Weddingbee Blog

I went on my shoe search today. I started out at a little shop on Clark that carries Reef brand flip-flops, still thinking that if I found some that fit me right, they might work well for our beach wedding. No luck.

My next stop was DSW down the street. I tried on a bunch of pairs and didn’t find much. They had a few on clearance from their bridal line but they weren’t great. I almost bought a pair of Ninas that were silver…

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…but they cut into my foot right away and I could only imagine how they’d feel after a few hours, so I put them down and walked out.

Onward to Lori’s Shoes which was recommended on the Chicago Weddingbee boards. Thanks bees! It was a cute little shop and their options looked promising. I actually found the same pair of Ninas from DSW but in white.

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Again though, they cut in right at the same place as the others, so I passed.

Next door to Lori’s was a bridal shop, Weddings 826, and their selection was slim. I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for at this point – heel no higher than 3 inches, preferably open-toe, no slingbacks or slides, had to be white – and theirs were either too high or really pointy closed toe. The shoes were a no-go, but they redeemed themselves by handing us a list of recommended bridal shoe stores in the area. Wha? Awesome.

We Google-texted bridal shoes and James Ciccotti was the only one that Google had texted back to us. (If you’re not familiar with Google-texting, it’s like an awesome version of a free 411. Just text the name of the store or type of store, then the city and state or just the zip code, i.e. “bridal shoes, Chicago, IL” to 46645 and it’ll text you back with search results including phone numbers.) James was the first store on the list that the bridal salon had given us and we weren’t far away, so we headed over there.

It was such a cute little boutique! James Ciccotti was sitting at his desk when we walked in and he was wonderful from the start. I told him what I was and wasn’t looking for and he immediately started pulling shoes. They were gorgeous, but the second I heard the prices – $300 and up – I almost had a heart attack. I am a girl who normally buys my shoes at Payless and Target and the most expensive pair of shoes I’ve ever bought was at Aldo 10 years ago for $120. I decided I’d try on a few pairs, honestly because I’ve always wondered how a pair of well made shoes felt compared to the cheap-o shoes I normally buy, but I had NO intention of paying as much as he was asking.

Insert moment of weakness…

As soon as I put on the first pair, they were like butter. Heavenly white creamy butter patties melting all over my feet. Ladies, I have been missing out!!! I started to let my thought of ‘under $100′ move closer to the $200 mark. Then the $300 mark. Then I saw a pair of pumps with the cutest asymmetrical bow and a little brooch in the middle that I had to try on (unfortunately they’re not on the website but I wish I could share a pic!). I knew I wouldn’t get them but I just had to try. With a price tag of $425, I knew they weren’t an option, but I started to waver.

Thoughts of, ‘I have an extra $500 from selling my car,’ and, ‘it’s my wedding day, I can make an exception,’ and, ‘they’re only a little over 3 inch heels, I can do that,’ started going through my head. I put them on and they were fantastic, but I still wasn’t quite sure. Then I saw another pair… not quite sandals, not quite pumps, with a classy touch of bling. They were 3 inchers, and the second I put them on, I loved them! James made a good point that a lot of brides buy 2 pairs of shoes – one for the ceremony, one for the reception – and end up paying more money than they would have if they had just bought a great quality handmade pair of shoes that they could wear the whole day. Maybe I’m a sucker. Or maybe he was right. I was initially one of those brides, thinking I’d have to buy 2 pairs myself – one for the wedding, one to wear with the cocktail dress – and now I don’t have to! I happily whipped out the plastic and bought my first pair of Italian designer shoes for a whopping $365, but I have absolutely NO regrets! I will never again be able to justify spending that on shoes and I have decided this would be my one wedding splurge. And here they are… ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my new pair of James Ciccotti heels…