Wedding Tennies and Formal Shoes

When/How to order your shoes...

You will need shoes for your dress fitting to ensure proper hem length. Be sure to order your shoes in advance so that they will arrive in time for your fittings.

Fabric...

Select a shoe fabric that is similar in material to your dress. The most common fabrics are satin, Luxe, Boca, and Silk. Luxe and Boca are a crepe material not shiny like satin.

The Perfect Fit...

Feet vary in shape as much as faces do. For the average woman, over a lifetime, a gradual increase in foot width and length will occur. If a few years have passed since your feet were last measured, don't be surprised if your foot size or width has changed. Use our Shoe Sizer measuring stick as a guide. Keep in mind that shoe manufacturers don't use these devices when making their shoes. It is merely a guide. You will also find that many foot measuring devices vary in their sizing.

Most of our shoes fit true-to-size and will not shrink when dyed. Feet swell throughout the day (or after dancing), so we recommended trying shoes on at the end of the day.

As a general rule, wear your new shoes for an hour at home while making sure that the shoes do not become soiled or scuffed. Practice dancing in your new shoes as you would at your reception. Also, try walking on a surface similar to the aisle you will be walking down. If the soles are slick you might want to apply some non-slip pads to prevent a fall. If a painful area develops during the hour of wearing the shoes at home, you probably need a 1/2 size larger shoe. Look for the following size characteristics while standing in the shoes. Forefoot to Heel Length: The widest part of your foot should match the widest part of the shoe while standing in the shoes. This is important for determining that the shoe flexes in the same place where the ball of the foot flexes. Toe Box length: The toe box is the correct length if there is at least one half inch beyond the longest toe. The longest toe is not always the big toe. Heel Width: The heel should not slip out of the shoe when walking. Forefoot and Mid-foot Width: While standing, the forefoot should not cause the shoe to bulge on the sides and the material across the ball and the mid-foot area should compress slightly between the fingers.

Shoe Styles and Comfort ...

If you are wearing a long wedding dress, most of the time your shoes wont show. Many of our brides decide to wear ballet slippers or decorated flips-flops and tennis shoes. Your feet will thank you in the morning if you select comfort before style. However, our line of flip-flops and tennies are elegant as well as comfortable.

The most comfortable high heel shoes are platforms. A platform under the ball of the foot always ensures more comfort. Thick, chunky heels are much more comfortable than spikey heels. Squared toe shoes are more roomy than pointed toe shoes.

HAVING YOUR SHOES CUSTOM DYED

How and Where to get shoes dyed...

Our suppliers can dye your shoes for you. However, they require a material swatch to match, it takes an additional 5 days for dyeing time, and the shoes cannot be returned for any reason. Most of our brides decide to purchase them white and have them dyed at their local bridal shop or shoe repair.

White Shoes ...

Even if your dress is white, you may need to have your shoes toned down with a product called "Bridal White". Bridal Whites vary from white to a light ivory, and are specially designed to coordinate with bridal dresses.

Colored Shoes ...

All shoes should be dyed by the same professional shoe dyer and from the same batch of dye. Due to differences in individual color perception it is very rare to have a "perfect match". However, you can expect a color that blends well with your dress.

Lighting...

When dyed, the color of your shoes will vary from indoor to outdoor lighting. It is important to inform your shoe dyeing professional if your function will be held outdoors.

Color Protection...

Color will spot and streak if subjected to moisture. On rainy days, we recommend that shoes be worn indoors only. Also watch out for recently wet grass. Shoes may be treated with a protectant spray which will help prevent some water spotting. However, once shoes are treated with color protection they cannot be redyed. An alternative to dyeing shoes and worrying about the colors running, we recommend the Dyeables line of colored shoes. They have been designed to match this years' most popular dress colors. They are not dyed shoes so the colors wont run!

Redyeing Shoes...

After your function shoes may be overdyed black.