or rub and leave blisters. The higher the quality of the shoe, the less likely this is to happen, but it’s why practicing walking in your shoes far in advance of the wedding is important, so that you know exactly where to apply band-aids or other pain-preventing accessories before you put them on on your wedding day. You may also want to invest in some comfortable bridal shoes to switch into at the reception or after-party.
Beach Wedding Sandals: If you are planning a destination wedding or a walk along the beach as part of your ceremony, beach wedding sandals are ideally suited for the sand and sun. These wedding sandals are typically designed with flat , wedge or block heels (stilettos will just sink into the sand!) and are capable of standing up to the abrasive nature of the sand, which can help your flat wedding sandals survive your trip down the aisle.
Wedding Wedges: Just as key for grassy wedding ceremonies on lawns as they are for beaches, wedge wedding shoes represent the perfect compromise between wedding heels and wedding flats. Wedge wedding shoes run the gamut of styles from espadrilles to strappy leather wedding wedges, and can be found in all the hues of the rainbow. These comfortable bridal shoes are definitely worth a look when you are considering wedding shoes for your upcoming nuptials.

Wedding Shoe Colors & Embellishments

Along with numerous styles and types, shoes for brides are also available in an expansive rainbow of colors that can complement or contrast with your wedding dress or your chosen color scheme. If you wish, you could even match the color or details of your shoes to your wedding cake and table decorations. Some more versatile options like silver wedding shoes, gold wedding shoes and champagne-hued bridal shoe options can complement just about any wedding theme or venue, while bolder colors make a fashion-forward statement. Here are some of the most popular choices when selecting the right shoes for weddings.

White Shoes: A classic choice for many years, white bridal shoes are designed to go with almost any color scheme you may have chosen for your wedding. But contrary to what you might think, not all white wedding shoes are plain white: Off-white, ecru and eggshell colors can add interest to your bridal shoes without making a strong color statement that might clash with other elements of your ensemble. Conversely, if it’s important to you that your shoes match the exact color, be sure to carry a swatch of your dress with you when shoe-shopping in case your seemingly white dress seems more ivory in different light. White wedding shoes are a traditional option when choosing bridal shoes for your ceremony.
Gold Wedding Shoes: One of the hottest trends in the bridal shoe marketplace is the rise of gold wedding shoes. Rose gold wedding shoes are especially popular for their warm tone and the hint of pink that’s infused into these bridal shoes. Gold wedding shoes may have a metallic sheen, blingy accessories and embellishments, or may be tinted to match other parts of your wedding-day ensemble. Gold wedding shoes and rose gold wedding shoes can add a modern look to your entire outfit.
Silver Wedding Shoes: Another versatile, metallic option is to go with silver wedding shoes. This elegant style can make any bride feel like Cinderella on her way to the ball—because silver wedding shoes are about as close as you can get to the legendary glass slippers! Rhinestones, sequins and satin finishes are often used to produce the shimmering effects of silver wedding shoes.
Blush or Champagne Shoes: A hint of color is the key to these elegant shoes for weddings. Pale pink or faintly gold wedding shoes can create a low-key look that can enhance the beauty of your gown and help you feel confident in your appearance. Champagne-hued wedding flats and wedding heels can be tinted to match the adornments on your gown or wedding tablescape. Blush-colored wedding heels can also lend a subtle touch of color that barely peeps under the hem of your wedding gown.
Blue Wedding Shoes: Probably the most popular bold color choice, we love blue wedding shoes as the perfect way to add that “something blue” to your wedding ensemble. Blue wedding shoes are available with kitten heels, crystal adornments and many other accessories that can set these bridal shoes apart. If you are looking for unique wedding shoes, the wide variety of blue wedding shoes could inspire your bridal shoe choice.
Other Bright or Pastel Colors: As an antidote to the traditional white wedding shoes, we love more unique bridal shoe options like pink or red. Wedding wedges and flat wedding shoes can also be dyed or tinted in pastel or very bright colors to create the perfect look for your bridal shoe.
Pearl Wedding Shoes: A popular variant on the trend of silver wedding shoes and white wedding shoes, pearl wedding shoes are distinguished by their sheen and iridescence. Pearl wedding add a classic elegance that can create the fairy-tale wedding of your dreams.
Details and Accessories: The sky is almost literally the limit when it comes to accessories and embellishments that can make your wedding shoe truly special. Glittering rhinestone clips are a natural addition to silver wedding shoes. To enhance the appearance of gold wedding shoes, a gold ribbon or gold shoe clips can be the perfect solutions for creating unique wedding shoes more affordably, if designer wedding shoes are not within your budget. Even simple flat wedding sandals can stand out and be noticed with a few key accessories that bring your entire look together. But there’s no shortage of options for avant-garde brides looking to buy wedding shoes that already make a statement: from lace boots, open-toe crystal-beaded wedding shoes with a low heel, flat wedding shoes with fur trim, bright blue wedding shoes designed with athletic flair and gold wedding shoes constructed of embroidered panels and a gold-toned stiletto heel, all you have to do is decide!

Choosing your bridal shoes is a personal decision that will reflect your aesthetic preferences as well as the amount you have to spend. But we have some helpful guidance for where to buy wedding shoes, how to decide which types of bridal shoes might appeal to you, and the right solutions for the best wedding shoes for you and your bridesmaids on your special day.

Determine Your Wedding Shoe Budget

As a basis for your wedding shoe budgeting, it’s helpful to know that the average cost for a wedding in 2021 is $22,500. This is down considerably from the figure of $28,000 reported in 2019. Venue costs typically take up about half of this amount, which can leave very little remaining for catering, wedding shoes and other elements required to make your wedding complete.

Wedding shoe costs range anywhere from $25 on the very lowest end to more than $900 for designer wedding shoes. What determines the cost of wedding shoes? The following factors generally play a significant role in the amount you will pay for your bridal shoe purchases:

Materials Used: In some cases, bridal shoes can be custom-matched to the fabric used in your wedding dress. Leather and certain other materials may be more costly for your bridal shoe than cloth, canvas or synthetics. It goes without saying that real gold accessories for your gold wedding shoes and silver on your silver wedding shoes will increase the cost considerably.
Enhancements and Details: Beaded, sequined and embroidered shoes require much more work on the part of the manufacturer or designer than simpler bridal shoes. While the rhinestones themselves may not be expensive parts of your silver or white wedding shoes, the time taken to apply these decorative touches can be a major contributor to the expense of these shoes for brides
Designer Names: If you decide on designer wedding shoes for your ceremony or reception, you can expect to pay a premium price for their bridal shoes. Designer wedding shoes start in the hundreds of dollars and go up depending on the designer, demand and availability (limited-edition styles will often be more costly than classics that are repeated every season.) If you do decide on designer wedding shoes, be sure to shop around to find the best prices for these wedding shoe options.
Where You Buy Them: Prices for wedding shoe options can vary considerably depending on where you purchase them. Search our wedding shoes directory to find boutiques in your area where you can try them on in person—which is a huge help when hunting for comfortable wedding shoes that will suit your budget and your style requirements. Or you can buy wedding shoes online, but you may want to order several options and sizes to ensure the right fit and comfort level—and make sure you allow time to return the extras!

Whether you are looking for blue wedding shoes, flat wedding sandals, wedding wedges or designer wedding shoes, our wedding galleries are full of gorgeous photos of brides who’ve worn them all. Explore pictures of real weddings to find the best wedding shoes you’d like to try, then find out where they came from so that you can order, try on and consider them for your bridal shoes.

Make Comfort a Priority

Choosing comfortable bridal shoes should be a significant factor in your choice of wedding shoe because you will likely spend the majority of the day on your feet. Bridal shoes that pinch, cut into your skin or otherwise cause discomfort will reduce your enjoyment and confidence on this very special day. Wedding shoes with a low heel or any other type of comfortable wedding shoes are the best options for allowing you to relax and enjoy every moment of your wedding day. Wedding wedges or flat wedding sandals are often an excellent choice for combining comfort and style as you walk down the aisle. When looking for shoes for brides, avoid extremely pointed toes and mile-high stiletto heels that could limit your mobility—and stability—or lead to pinching over time.

Do a Test Run

Before you ultimately decide on your bridal shoes, be sure to walk around in them for several minutes to determine if they are comfortable enough to suit your needs. The best wedding shoes for you should combine the aesthetic features you want with absolute comfort over time. Comfortable wedding shoes will make a big difference in your experience throughout the big day.

Bring Your Wedding Shoes With You

Once you’ve made your selection, we recommend putting your wedding shoes through their paces at the venues in which you plan to get married. This can help determine if there is a risk of slipping on a rug or catching your heel in the floorboards or grass, so that you can make any tweaks or find more comfortable wedding shoes if needed. Certain types of venues are better suited to specific types of wedding shoe options. Taking a few steps in the areas in which your wedding will be held can allow you to decide whether flat wedding shoes, wedding sandals or high heels are the best solution for you.

After figuring out where to buy wedding shoes and finding the best wedding shoes for you, be sure to bring them with you to dress fittings and dancing lessons as well. This will ensure that your dress hangs properly and that you have found the most comfortable wedding shoes for dancing the night away on your big day.

Consider the Terrain and Other Circumstances

A few factors can have a big impact on the best wedding shoes for your ceremony and reception:

Outdoor weddings require a wedding shoe that is capable of walking safely on grass or sand. Flat wedding shoes and wedges are among the most practical choices for these areas. Stilettos are not recommended in these areas.

Slippery surfaces may require a few adjustments to wedding sandals and shoes, including the addition of non-slip attachments that can provide more secure footing on these floors. For hardwood floors and other indoor venues, comfortable wedding shoes with padded insoles are recommended to reduce fatigue and to ensure that your ceremony goes smoothly and according to plan.

If you’re planning to wear open-toe silver wedding shoes or gold wedding shoes, a pedicure is a good idea since your toes will be on display. You can either go with an understated nail polish color, like off-white or pale pink, that will make the metallic color of your shoes shine, or you can let your toes be the spotlight with a vibrant red or pink shade.

If high heels will make you tower over your partner or other members of your wedding party, flat wedding shoes could be a solid choice for you. These comfortable wedding shoes can also be a practical option if your wedding dress covers most of your feet when you walk. And make sure you have a backup plan in case a heel breaks or they end up being less comfortable than anticipated. A backup pair of wedding shoes can be a lifesaver in both situations.

Have Fun with Reception and After-party Shoes

Comfortable wedding shoes are a must for both your wedding reception and any after-parties. Sneakers, ballet flats and even fuzzy bedroom slippers can make a statement while providing you with greater comfort during these events. You can also make a statement with bold colors and other avant-garde footwear choices.

Find Your Dream Wedding Shoes

Carats & Cake is your one-stop source for information on real-life weddings and the best wedding shoes for you and your bridal party. We offer information on where to buy wedding shoes and an array of photographs that can inspire your wedding plans. Contact vendors, including photographers and wedding planners, directly through our site to find the best wedding shoes for you.