Ah, wedding planning: a magical time when all of your little kid dreams come to v expensive fruition. Music, dancing, never-ending vows of love, high fashion, pretty dresses, and f*cking amazing shoes.
Picking out those amazing shoes, though, should get just as much time and attention as picking out your perfect dress. They need to be practical. They need to be cute. And they need to be comfortable enough that, by the end of the night, you aren’t in tears and/or walking barefoot around the reception hall. That’s gross. We talked to Dr. Miguel Cunha, Founder of Gotham Footcare and a leading podiatrist in Manhattan, who gave us some hardcore shoe pointers that can guide you in your efforts shopping for wedding shoes. Here are the wedding shoes rules you need to live by:
1. Comfort, But Make It Fashion
I get that you want to wear a super fashion-forward pump on a teeny, tiny heel that clocks in at 8 inches or whatever, but please chill. Keep in mind that your wedding day is an ACTUAL all-day affair for you. Between waking up and taking pictures, to going to the chapel and gettin’ hitched, to taking more pictures, to dancing all night at the reception, you’re likely going to be on your feet for close to 12-15 hours. Pick something pretty, comfy, and practical. If walking in your potential wedding shoes is challenging or even a BIT uncomfortable when you’re trying them on, you’re going to be absolutely miserable by the time the end of the ceremony rolls around. Trust. Plus, chances are if you’re sporting a long dress, no one’s really going to see your super high, fashion-forward anyway.
2. Ditch Online Sh*t
I know that the internet and online shopping are bae, but don’t leave your shoes to the whims of online shopping. It’s fine to peek around at shoes on department store websites to get an idea of the style you like, but, similar to the wedding dress, you need to go to the store and try any and all wedding shoes on in person.
3. Get Swole
Are your puppies BARKIN’ by 2pm every day? GOOD. That’s the perfect time to buy your wedding shoes. Seriously, if your feet are prone to growing a few sizes by the end of the day thanks to blood, gravity, and the unstoppable pressure that is day-to-day living, use it to your advantage and head to the shoe store right when your feet are at their most swole. Dr. Cunha says, “Our feet tend to swell through the day, so it’s important to shop for shoes when your feet are most swollen. If you try them on then and they’re comfortable then you know they’ll feel comfortable throughout the day.” So even if you’re slightly afraid that your red, sweaty, swollen feet will cause a slight panic in the shoe department at Nieman Marcus, embrace the unsightly spectacle and know that you’ll be comfortable on your big day, even if you’re highly uncomfortable now.
4. Walk The Walk
Once you’ve tried on, thought about, and finally bought your wedding shoes, it’s time to break those f*ckers in. You can wear them in a box. You can wear them with a fox. I don’t really care what you do, but break in your f*cking shoes. Seriously though, all well-made shoes will start to break in, stretch, and form to your foot on their own as you wear them over the course of a few days. But keep in mind that the shoes themselves should be comfortable (to a point) the very first time you slip ’em on in store. After that, says Dr. Cunha, “the best way to break in shoes is to wear them in 2 hours increments per day for four days and then wear all day on the fifth day.”
5. Make The Right Heel Choice
The height of your heel is going to matter a lot during your wedding day. We all kind of get that a 5-inch heel isn’t the best choice for an all-day event, but, according to Dr. Cunha, flats aren’t the answer, either. Say what?? It’s true; we can’t have nice things. Flats, although they seem fun and friendly, actually “will contribute to pronation and collapse of the arch, which may contribute to planter and posterior heel pain, shin splints, knee pain, and back pain,” he warns. Idk what several of those words mean, but I assume it all translates to “your body will be ouch.” Flats can also place a lot of pressure and tension on your Achilles tendon, which will also lead to discomfort as the day wears on.
But wait, there’s more. You may be thinking, “Grool, that means heels are the better choice.” Wrong, bitch. According to Dr. Cunha, “wearing high heels compresses the toes together causing the big toe nail to grow into the skin and eventually resulting in an ingrown toenail. High heels also aggravate the symptoms and progression of bunion deformities as the shape of the shoe does not accommodate the normal structure of the forefoot.” Did we all throw up together? Good.
So what can you like, actually wear? Dr. Cunha says that shoes with a 1-inch heel or wedge are your best option as they’ll be the most comfortable and give you a little boost without hurting you.
6. Make Sure They Fit
F*cking duh, fam. And it sounds like, if you invite any foot doctors to your wedding, they’ll be able to tell if you went and bought a size larger in shoes, thinkin’ you were slick. “I can tell a woman is wearing the wrong shoes when her body is not positioned in a 90 degree angle with the ground. Her sway is longer, her chest is pushed forward while her buttocks is further back. The body weight pushes forward so the center of pressure is moved towards the balls of the feet.” Rude, Dr. Cunha; we trusted you. JK, but honestly, having shoes that don’t fit correctly won’t only be uncomfortable, it’ll also look super awkward. And no one wants to feel awkward on their wedding day.
Images: Shutterstock; Giphy (3)
