Guest Blogger: Wedding Shoes

This entry is a guest blogging by my dear friend Jess, of the blog Consume or Consumed, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing for over ten years. Wedding shoes are so special, and I was happy to be a part in helping her find hers. I was honored to witness the happiness between her and her partner and wish them many years of bliss.

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Christian Louboutin Coquine in Yellow Satin

I can't say enough good things about my wedding shoes. But choosing them wasn't an easy or quick process. When I (along with my partner) decided to get married, I told myself that if I hit the lottery (and miraculously become less clumsy on atop anything higher than 3 inches), I would buy Christian Louboutin Very Noeud satin bow pumps to wear that day. Then I remembered that I don't play the lottery. So I started looking at Caparros (which are pretty enough, even if they do unabashedly knock off many CL styles). I was resolved to pick up some pretty purple satin slingbacks even though they didn't feel fabulous enough for my wedding day outfit. That was until my dear friend, Erin of the incredible shoe blog Shoe Love, started sending me links to auctions for Christian Louboutin styles on eBay. After adding a few to my watch list, I noticed that no one had bid on one specific pair with a reserve price and a reasonable heel height that I could manage (80 mm). I am usually a size 37.5 or 38 in European brands but I had no clue what I would wear in CLs. These were size 38 so I hoped they might fit me. I set my snipe service to bid at the last minute. Unfortunately, because the reserve was not met, I didn't win. No one did. Eventually the seller relisted with no reserve and a much lower starting price. I won them for $50 less than I was prepared to pay. And they arrived soon after, complete with the red shoe bag and box.

When I tried them on at first, I felt a tinge of worry wash over me. They seemed to be long enough in the sole to fit my feet, but the toe box felt narrow. And on a day when I would be wearing them for hours and hours, I wanted to be relatively comfortable. I stuffed them with as much tissue as I could squeeze and periodically wore them around the house with socks in the hopes that things would stretch. Satin doesn't stretch much, but somehow (perhaps it was the placebo effect) they seemed to be more comfortable after a few tries. This was around six months prior to the wedding date. I was set to start dress shopping and was glad to have shoes.

But when I told people I purchased wedding shoes before even trying on a single wedding dress, many seemed surprised. This made me worry a bit too. Had I made a rash decision? Just in case I ordered a pewter pair of bejeweled Stuart Weitzman pumps and the purple Caparro slingbacks (pictures here). After I selected my dress, I brought all three to my first fitting appointment. I tried each on with the dress, while standing on carpet so I could return if neither of the new pairs worked out. The Loubs were the clear front-runner. They complimented the dress so well! And my mom, sister, and the bridal boutique employees felt unanimous agreement with me. I stuffed the toe box again and packed them away 'til the week of. I probably could have worn them more frequently to practice and stretch the toe box. But I kind of forgot about them, unless it was a fitting appointment day. When I packed up my things to check into the hotel on the eve of the wedding, I was excited to bring such fancy shoes with me. I put them on and walked around the hotel room the night before, to get an idea of how they would feel. And I wore the Caparros to the rehearsal dinner.

The day of the wedding was a blur of excitement and joy. And although I did get blisters from the narrowish toe box, I had band aids and was so distracted by my enthusiasm that I barely felt my feet. I did switch to flats (borrowed from Erin herself) for some of the dancing. When I took off my shoes I put them on a table and a few of my cousins gushed over their signature red soles, in addition to their general sparkle and beauty. I felt confident in my selection and was glad I went with the Christian Louboutins. They were the most glamorous of my options and well worth the blisters and the price.

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Note: since I am greedy and don't have boundaries, I asked Jess to try on these shoes as well and found them to run small. These 38s were just barely big on me, and should I have the luck to be her shoe twin someday, I would need a 37.5.