Designer Kicks without the Designer Price
August 12th, 2008 @ 2:49 pm by Miss Champagne
When it comes to shopping, I have a tough time resisting a good buy. As most brides know, anything wedding related usually means the typical price tag doubles. One exception? Shoes. These days it seems that the typical white heel is not the first choice for many brides, and everyday shoes can become wedding day shoes! Many brides are opting for a pop of color and their shoe selection often correlates with the wedding’s decor. Because my dress is a champagne color, it seemed fitting my shoe could be gold (more on this later). AND, because my dress happened to be half the price of what I thought it would be, I figured I could use the extra budget on accessories. But then when I started doing some research, I found that although the designer collections were beautiful, I could purchase something very similar for 1/5 the price. Hmm..
Exhibit A: Manolo Blahnik Rhinestone buckle D’orsay, $675
Bella Belle “Cedaraby Carrie D’Orsay”, $69.99
Exhibit B: Christian Louboutin Blue Lizard Sandal, $1215.00
Jessica Bennett Heart, $109
Exhibit C: Guiseppe Zanotti I80191, $754
Nina Kimi LS, $154
So what do you think: would you go for the designer, or the price-conscious purchase? If you’ve purchased designer shoes for your wedding, did you ever wear them again?
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35 Responses to “Designer Kicks without the Designer Price”
My dress is champagne in color too and I was planning on getting a pop of color, budget conscious shoes. Purple ones hopefully!
I bought a pair of Stuart Weitzman’s for my wedding and I can’t remember how much they were– maybe $200? I thought they were gorgeous and worth every penny, especially because they were very comfortable.
Mr. Jasmine bought me a pair of Manolo Blahniks on our honeymoon– the silver Sedaraby style from the Sex and the City episode. I was SO ecstatic, but now I have to admit that I feel very guilty when I see them in my closet. They are beyond gorgeous, but knowing how expensive they were makes me really uncomfortable. I don’t think I’ll ever be a $600 pair of shoes kind of a girl 
Definitely price-conscious! Especially since some of them look almost EXACTLY the same, they’ll be hidden under a gown most of the night, and you might even switch out of them for more comfortable shoes later! Plus, I’d be so worried about hurting my expensive shoes, that I’d hardly ever wear them again.
I got my shoes completely serendipitously, amazing bright pink satin d’orsay pumps for 65% off - making them a whopping $29.
i went for designer and i look at it as an investment. I dont regret it one bit!!!!
check mine out-http://justchicevents.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/ashley-and-jeff/
First, thank you for a little shoe therapy!
I got a pair of Cynthia Rowley shoes for my wedding at Off Sax 5th Ave for under $70! I bought them so I could wear them again! I love a good bargain!
I actually got a pair of manolo blanik shoes from a nordstrom’s sale rack. It was 200 down from a 600 dollar price tag. You can go designer
I actually got a pair of manolo blanik shoes from a nordstrom’s sale. It was 200 down from a 600 dollar price tag. My dress is also champagne color and i got Feather Trim D’orsay shoes in a champagne color. It matches my dress perfectly. I say…keep your eyes open for a sale!
@kara: If they’re $700 more comfortable and Manolo Blahnik can guarantee it- I’m BUYING THEM! I wanna dance dance dance at our reception!@Miss Cookie: No prob bob, I live for shoe therapy 
This is *really* weird, but I actually don’t like wearing the 1 pair of designer shoes I own. I feel like I’m going to mess them up!
I also bought a pair of Stweart Weitzman shoes in the $300 range and plan to wear them again (they are silvery, sparkly and have a kitten heel-posted on my blog). I can justify $300, but $500 and up might be a bit much for me. I also love the alternative of buying a similar shoe for less. Great post!
Davids bridal also makes a sedarby knock-off you may want to take a look at….
http://www.davidsbridal.com/accessory_detail.jsp?stid=2211&prodgroup=251
I’ve seen varying opinions, but they’re worth a trip to check out.
I think this is a question only you can answer - if having the “real thing” would bring you the most joy, and you have the money to do it - go for it!!! There is nothing wrong it… It’s your day! I personally bought inexpensive shoes for my wedding day, but I can appreciate how beautiful the real thing can make you feel, even if you had to splurge to get them!
@Mary: I actually liked the way these looked but they didn’t like me 
They sqeezed my little toe!
I bought gold choos, with a normal heel. wore them for rehersal dinner, wedding and wear them all the time when I go out. totally worth it.
@Miss Champagne: In my case they hated my narrow heels! They were a bit like new tap shoes stiff, if you know what I mean… =)
I’ll be slipping into two seperate pairs- something traditional and claaaaaassy for our church ceremony and something jaw-dropping and HOT for our civil.
Considering so many brides are choosing un-traditional shoes, then I see it as a great excuse to drop some cash if you’ll get to wear them again. Also, with so many great deals online, and the fact that most brides would be happy buying out-of-season, there’s no reason you can’t get a deal much better than $700.
However, for my traditional pair, I’ll definately be looking for something more on the conservative price side…
There’s no way I’d ever spend $700 on a pair of shoes, not even for my wedding, especially since I have persnickety feet. I would maybe spend a couple hundred on a pair-if they were perfectly stylish AND comfortable, but I don’t think those shoes exist. :p
I scratch and nick my shoes all the time so there’s no way I can justify buying designer shoes…..at least not until the shoe repair shop down the street can replace large chunks of missing leather
I guess I’m a cheapo,because for me spending $100 on shoes is splurging! If I actually had $500 at once to spend on something, it would probably go towards home repairs. (So sad.)
@rebecca: I think I would feel the same way if I had shoes that expensive…they’d never make it out of the closet!
@missx: not sad at ALL- If I had the extra cash it would go toward a down payment on a house! (Or gas, let’s be honest)
@Mrs. Jasmine: I’m sooo jealous! I wish Champ knew what Manolos were! You’re a lucky lady
I bought the silver Cedaraby Manolo’s at Barney’s, and all of my bridesmaids are wearing the knock-off versions by Bella Belle (bought on ebay). I think it will make an adorable photo op of all the shoes lined up. For me, my wedding is a once in a lifetime event, and buying shoes like that probably will be for me also. I rationalized that since I was 22 when my FH and I moved in together, I have never made a BIG single girl purchase with my working girl money as a splurge/treat for myself. So this was my single-girl gift to myself. And, as Carrie showed us on the SATC “a woman’s right to shoes” episode - they go with anything! & I’ll have them always…
I went with pricey, also on the logic that my dress was way under budget, and they were indeed much more comfy than I imagined 3″ heels could be. They were ivory, though, so I won’t be wearing them again until something comes up where I’d have them dyed.
So I totally have a pair of Blahniks, and they are sweet–but I bought them for $20 at an awesome consigntment shop in Merion, PA (one of the wealthiest areas along the wealthy Main Line), and they are comfortable and look amazing, but I’m completely worried about getting them wet! That’s the thing about designer shoes–they are amazing, and beautiful, and usually feel like heaven, but you don’t want a thing to happen to them, and when it comes to wedding shoes…that’s not always possible.
I spent a decent amount on my shoes ($175 plus tax and shipping) and I fully intend on wearing them again, but I also won’t die if they get a little wet, or something happens to them, you know? I hate being beholden to my shoes, because even if you send $20 on Blahniks, they are still Blahniks, you know?
price conscious for all the reasons noted above, especially on a similar style. most people won’t know the difference and unless you do and there is a comfort difference, you can spend more in other areas.
ahhh….nice…….
our budget is entirely too small to consider a “desiger” shoe. even though i’ve seen what goes into making them, its just not something i can splurge on. i’m going round and round the mulberry bush trying to decide whether or not i’m going to spend $70 on my shoes! only, if they’re a pair i’d wear again and again. otherwise, to barely be seen, its better for me to put my bucks elsewhere.
looking forward to the day where the belt isnt so tight though. i doubt i’d ever spend several hundred on a pair but $200 and under may be an option for me one day.
I managed to grab a pair of white manolos from neimans sale for about $260 or so. That said, it’s a really simple pair (pointy front, sling back) because I have horrendous (read: ugly) toenails and don’t intend to show them on my wedding 
Oh I love the Manolos! I second the “get them from ebay” advice from Pom. And since they are metallic, you can wear them forever. I know I’m ridiculous, but I am totally into the idea of spending more on shoes than the dress, since you can wear the former again. ;-P
@rebecca ~ I feel the same way. I have no problem spending $500+ on a handbag or a coat, but shoes? That I step on? That someone could kick? That I could scruff? That could land in dog waste or someone’s oil deposits? The risks are too great and I just can’t justify it!
I agree with a lot of the other girls here…get the best of both worlds! I got my Louboutins on e bay for $250 and I know I’ll wear them time and time again, even if it means doing the dishes in them
@budgetbeautiful: “persnickety feet”. Hey, I have those too, although I never knew what to call it.
You are a woman after my own heart. I had the same issue after my dress and some accessories cost less than I thought. What I realized though is that the closer I get to the wedding, I am encountering a lot of extra costs where I find myself wishing I had a few hundres extra bucks. I talked myself out of the Manolos that I *really* wanted and got something for less. I’m not looking back!
Since I was barefoot for most of our wedding I talked myself out of the designer shoe but I did buy a pair of Nina’s on sale and I absolutely will wear them again (and again and again). If you avoid the ‘wedding’ obvious shoes it’s super easy to rewear and that is almost as fun as wearing your dress again!
I have a small problem with purses and shoes. I’m trying to talk myself out of the SATC Movie ‘Something Blue’ Blahniks right now.
I went searching high and low for affordable wedding appropriate gold heels. But during my search there was an obvious difference, the quality and look of gold shoes. The cheaper ones tend to look more yellow-y and hooker-ish! The designers def. looked more elegant. took me several months but I found the “one” and don’t regret it at all. i’m going to wear them at least 3 other times after my wedding. Good luck!
Miss Champagne, DC/Vail/Colorado
Age and Occupation: 26, Eye Doctor
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Attorney
Engagement Date: March 13, 2006
Wedding Date: February 2009
Blogging Since: July 30, 2008
Venue: Small church ceremony with mountain-view log cabin reception
About Me: I'm a small town mountain girl with a city heart. Found my way to the east coast, and Mr. Champagne kept me here so we're planning a wedding from afar in my hometown Vail, Colorado. I'm secretly obsessed with reality TV, Wii games where I can shoot a gun, country music, and Caesar: Dog Whisperer. I also spend time pretending to golf, backseat driving, having one way conversations with our MinPin Maxwell, loving champagne, and wedding perfecting… I mean, planning. I use way too many repeated symbols and letters when I write, and I'll love Mr. Champagne endlessly…
I don’t know, it just seems like an awful lot for a pair of shoes. If somehow you could get a guarantee that they would be $700 more comfortable maybe it’d be worth it…but for ones that look so similar, I’d go with the cost efficient model, myself.