Wedding Blog
I’ve never been a fancy shoe girl. My feet blister if you even look at them wrong, and in my experience the prettiest shoes are always the least comfortable. And I walk everywhere, and apparently through puddles or something, because most of my shoes last 6 months, maybe a year at best. So generally my solution is to find cheap shoes, understanding they won’t last long. That way I’m not heartbroken when they’re gone.
As a result, I have to admit I don’t exactly “get” the whole designer wedding shoe thing. Some of the shoes are extremely pretty indeed, but mostly my reaction is “Wow, that’s expensive!” Like with most of my other shoes, my main criterion for my wedding shoes was a good price. As so I present:
Martinez Valero ivory silk shoes, $211 value — my price, $17.50 after shipping! They are still regularly available from Ebay seller Handmade in Italy, generally listed at auction for $19.99 with $14.95 shipping. The style fits well with my slightly vintage-y dress, and I love to caress the super-soft satin ribbons. (Shoes I may not understand, but satin ribbon … now that’s a whole other matter!!!)
Mostly, I’m not used to walking in 4″ heels and am just hoping I make it through the ceremony without breaking my neck! As soon as the photos are over, I will change lightning-fast into these:
Red velvet beaded ballet flats, regularly available from Ebay seller Avenue 26 at auction for $18.99 (or $21.99 “Buy It Now”), with $8.99 shipping. Not as much of a deal as the heels, but they’re as soft as bedroom slippers, and I love them. It’s so hard to keep from wearing them before the wedding day!
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ooo i love your ivory silk shoes!! so adorable. and what a great deal!
hah i’d been watching those flats on ebay. well, i wasnt after them but i’d seen them in my search for red flats!
just got mine, as a matter of fact. they went on sale and i grabbed ‘em!
http://www.twolipsshoes.com/shop/proddetail.php?prod=HAILEE
those babies in red!
your heels are really beautiful. but those would make my feet fall off! nice job on the sweet deals btw 
my kinda girl.
Those shoes are so sweet- love the satin ribbon and the price. Woohoo!
*and they’re my wedding shoes btw… if you don’t know that then my post has nothing to do with anything and seems highly off topic!
ok im done
Hate to be the parade-rainer, but unless you are wearing a short dress the difference in heel heights is going to cause a problem with your hem. You’ll have to have a dress that is too short in the heels or too long in the flats.
Miss Tulip! I read your posts and I totally love your vibe. I think you and I have similar outlooks on wedding things.
One question though - are you worried about having a high heel and then switching to a ballet flat for the reception? I wanted to do the same thing, but I’m afraid I’ll be dragging my dress around during the reception…
I completely agree with you about spending so much on wedding shoes. Mine were $7.99 from Payless. :oP
Lori, I totally have the problem you asked about — the huge heels make my dress the perfect length, but the flats ARE going to be a problem. Especially as my dress has a train that’s only about 18″ long, so no way to bustle it.
Best I’ve come up with so far is … trip and drag all night! But there’s still several months, so maybe we’ll have a brainstorm.
P.S. Thanks for the compliments, all!!!!
“P.P.S.” Sarahdoo — love those red flats. Especially the fact that they’re a little “funky”! Is your dress unusual too?
hmmm, maybe you could have teenie tiny little pickups/bustles all around the dress? just so they’re not totally dragging? i don’t know much about sewing though, so it could be a totally ridiculous idea…
my dress is actually not that funky, which is why i needed some red shoes
http://www.maggiesottero.com/dress.aspx?keywordText=sandrina&keywordType=any&page=0&pageSize=8&style=J1018
in ivory with champagne beading 
i posted… but sometimes it doesn’t take it… hm…
anyway i said that my dress isn’t funky, which is why i need some red shoes 
i’m glad you like them!
this one in ivory w/champagne lace & beading
i’m quite fond of martinez valero shoes. i stumbled upon a hot red pair at dsw and i fell in love. so lovely.
great picks on both shoes!
Awesome deal!! How can anyone resist? And they are cute to boot. I love sarahdoo’s red shoes. The rhinestone accent is perfectly lovely.
I think I’ve ever really only purchased one thing from Ebay and it wasn’t for me, so please excuse my question — I don’t mean it to be rude in any way.
I’m confused as to how a $200+ valued item gets sold for only $19.99. Are the Ebay sellers buying in bulk? Direct from the manufacturer?
Miss Petunia, I think the seller does somehow get the shoes from the manufacturer. And Julie, I think I got a particularly good deal because sellers sometimes like to drop their regular prices to pull in people like me who sort by “lowest prices first” and then start to look at the bottom. I just got lucky!
Ebay sellers get deals for all sorts of different reasons. For example, many of my clothes purchases are catalog returns from places like Bloomingdales — rather than work the items back into its system, the store offloads them in bulk to Ebay sellers. Mr. Tulip and I sometimes sell on Ebay, and we usually pick up the items at auctions from companies that go out of business. Sometimes, if there’s not much competition, we can get items for much less than a dollar, which means you can resell at Ebay prices and still make a small profit.
The shoes are super cute Can I ask, do they have a pointed toe or a round toe? I am in the market Thanks
Hi, Joan! The shoes have rounded toes. I just checked the seller’s site (linked above), and they still have them available. There are more photos from other angles in the listings.
They can be a bit hard to find if you’re not used to Ebay. Easiest way is to use the link above and then type “Valero” into the search bar on the left-hand side of the page (which searches only that seller’s listings). Then you’ve at least narrowed your search to that brand. This seller has set up the results to show “highest price first,” so you’ll have to keep going for several pages till you get to $19.99 territory….
Good luck with your shoe search!
Hi there,
I’m having a hard time finding my wedding shoes, but i’ve seen the shoe on here, above (the ivory ribbon, court shoes) and i LOVE them!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, can you help to get them!!?
Thank you
Melissa
@Melissa: I just checked the original seller’s eBay store, and they still have a few sizes in stock (now $24). Just click the “Handmade in Italy” link in the post above.
Or, if you happen to need an 8.5, feel free to PM me…. I ended up not wearing my own pair, and would happily sell them to you at my original ($17.50) price. And now they sport a pair of pretty pink Footpetals!
I love the Martinez Valero ivory silk shoes with the ivory ribbon, but can’t find them online anywhere (not a surprise, since your original post was 2+ years ago!)…I don’t suppose you still have them and want to sell them??
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Mrs. Tulip, DC
Age and Occupation: 36, Retired
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Counsel/DOO for Small Gov't Contractor
Engagement Date: August 8, 2007
Wedding Date: March, 2008
Venue: Still Looking!
About Me: In all my dreams of the man I'd someday marry, I never pictured anyone as perfect for me as Mr. Tulip. So now we just have to make it through the craziness of the wedding and the moving in together! I love crafts, sewing, jewelry making, and photography, so am looking forward to this chance for DIY fun. When not wedding planning, I'm playing with our dog and 4 cats, Ebay shopping, or watching too much TV (often simultaneously!).
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