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Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Just Say No to Bridal Shoes

(photo credit Cole Haan)

I am not the sort of blogger who will tell you what to do.  If you have your heart set on white satin bridal shoes, by all means go for it.

This weekend I had my first wedding gown fitting, which meant I had to go pick up my shoes.  I had my eye on the Cole Haan Air Bridal collection.  Even though I adore high heels, years of podiatric abuse have left me unable to wear them for very long.  So the idea of Nike Air soles hidden inside high heels sounded awesome.

I went to the Cole Haan store to try the shoes on and I fell in love with the rather pricey pair you see above.  Well, it's my wedding day, I reasoned, so I decided to give them a go.  And they were miserable.  They were uncomfortable, cheaply made, and just shoddy.  It was obvious you were only supposed to wear them once.

Manufacturers think that they can slap any old thing together, call it "bridal" and women will line up to pay a premium for it.  And the thing is, they're not wrong.  

I say we brides should rebel.  Why would you pay $425 for a pair of cheap shoes when for $100 more you could get a pair of gorgeous, well-made Jimmy Choos?  Not that I'm telling you to run out and spend that kind of money, but I'm trying to put the ridiculous price into perspective.  Are white satin shoes really that important?  

I did end up getting a pair of Cole Haan Airs, which I can't recommend enough.  They are incredibly comfortable and I stood on them for ages with no problem at all.  But, they're not "wedding shoes."  Here they are:

They're not white satin, but they're gorgeous and look fantastic with my wedding dress.  And I can stand on them all night without a problem.  And they're significantly cheaper--and better made--than the bridal range.  So I'm over the moon.

4 Comments:

Blogger very married said...

oh my gosh. i LOVE these shoes! i bought the shoes i'm gonna wear at my reception on clearance for $6 at Ann Taylor Loft. they aren't well made at all, but i can justify the one night of use for 6 bucks!

Monday, May 11, 2009 7:10:00 PM  
Blogger Virginia Janet said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 6:05:00 AM  
Blogger Snowy said...

I think vendors tack on an additional 25% the minute they hear the word, "wedding." DJs, photographers, bakeries, limousines, etc. immediately rack up the price for anything that has to do with a wedding simply because they can.

Good for you for taking a stand!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 12:27:00 PM  
Blogger deweygrape said...

I LOVE those Cole Haan shoes with the little buds- i was like THATS IT!!!THE ONE! hmm.
UNTIL I SAW THE PRICE!!My gown alone wasn't even that much!My fiance said NO WAY and to not even ask family because it was ridiculous for one time wearing. I was thinking of buying white satin heels and using a glue gun to glue little buds on like them? Wonder if that would work? I am finding of you search under "heels" or "sandals" without the word "WEDDING" shoe choices come up HUNDREDS less!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 2:58:00 PM  

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