If the Shoe Fits…
We’ve been enchanted by balls and glass slippers since we first heard the Cinderella story as kids. Our young hearts swooned over the tale of a beautiful princess with the most delicate glass slipper, promising her a dashing prince and eternal love. Since this iconic tale, we have all known that the journey of a lifetime, your wedding day, should start with a fabulous pair of shoes.
Traditional wedding shoes are here to stay, with satin pumps and white kitten heels marching down the aisle daily. White, nude, and ivory bridal shoes are classic choices for pairing with an ivory dress, while pale blue adds a playful twist as the ‘something blue.’ But it’s the quirky, off-beat wedding shoes that often lurk beneath a classic wedding gown, surprising us with their secret stories. Let’s dive into some fun and fabulous wedding shoe options!
Sneaky Sneakers
The tradition of coloured shoes stems from ancient Rome when shoes were considered a status symbol and brides would often wear brightly coloured shoes to stand out and show off their elevated status as wives-to-be.
Top of the list for comfy wedding shoes has to be sneakers, with Converse being a favourite amongst many brides. They come in various colours, making them super fun and easy to match with any wedding colour theme.
Add a bit of glitter, diamonds, and pearls, and you’ve got TheKnot.com’s top-rated choices for 2024. The editor’s pick is the Nan-Ku Pearl Crush Hi-Top Sneakers, and it’s easy to see why. The Betsey Johnson Sidny Sneakers in Rhinestones earned the “Most Trendy” badge, and they’re practically begging to hit the dance floor!
Secret shoe messages
One of the lesser-known but delightful traditions involves writing secret messages on the soles of the bride and groom’s shoes. Friends and family members often scribble good wishes, jokes, or words of wisdom for the couple to discover as they put on their shoes for the big day. It’s a hidden treasure of love and humour that can be carried with the couple throughout the day. If a handwritten message area is a bit daunting, the good news is that Etsy and online stores have loads of fun options available.
For the bride, it’s common for her bridesmaids to write their names on the soles of her shoes. The belief is that the last name to wear off by the end of the night is the next one to get married. It’s a fun twist on the bouquet toss, with a lot less risk of injury!
The groom’s friends might get in on the action too, penning jokes or advice on the bottom of his shoes. Best men are notorious for writing “Help me!” or “Game Over” at the bottom of the groom’s soles, visible when they kneel down. “Buy Me a Drink” and “Last Chance to Run” have also unknowingly featured on the innocent groom’s feet.
Ruby Slippers
Red is a popular and auspicious colour at Indian weddings, and adding this vibrant hue to your wedding shoes is a fantastic choice. Representing love, power, passion and fertility, the colour symbolizes the strength and intensity of marriage, as well as the sacred commitment at its foundation.
The House of Harry Winston adds a sparkling touch of 4,600 red rubies to your feet. These ruby-studded slippers are among the priciest on the market. They were originally designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” and took Harry Winston two months to place 4,600 rubies on the slippers. The result? A dazzling 1,350 carats of rubies and 50 carats of diamonds, valued at $3,000,000.
Marilyn Monroe was spot-on when she said: “Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” Wearing Swarovksi crystal-studded red Ferragamos in the classic movie, ‘’There’s No Business Like Show Business’’, this girl knew what she was talking about.
What Does a Bride Wear in Her Shoe?
“Something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in her shoe.” This rhyme originated in Victorian England and symbolizes luck for a bride on her wedding day. So, don’t forget to slip a little fortune into your footwear!
Sweden has a similar tradition, where it is customary for the bride to put a silver coin gifted by her father and a gold coin from her mother in her shoes to ensure she’ll never go without.
We don’t know the success rate of this tradition but it is certainly worth a try!
If the shoe fits, drink from it
Fun Fact: In Hungary, it’s tradition for the groom to drink a toast to his bride out of her wedding shoe. Talk about putting your best foot forward! Looking online for an explanation of this strange tradition, the most common one was that as long as the bride “kept her feet on the floor” her shoes couldn’t be stolen.
Some believe that this custom originated in the 19th-century European aristocracy and military circles, where officers would drink from a lady’s shoe to honour her beauty and grace. This was seen as a chivalrous and somewhat playful gesture. In various European folk traditions, shoes have long been associated with luck and fertility. Drinking from a shoe, especially a bride’s shoe, might have been seen as a way to bestow good fortune and fertility on the newlyweds. Our only advice is that shoe drinking should rather happen earlier in the evening than later, and definitely before hours of dancing!
Remember, whether you’re rocking sparkling stilettos or comfy kicks, the right pair of wedding shoes can make your big day even more magical. So go ahead, find your perfect pair, and let your feet do the talking!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CHRISTA BADENHORST
