The Truth About Shoes

 When picking out the shoes you’re going to wear on your wedding day, brides can have an unexpectedly hard time.

Many times, girls forget that pretty is not the only goal for your shoes. Here are some Brides of Florida tips to finding the perfect shoes to make sure your feet are as happy as you are on the big day!

In It For The Long Haul

Photo courtesy of @miguelocquephotography

     The shoes you wear on your wedding day will be on your feet for at least 10 hours, the first thing they need to be is comfortable! It takes at least 30 minutes of wearing shoes to know if they’re going to work all day, so once you buy a pair, wear them for at least half an hour at home, preferably on carpet. Give yourself plenty of time because if a pair of shoes doesn’t work, you’ll have plenty of time to return them.

The Trouble with Twos

         Having two pairs of shoes is a very common idea nowadays, brides love to do something elegant (and less comfy) for the ceremony, opting for a more comfortable (and less elegant) pair for the reception. BUT, many brides don’t take into account the issue of heel size. If the heel size of your 2nd pair is longer or shorter than that of your first pair, the gown could be too long and you won’t be able to move around safely. Nobody wants a fallen bride! Here at Brides of Florida we always make sure that the bride has measured the inside of the heel to know exactly what heel length she needs. Even still, finding an option that works for both the ceremony and reception may be the right call.

Nobody wants a fallen bride!

      The Honest Truth

          Unless you’re doing something very nontraditional, you’re going to be wearing a long gown. Therefore, the view of your shoes is going to be extremely limited. I’ve seen brides put as much time and effort into choosing their shoes as they put into picking their gown, big mistake! Of course you want your shoes to look good, but here’s the truth: nobody is going to see your shoes if your gown is long. Should they match your dress and jewelry? Of course! Should they be trendy, elegant and represent your style? Definitely! But the reality is that they will be hidden by your dress 90% of the wedding. So opt for comfort over style every time when it comes to choosing your shoes.

     My Recommendations 

Here are some of my top 3 shoe options that our #bofbrides have recommended as both comfortable and beautiful:  

• Betsy Johnson’s shoes have been raved about by our brides for their style and comfort for years, and their soles are blue (something blue!) Definitely check them out.

https://www.dillards.com/brand/Betsey+Johnson/shoes-women-shoes-bridal

• Badgley Mishka has gorgeous styles, but watch for the fit because some of their shoes are on the uncomfortable side.

https://www.badgleymischka.com/wedding-shop/ceremony/bridal-shoes/  

• Designer shoes! If there’s any day to splurge on some red bottoms it’d be your wedding day. However, keep in mind that most of these high-end options aren’t designed for comfort. So, if you go the designer route, make sure you give them plenty of time to be broken in. Whether you wear them a handful of times yourself, or get something that does it for you.

https://m.saks.com/eSearch.jsp?N=306624275&Ne=399545537

   Designer shoe photos courtesy of @simplycaptivating

Even though this list of advice may seem rigid, keep in mind, there’s no going wrong! Through the years I’ve seen girls in every kind of shoe and color and I can say that the brides who prioritize comfort are always the happiest!

The truth is, any shoe can be a wedding shoe if it’s comfortable and you love it.

I hope you found this informative, and if you did, please like, share and comment your thoughts below!

The Big Day

Last week was a big one for the Brides of Florida team as we celebrated the wedding of Macky’s daughter Priscilla, the social media manager for BoF and Ben Gomez (Me) who helps with web design and blog editing.

Macky asked me to write a little blog breaking down the wedding experience from the groom’s perspective, talking through the vendors, the wedding itself and most importantly, my thoughts on the beautiful Brides of Florida dresses (Yes, dresses) that my wife wore.

Our wedding was coordinated by Cely Carbonell (@celys_events) and our very own Macky Diaz (@ispeakbride). They knocked it out of the park! Cely was on top of every detail, Priscilla and I never felt out of the loop or like we had too much on our plate. We both felt like that balance was struck perfectly, and loved that we were responsible for many choices but were never overwhelmed with errands or decisions.

The Venue

Villa Woodbine (@villa_woodbine) was the absolute dream-venue for our wedding. We couldn’t have asked for a better location, it had the vintage quality from the gorgeous 19th-century architecture, a perfect green backdrop with an amazing back yard and vines going up all the walls, and in Miami a clear air-conditioned tent doesn’t hurt either! The tent served as both the setting for the ceremony and was then flipped by Villa’s team into the dining hall for the reception as well. They killed it! The food from @billhansenluxurycatering was literally unbelievable. I watched nearly every single guest get up for seconds and thirds of the outstanding entrees. The hours d’oeuvres were beyond delicious as well. The food was so good that it was honestly one of the main conversation pieces during cocktail hour and the reception.

The reception was also made possible by Mi Vintage (@mivintage) who supplied us with the chairs and gorgeous farm tables that were exactly what my wife and I wanted. We were also in love with our seating chart and menu (@onlyonemarkinc). The signage throughout was stunning (@salvagingeden) in every detail Priscilla and I felt like our vision was executed to perfection!

The Greenery

The greenery at the wedding was absolutely stunning (@rodristudio). Priscilla was the one who had the really strong vision for how she wanted the greenery and flowers to be designed but even I was awestruck by the work that Angel did. Even in talking to guests at cocktail hour and during the reception it was evident that the greenery stole the show. My wife and I are still talking about how the floral arrangements looked, perfection is an understatement. The tent and venue felt like another world, Priscilla and I look back at pictures and are still blown away that this was our wedding, it was so beautiful and so exact to how we wanted it and Angel’s floral arrangement took center stage in that perfectly-executed vision of our wedding.

The Dress

Lastly, and definitely not least of all is the dresses. Both of Priscilla’s Martina Liana dresses were absolutely stunning and I know I’m biased, but the bride couldn’t have been more beautiful. Priscilla looked exactly as I pictured her walking down the aisle and both of her dresses blew me away. Her first dress was perfectly elegant and had an incredible veil that made her look like a total angel walking down the aisle. Her second dress which she changed into for cocktail hour and the reception was a gorgeous ballgown that was party-ready and perfect for my bride to dance the night away.

Our wedding was nothing short of spectacular. Every detail was exactly how Priscilla and I imagined it and everything went off without a hitch! Once again, thank you so much to Cely (@celys_events) and Macky (@ispeakbride) for putting our dream wedding together. A special thank you to @djericmz for DJing, the ceremony’s string trio @libermusicevents, @powerhousebeauty for doing the hair and makeup, @mrtuxstyles, @miamiflowerwalls, and @dippphotobooth.

Meri and Martin are the best!

Finally, we’d like to give a special thanks to our amazing photographers Meri and Martin. Every picture you see here was taken by them, we couldn’t be happier with how the pictures came out and on top of their excellence, they’re so sweet and kind and it honestly felt like they were guests at our wedding who happened to have cameras, that’s how comfortable they made Priscilla and I feel.

This was a dream wedding for anyone and I’m blessed that I can look at all the incredible work of these vendors and say that it was my wedding.