Wedding Blog

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I really love shoes. I don’t have a ton of them (for a shoe-lover) but that’s only because of my usually strong-will against clothing-and-shoe-related expenses. I don’t go to the mall very often (but when I do, I often come home with a new “clearance rack” shoe or boot!).

As much as I love buying shoes, I have a few hang ups that have kept me from buying any for my wedding as of yet:

1. I really love heels… but I’m 5’10″ tall. There is only a 2″-3″ height difference between Mr. Mary Jane and I. I don’t mind being 6’1″ at work, but I don’t necessarily want to be the sky-high bride towering over everyone (except my ultra-tall dad and FFIL) on my wedding day.
2. My color ambiguity. Originally I was loving orange and blue, but then I changed my mind about my dress and those inspirations went out the window.
3. Money, honey. We are juuuuust a little broke.

Regarding color, I finally decided that green shoes would probably be the best way to go. Why? Well first off, I do like green. But more importantly, it’s the only color than almost ALL bouquets have in common! Pink, orange, or purple flowers still all have green leaves. Regardless of what flowers my grocery store or local flower shop may have in stock on my big day, green shoes will match at least a little! So, green shoes I will find.

For height, I decided that 3″ was a good cutoff. I would be the same height as Mr. Mary Jane. He does not have his shoes yet, but any shoe with a decent sole on them will add a half inch or more to his height. I definitely want a bit of a heel though. I have big feet, and I think that flat shoes make them look like clown-sized clodhoppers. So heels, please!

As for the money issue… it’s all about planning, good deals, and gift cards. I always ask for gift cards for holidays and birthdays. Instead of spending the cards I receive right away, I save them (paying attention to any maintenance charges or expiration dates, of course). I don’t go out and spend one just ’cause I have it. I often have a purse full of gift cards, just waiting until I want or need a special something. Anyway… on with the shoes!

All images of shoes below were found on Endless (because I had a gift certificate, of course!).

Up first, the Moda Spana Joy Slide (left) and the Worishofer 251 Buckled Slide.

Both of these shoes are cute and green! I was worried about my toes sliding out of the first pair. I own a few pairs of kitten-heel slides, and my long toes always slide forward and over the front lip of the sole. Nice eh? Anyway, I decided they weren’t for me. And I thought the Worishofers were just a little too casual and clunky.

Up next, the Bella Vita Lola Dress Pump (left) and the Anne Klein Hoola Sandal.

I think the Lolas are really cute with their ribbon detailing, but they aren’t quite the color I am looking for. (I’m not set on a specific green, but these are more aqua than green.) The Hoolas are cute too, but like the “Joy” slides, I am afraid of my feet sliding out of them. (They aren’t called Slides for no reason! )

Next, the Franco Sarto Tampa Flat Sandal (left) and the Farylrobin Soda Sandal:

I liked that both of these have white details. The Sodas even have white fabric details, which would really tie them in to my dress. But the Tampas are too flat (I said I wanted low heels, but that’s just too low for me to feel “fancy”), and the Sodas aren’t available in my size. (Since they aren’t The One Shoe, I didn’t try too hard to find them elsewhere in my size; I figured it just wasn’t meant to be.)

Last but definitely not least, I want to show you my two favorite shoes: the Nine West Chopin Ankle Strap Sandal (left) and the DKNYC Foxy Pump.

I love BOTH of these shoes. At 3 1/4″, the Chopins are a liittttle bitty bit too high though. And since 3″ was already pushing the height factor, I had to put them on the back burner. So yesterday, I ordered the Foxy Pumps.

It was somewhat important to me that I be able to wear my wedding shoes to work or other occasions in the future, and I can do that with any of the shoes above. I’m going to love showing off a cute shoe with my tea-length dress, but I also think the Foxy Pumps will really jazz up a pair of pressed jeans or slacks! I love their little punch-hole details and delicate stiletto heel. That heel is 3″ by the way. Top of my limit, but it seemed that most of the shoes I found were in the 2-3″ range.

How do these shoes stack up to my budget? Well, my estimated shoe budget was $100. These were about $100 including tax. (We have an Amazon Customer Service Center in ND, so I have to pay tax on purchases from them and their affiliates! Boo!)

… But wait, there’s MORE! Remember: I said I had a gift card! $75 worth of gift certificates, actually. I’ve been saving a $50 one since my April birthday, and Mr. Mary Jane donated a $25 gift certificate of his own for this shoe purchase (aww, what a nice guy!). So in fact, I scored these sweet $100 shoes for a cool $29 smackers. Woo hoo! Well under budget. That’ll help with the photography fee. (… Or the lawn mower we have to buy ASAP. Or something.)

Stay tuned to find out if they’ll fit my look (which uh, thus far consists of my dress and these shoes)… and my feet!

Did you do a colored shoe? What kind of restrictions did you have? (Heel height, shoe style, etc.?)