We're delighted to bring our readers this guest post by luxury bridal footwear designer, Charlotte Mills! Her stunning shoes and accessories are perfect for brides of all styles. But fair warning: if you're picking favorites, you might have a hard time choosing just one!
How to pick your wedding shoes
By Charlotte Mills
FIRST THINGS FIRST: CHOOSE YOUR OUTFIT
Choosing your dress or whatever you decide to wear during your ceremony is a massive step towards deciding how you want to look on your day - it’s shaping the whole style you’re trying to achieve and your “final look”. It’s not necessarily about having the dress in order to buy “matching shoes” which can be seen as an outdated tradition but just having the dress to cement your style.
REMEMBER, COMFORT IS KEY
Your day will be magical, but it can also be long and chances are you will spend a large proportion of the day on your feet - from walking down the aisle, standing through the ceremony, mingling with your guests to busting some moves on the dance floor so it’s time to put your best, and most comfortable, feet forward. Ensure that your shoes are as comfortable as possible and look for features such as luxurious latex padding and memory. I would also consider a chunkier or block heel over a stiletto, and a platform at the front of the shoe, this gives you extra height without feeling like you’re on your tiptoes all day.
STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF
Although the day can be filled with traditions and certain expectations, don’t feel like you have to wear a certain type of shoe just because you’re a bride. If you don’t love the shoe, then it’s not the shoe for you.
Our coloured styles are really popular with blue being our most popular colour, as brides often use this as their something blue! There’s no rule against brides straying from the traditional white or ivory wedding shoes. If you want a statement shoe but are worried that it’s not very bridal? Don’t worry about this - you’re getting married, you’re already bridal.
CONSIDER THE TIME OF YEAR & YOUR VENUE
If you're getting married in Autumn/Winter you might prefer closed-toe shoes, if your wedding is in Spring/Summer you might choose an open-toe sandal. With brides marrying on the beach, they might opt for flat shoes or even sandals.
DON’T COMMIT WITHOUT TRYING THE SHOES ON FIRST
This is a pair of shoes that you’ll be standing in for hours, so it’s important to try them before you buy. If you’re looking to buy online then always look for a brand that has a particularly customer-friendly return policy, there's no harm in trying out a few pairs at home and returning them if not suitable as long as you try them on indoors and on the carpet to make sure you're used to the heel height and they don't rub.
Since graduating from London College of Fashion, joining Alumni Jimmy Choo, and Sophia Webster, Charlotte and her eponymous brand have been on a mission to create romantic statement shoes, stylish sneakers and gorgeous clutch bags accessible to all brides across the US.
Charlotte’s designs are known for having a silver sixpence in each pair poetically mirroring the traditional English rhyme “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Silver Sixpence in her Shoe”, which is also embossed on the leather soles and now part of her range of jewelry.
Photos courtesy of Charlotte Mills
