Elegant Wedding
WINTER/SPRING 1999-2000

Stepping Into the Bridal Market

    With wedding gown designers and shoe manufacturers jumping feet first into the highly segmented bridal shoe business, the choices can be quite daunting for today's bride who wants to be both stylish and comfortable on her Big Day.  "A closed-toe, closed heel, plain silk white or ivory pump with a one- to three-inch-high heel is always in style and the best choice for an elegant, classic look," says Roseanna Martino, owner of The Altered Bride, a one-stop shopping bridal salon on Newbury Street in Boston.
     ...Martino concurs.  Comfort is the most important factor when choosing your bridal shoes.  "They should feel good when you put them on," she says.  "Shoes lined in fabric, foam or leather are more comfortable than shoes lined in vinyl. Your feet expand in the summer and contract in the winter, resulting in half or whole size shoe differences.  Keep this in mind when shopping for your wedding shoes.  Of course you want to be stylish, but you want to be sensible and comfortable."
     And you can be a little creative too, says Martino.  "If you choose open-toe shoes or sandals, why not polish your toenails blue.  This could be your 'something blue' for the wedding."
     ..."If your gown has two or three different fabrics, match your shoes to the material and shade at the bottom, closest to the hemline.  Once you've purchased your shoes, always bring them along to your wedding gown fittings, because they'll be needed for the hem and bustle."
     "If you wear a sheath, column-style floor-length wedding gown, don't select a shoe with a large bow on the top.  It could easily get caught behind the bow and interfere with your ability to walk gracefully," says Martino. 
-EW