Wedding Blog

Hi hive! Based on reader feedback, we’ve retooled the Bee budget posts! We’re approaching the series in a different way by focusing on different aspects of the bees’ budgets and including pictures of what they got, and for what price! We hope this series will give readers a glimpse into what wedding details cost real brides! So, without further ado, we’re kicking off the series with everyone’s favorite detail: shoes!

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Mrs. Cherry Blossom’s Shoes

Shoes: Grace Shoes (Style: Crystal)
Cost: $145 + 15% off

I originally had a different pair of shoes. They were called the rich ‘n post by Kenneth Cole reaction which were a cheaper mock of a pair of Kate Spades … but it was love at first sight … I saw these and couldn’t stop thinking about them. They just screamed bridal and … to me, how could I resist? The best part: I got to wear them twice!

And I also got these to wear with my Chinese Qi Pao Dress… they go with everything.

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Mrs. Cupcake’s Shoes

Shoe: Melissa by Liz René Couture for Touch Ups
Cost: $85 from Zappos

“These were the only open-toed shoes I could find that had a good heel height for me (2.5″) and with detailing (a pearly rhinestone flourish) that complemented my very beaded gown. They weren’t uncomfortable, but they also weren’t the most comfortable, either! Luckily, I found some cheapie flats for dancing, so these shoes served their purpose until it was time to kick ‘em off. I’m glad I didn’t go overboard with expensive shoes — these worked out just fine.”

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Mrs. Flamingo’s Shoes

Shoe: Zara brand
Cost: $90 from Zara Store

“From the moment I saw them, I fell in love. The perfect color, material and the peep toe was extactly what I was looking for. When I tried them on, i was a little hesitant about the height but decided to take them anyways. I don’t regret it, but they were a 0.50″ too high for me, so by the time I got to the reception… I was in flip-flops.”

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Mrs. Hot Cocoa’s Shoes

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Sedaraby in purple shantung
Cost: $700 ($500 b/c I had a $200 gift certificate)

“My BIG splurge!!! I saw them at Nordstrom, tried them on, and gasped with delight (seriously, like a giddy girly girl). They matched the color of our bridesmaid dresses perfectly, and were actually fairly comfortable as high heels go. Plus I’ve already worn them out post-wedding; they add instant panache to a LBD.”

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Ms. Mary Jane’s Shoes

Shoe: DKNYC Foxy Pumps in Bamboo Green
Price: $97.95 (I paid $22.95+tax: I had $75 in gift cards.)

“I wanted something more formal than sandals, in a fun color, with a delicate pattern or overall design. I love heels, but as a tall gal marrying a not-much-taller guy, I wanted to keep the heel at 3″ or less. I was also hoping to find something that I’d be able to wear to work or other occasions later. These shoes achieved all of those goals and more. They’re funky, cute and a little sexy, the star punch-outs on them even compliment my left foot’s tattoo! When I wear them after we’re married, I think it’ll be neat to look down at my shoes and be reminded of my wedding day!”

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Ms. D’orsay’s Shoes

Shoe: no idea… I can’t read the font.
Cost: $20.00 I found an online code, they’re usually $24.95 at Babygirl boutique

“I looked everywhere for the perfect shade of dark purple shoes. Most were too bright, too light or too expensive. If I had my druthers I would have had the Manolo Sedaraby D’orsays…but I don’t have my druthers… or a ton of money. So I have these instead. I haven’t worn them for the wedding yet, but I have worn them around the house and despite their 4″ heel - they were surprisingly comfortable!”

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Ms. Beagle’s Shoes:

Shoe: Nina “Cecille”
Cost: $45 (incls. tax) at DSW

“I usually have pretty good luck finding shoes I like online, so of course, this was the first place I looked. Of course I finally found the perfect pair when I wasn’t even looking for them! I stopped my local DSW shoe store while running errands one afternoon and found them in the clearance section. They must have just put them out because I had gone in about a week before and had not seen them. The only thing I didn’t like was the peep toe because I really was looking for a close toed shoe. I diy-ed some fabric flowers, added a vintage-y, glass like button and ended up with some really cute shoe clips that also distract from the peepy toed-ness. Yay! I now have a pair of shoes that I am really excited to wear on my wedding day and they will be just as fun to wear after I’m married!”

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Mrs. Avocado’s Shoes

Shoes: By CAFe’Noir
Cost: $70 (including shipping) from Yoox

“I wanted something I’d never seen on another bride before. I love the pink soles, the hand-dyed look (they don’t look the same as each other), the slightly pointed toe, and the buttons I added to the toe.”

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Mrs. Cherry Pie’s Shoes

Shoes: Ariat Laurel Cowboy Boots
Cost: $174 from Zappos.com, free overnight shipping.

“I’m really not all that into Western wear, so I couldn’t quite believe it when I started contemplating getting cowboy boots to wear under my dress. I was afraid that my Montana wedding was making me crazy. But I had collected so many awfully cute photos of outdoor brides with boots
under their dresses that I just couldn’t help myself.

I’ve never owned cowboy boots before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I guess I thought they’d be stiff and unforgiving, but when I first put them on I thought “OOH, these are comfy”… and I didn’t want to take them off! These boots are by far the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned. I just can’t get enough of them. I wear them under jeans and over jeans and I’m planning to wear them with skirts and dresses this summer. I’d wear them every day if they weren’t so conspicuous. I just lovelovelove them. And they looked awesome at the wedding!”

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Mrs. Dumpling’s Shoes

Shoes: “Emily” by Kate Spade
Cost: $225 (Christmas gift from Mr. Dumpling from Saks Fifth Avenue, Las Vegas)

“Mr. Dumpling went to Mecca, also known as Saks, to find the perfect shoe for my absolute dream dress. He said he spent over an hour in the store describing my dress to the clerk and then looking for something special, but still in our price range. Can you picture how frustrated he must have been? That’s LOVE!”

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Ms. Mascara’s Shoes

Shoes: Ras Satin Dress Flats with Bow
Cost: $65.68 (including shipping) from Amazon.com

“Since Mr. M is barely taller than me, I needed flats! I struggled to find flats that I thought were dressy enough to go with my dress, and I really wanted them to be either purple or teal blue to match our wedding colors. I found these and decided they were perfect! Not so comfortable as far as flats go, but I’m hoping to break them in before the wedding. If that doesn’t work, there’s always flip flops!”

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Mrs. Kiwi’s Shoes

Shoes: Nine West Natilya in Champagne
Cost: $89.00 with free shipping from Macys

“Mr. Kiwi is fourteen inches taller than me, which is huge when you’re supposed to take pictures next to each other. So, I needed shoes that would be comfortable yet TALL. I found exactly what I needed with my shoes- 4.5 inches tall, cork wedges (light to wear, no heels to totter around on) and champagne, a rich color matching my veil and details on my dress. Although they killed me by the end of the day, wearing them on days that aren’t eight straight hours of standing are painless.”

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Mrs. Meatball’s Shoes

Shoes: Favorly D’Orsay
Cost: $14.99 at Nine West Outlet

“I wore these with some foot petals in the ball area and never had a moments discomfort all day or night, and I never even broke them in! Sure, they’re responsible (partly) for my sprained ankle, but it was worth it! The color popped beautifully, and I can’t wait to wear them again.”

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Ms. Stiletto’s Shoes

Shoes: Nine West Gohana
Cost: $45.65 (including shipping) from Overstock.com

“I started looking at a variety of more “bridal” shoes with one of my bridesmaids told me they weren’t “me” at all. So I went searching everyone and found these lovelies online. I was convinced that my diamond-white dress was far more off-white than it is because the pictures I had weren’t very bright. So…I was convinced that these fabulous shoes would match pretty well. But - they don’t AT ALL. I’ve come to love that they clash a bit with the dress because I feel amazingly sexy in the shoes and enjoy that they feel a bit vintage and non-bridal without being a bold color. I wouldn’t replace them for the world…well, maybe for a fabulous pair of Louboutins!”

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Ms. Gloss’ Shoes

Shoes: Patent Leather Piper Ballet Flat in Lemon Yellow by Cole Haan
Cost: $14.98 at Saks Off Fifth, reg. $125

“I happened to run across these shoes while taking a ’sick day’. They were the perfect shade of yellow, they were flat and they were by Cole Haan (whom I have had a longstanding and unabashed love affair with for years). Sold!!”

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Mrs. Deviled Egg’s Shoes

Shoes: Marissa from David’s Bridal
Cost: $29.99 (there were on clearance)

“I’m always looking for deals, but with wedding day shoes, I was willing to spend a little more if necessary. I was looking for something that fit my size 11 feet, looked pretty, were comfortable and had the right size heel to avoid dress hemming. Lucky for me, when I was browsing at David’s Bridal, I found a pair that was everything I wanted in a wedding shoe. Even luckier, they rang up at $29.99 instead of the $39.99 redline price marked on the box! They worked perfectly with my dress and I was able to wear them for most of the night. (After a little too much dancing, they did start to hurt my feet.)”

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Mrs. Corn’s Shoes

Shoes: ‘Unlisted’. Embellished medium-champagne strappy sandal
Cost: $32 at DSW Warehouse.

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Mrs. Sushi’s Shoes

Shoes: “Manda” by RSVP
Cost:$50.90, from Zappos

Shoes: Colin Stuart Sandals
Cost: $10 (including shipping!) from Victoria’s Secret

“I wanted something red, preferably with an open toe, and wedge-like (since my ceremony was on grass). Well, two out of three ain’t bad. I absolutely loved these shoes and figured I could suck up wearing heels in the grass. But our “reception” (aka luau) was in the sand, so I needed something to change into later that still had the height of my heels (3.75 high). The Colin Stuart Sandals from Vicki’s were perfect and on sale!”

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Ms. Powder Puff’s Shoes

Shoes: “Vincente II” by Caparros
Price: $75 from DSW

“Originally I had wanted to wear the sweetest pair of pink suede flats that my sister had bought for me as a Christmas present years ago. But when I tried them on with my dress they looked totally blah and not as awesome as I thought. So my mom came to the rescue and took me to DSW where we found these beauties!”

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Mrs. Emerald’s Shoes

Shoes: Nina (style name unknown)
Price: $45 at DSW

“This was the third or fourth pair of shoes that I purchased on my quest for the perfect RED wedding shoe! I definitely knew I wanted red shoes, but I wanted ones a bit deeper in color. Ahh well, they worked and they looked good on camera!”

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Mrs. Cookie’s Shoes

Shoes: Cynthia Rowley
Cost: $70 at Off Sax 5th Avenue

“My dream shoes were a pair of blue peep toes á la Manolo Blahnik D’Orsay. Dyables had a similar model that I could die blue for $100, but when I tried a pair on, they were uncomfortable on my tooties. While I was at the mall, I stumbled into Off Sax 5th Avenue and found a pair of silver Cynthia Rowley peep toe slingbanks. Although not blue or the exact style I had been looking for, the lining and soles of the shoes was a beautiful Tiffany blue and were quite comfortable. I danced all night at our wedding without my feet hurting, and I’ve worn them several times after the wedding. I love these shoes.”

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Mrs. Lemon’s Shoes

Shoes: Shannon Britt
Price: $125 at shannonbritt.com on special sale (normally $350)

“Searching for cute flats that are wedding appropriate and comfy can be a really difficult task, but I ended my search with these babies after a tip from another Bee. These were my perfect blue/gold flats… and they were amazingly comfortable for the entire wedding day! Since they were skimmers they were comfy to dance in, and I was amazed at how well made they were!”

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Ms. Joey’s Shoes

Shoes: J. Crew
Price: $35 including shipping on eBay

“I had been searching for the perfect yellow shoe to go with my dress. Unfortunately, nothing in my price range comes in my size or is something I can walk in. All the cute shoes in yellow I tried had 4 inch heels. I tried walking in them, and it’s just not possible. 3 inches is as high as i can go. I had just about given up when I found these saviors from J.Crew. I had tried them before but they were out of my price range. The best part is that I found them on eBay for $35.00! The yellow is soooo perfect!”

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Mrs. Tiramisu’s Shoes

Shoe: Martinez Valero Sofia
Cost: $125, on sale for $105 with free shipping on Endless.com

“I had quite the time finding the perfect wedding day shoes, which I envisioned as light blue peep toe heels. My saga included writing a desperate letter to them (they didn’t respond, but some amazing Weddingbee readers did!), ordering them in the wrong size, and then stressing about how to have my dress hemmed so that I could wear both heels to the ceremony and flats to the reception. In the end, on my wedding morning, I put the “perfect” blue heels on for just a few pictures before deciding to stick with my comfortable flat shoes for the whole day. I’m so glad I did! They were fabulously comfortable, and I have actually worn them a few times since.”

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Ms. Cowboy Boot’s Shoes

Shoes by Kate Spade
Price: $50 on eBay.

I wanted something with a blush tone, I love gold shoes, and I wanted an ankle strap, medium heel, and peep toe. It took me one scroll through eBay to find these. It was meant to be.

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Mrs. Penguin’s Shoes

Shoe: “Empower” by Guess
Cost: $90, from Zappos

“I mentioned this earlier, but I have slight shoe regret. The gold heels made the shoe much more informal that I would have liked, but the height, the color of the patent leather, the cute bow, and the price were right! If I could do it all over again, I would have splurged on a designer shoe instead (although I was wedding poor at the time, and definitely couldn’t afford it!).”

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Mrs. Sea Breeze’s Shoes

Shoe: Christian Louboutin Mauresmo chiffon slingbacks
Cost: Originally $570, minus 20% discount from Net-a-Porter

“I was searching for wedding shoes right before the huge purple craze hit North America and so there were very, very few purple shoes to be found, especially of the wedding persuasion. I had almost given up when a friend emailed me a link to the shoes of my dreams - perfect color, perfect height and perfect style… and I certainly thought I WAS dreaming when I saw the price. After much deliberation (with myself) I nervously purchased them and once Mr Breezy got over his fainting spell, I fell in love - both with the shoes… and with my fiance all over again (for not calling off the wedding!)

When I received them I almost had a heart attack as there was a flaw in one of the red soles, but after being informed they were the last pair available anywhere in the world, I kept them… and got a 20% discount! Still, I did cut back on other things to justify them but it was worth it - they are my favorite shoes in the whole world and yes, Mr Breezy, I WILL wear them again and again until they fall apart… promise.”

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Mrs. Quiche’s Shoes

Shoe: Target sandals
Cost: $23

“Shoes ended up being one of the hardest decisions for me!  I went back & forth, back & forth… until I ultimately turned to the hive for help!  A lot of readers had great ideas, but ultimately, after I posted about it - I went with one of our fabulous readers’ suggestion about a pair of sandals from Target!

Not only were they $23 to begin with, but I also had a gift card from one of my showers…so they were “technically” FREE!”

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Mrs. Eggplant’s Shoes

Shoe: Jimmy Choo Saff
Cost: $350 on eBay, brand new

“I took a chance buying these on eBay sight unseen, but it was worth it. The shoes fit perfectly and matched my dress as well. And they were incredibly comfortable, even after standing during the ceremony for two hours.”

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Share your shoes and your shoe budget in the Weddingbee Gallery!