The Bride Wore Black Shoes

Since even before Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, black and white have been paired together for a beautiful contrast. Even nature has decided black and white are an excellent mix: penguins, pandas… okay, I just wanted a cute puppy picture (thanks bigpawsonly.com!).  Or, for a more recent picture, Ashlee Simpson’s ivory wedding dress and Pete Wentz’s black nail polish? But, regardless of my fun examples, the truth about the color duo being united in everlasting harmony remains, so why not add some defining black pieces while wearing likely the most white dress of your life?

Actually, I am generally against wearing black to weddings, even if the dress code is black-tie formal (as I get many stern looks from miss manners, I’m sure), but I think shoes are definitely an exception, mostly because there is usually not a lot of black to them (strappy heels are the most common evening shoe) and because most people do not associate black shoes with solemn mourning in the same way as black clothing, at least not in this country. Plus, most of the black evening shoes that you’d pick from to go with your wedding dress are going to have something else to them: rhinestones, beads, crystals, metallics, sequins, lace or glitter (even if it’s just minimally) – which makes the shoes less dreary and a lot more fun! (P.S. If you clicked on the link above to view the uber-gorgeous, uber-expensive sequin example, check out this more affordable (and equally cute) version!).

One more great thing about black shoes, is that you won’t have to worry about trying to find shoes in the exact shade of ecru to match your dress (I’ve read that there are over 200 different versions of white used in wedding dresses – to the chagrin of brides everywhere). Luckily, as my friend Jessica always says, “sparkles match everything!”

So, I have some gorgeous options in black for you below that I’m sure would complement any wedding dress. Starting off, Oh… Deer! covered these black stiletto pumps in sequins so while at first they look fairly basic, then they catch the light and it’s a party! (imagine them sparkling from flickering candles). Second, I’ve chosen these lightly beaded Caparros slingbacks; just by varying the width of the straps, they’ve almost made it look like a bow for the side of your foot (I can do fun and flashy, but the simple minimalist in me favors clean styles when they’re done so right). Last in row one, these heels by Nine West may look like your average rhinestone shoes, but they’re actually trimmed in glinty silver chain! However, the strap over the toes is a wedding-appropriate black lace, so for the bride looking for something slightly edgy, these might just make you and your mother happy (I’m told it is possible ).

In the second row, the intricate, vine-like metallic trim on these Max Studio heels seems to me like a pretty and more wearable version of the Miu Miu teacup pumps. Your friends will be dying to know where you got them and won’t believe they didn’t cost as much as your wedding dress. Next up are these luxe gold and black d’Orsay heels by Enzo Angiolini which I have to preface are not going to work with every wedding dress. Silver and crystal sparkles are so close to white they almost don’t count as a separate color and can match most any wedding dress hue – even those leaning towards gold tones. But, with a bright metallic gold color on a black shoe, you are then dealing with 3 different color spectrums which can be more difficult to use. However, there are tons of wedding dresses in pearly-gold hues and just as many with gold threading or bead detail, so in these cases, a gold and black shoe can coordinate nicely. I think these Enzo heels, with the tapered gold bands on the side, have a bit of a retro cool feel.

For my crafty tip-of-the-blog, the very last pair of shoes by Max Studio are adorable, right? They’re also simple to fashion yourself (I call that couture!). First, just get a pair of plain black d’Orsay heels (that means the back and front of the shoe’s upper are not connected & also that they exist! Shoes without a back won’t work for this project). They will also need to have a removable ankle strap (connected by a loop of leather instead of to the sides of the shoe). You might even already have a pair in your closet. Okay? Now throw the ankle strap away! The next step is to get a pretty double face satin ribbon in your color choice (something blue?). Fold it in half, and put the fold under the toe area of the shoe, fold facing the heel. Separate the two pieces of ribbon at the fold, slip the opposite loose ends through and pull tight. Last step: thread one end of the ribbon through the hole for the ankle strap (this will keep your bow from falling down) and tie a bow! If you can easily slip your foot in and out of the shoes with the bow tied, you can sew or hot glue the knot of the bow so it will stay put (satin ribbon is slippery), otherwise, just use a pin.

P.S. If you have any crafty wedding ideas (especially those involving shoes – but we’ll take anything just this once), please feel free to share!