Wedding Shoes—How to Find the Perfect Shoes for Your Wedding

On her wedding day, the bride usually wears a stunning wedding dress, has her hair styled to perfection, and accessorizes beautifully. But just as important—though unfortunately sometimes underestimated—are bridal shoes. Whether in a boho or vintage style, classic pumps, or playful ballerinas—wedding shoes play a key role in creating the perfect bridal look and can also ensure you stay comfortable all day long. After all, it’s not just about how bridal shoes look—they should also be comfortable and not leave any blisters by the end of the day. In this blog post, we’ll give you tips to help you find the perfect bridal shoes for your wedding.

Choose bridal shoes that match your dress

It’s important to choose wedding shoes that match the style of the wedding dress. If the dress is elegant and classic, the shoes should be equally elegant and classic. However, if the dress has a modern style, the shoes can certainly be a little edgier. But be careful: even though contrasts can sometimes be exciting, we’d generally advise against wearing stilettos to a boho wedding.

You can also take the atmosphere and venue of your celebration into account when choosing your wedding shoes—are you marrying your special someone in your garden, and will you be holding both the ceremony and the reception as a big garden party? In that case, delicate ballerina flats or simple wedge pumps might be a better fit than closed-toe ankle boots or suede sandals with a slender heel.

Austria Wedding's Tip for Buying Bridal Shoes

Many bridal shops also carry shoes. This gives you the chance to choose the right shoes to go with your wedding dress right away. The experts at bridal shops offer comprehensive advice and help you find shoes that perfectly match your dress and your chosen style. This creates a harmonious overall look. Plus, you’ll save time and avoid stress since you can take care of everything in one place. You can try on the shoes right along with the dress and take your time admiring yourself in a large mirror. It’s a completely different experience when you shop at a regular shoe store, where you’ll likely only have a small mirror for your feet and other customers are constantly walking by, interrupting your fitting.

Buy bridal shoes at a bridal shop

If you buy your bridal shoes at a boutique that specializes in weddings, you can, for example, see right away whether the heel height of the shoes is a perfect match for your dress or not. Some bridal boutiques also offer discounts if you buy several pieces of your outfit there. This provides a welcome savings on your wedding budget.

Pay attention to the heel height of your wedding shoes

Another important factor when choosing bridal shoes is the heel height. It’s essential to choose a height that you feel comfortable in and can wear all day long. If you don’t normally wear high heels or are currently pregnant, it might not be a good idea to experiment with high heels on your wedding day. The only exception: bridal shoes with interchangeable heels. A heel height of 4.5 centimeters to 6 centimeters (such as block heels) is ideal for many brides—or at least comfortable enough to wear—and that’s true throughout the entire wedding day!

The Austria Wedding Tip: A Second Pair of Wedding Shoes

For later in the evening—or even as early as the afternoon after standing for a long time (the congratulations after the reception sometimes go on forever!)—there’s always the option of switching to white sneakers or light-colored patent leather lace-ups. This second pair of bridal shoes is perfect, especially for brides who have little experience with high heels but would still like to wear them for photos and at the altar. So you simply switch from the elegant, eye-catching shoes to a flatter, more comfortable pair of bridal shoes—just make sure the second pair also matches your bridal look. Examples of comfortable and beautiful second pairs of shoes for the wedding include:

• Summer sandals with a 4-cm block heel
• Shiny white mules
• Wedge sandals
• Peep-toe shoes with a mini heel
• Crochet Espadrilles
• White fabric sneakers
• Leather ballerina flats
• Toe sandals with laces
• and much more.

Choose comfortable bridal shoes

Regardless of the heel height, you should make sure your shoes are comfortable to wear. After all, there are comfortable and less comfortable styles among both high heels and flats. When choosing your wedding shoes, you should always consider the material—breathability is key! Shoes made of leather or breathable mesh material are particularly good at wicking away heat and sweat. Shoes made of synthetic materials are less suitable. Bridal shoes are often made from a combination of synthetic and natural materials, which can be perfectly adequate for comfort. No matter which material or heel height you choose—it’s definitely a good idea to wear your bridal shoes a few times before the wedding to make sure they fit properly and don’t cause blisters.

The Austria Wedding Tip: Sneakers as Bridal Shoes

No matter how comfortable your wedding shoes are, even sandals can’t compete with sneakers. But the good news is, the later the evening gets, the more casual your shoes can be. Even if you’re planning a formal wedding, once midnight rolls around, you’re free to switch to Chucks, Superstars, or Vans—or even to dash across the dance floor barefoot. If you want to do it sooner: Go for it—after all, it’s your wedding!

The Color of the Bridal Shoes

Breaking News: Wedding shoes don’t always have to be white! While it’s almost a given for rock-chic brides in leather jackets and biker boots, brides with other styles unfortunately rarely dare to do it: creating a contrast with their wedding shoes. You can achieve this, for example, with shoes in bold colors or by deliberately breaking with convention—for instance, you could pair Dr. Martens with a princess dress. Softer options—such as pumps in pastel shades like peach, rosé, or mint —also work well. And they blend beautifully into boho wedding themes. If you prefer a sophisticated, elegant look, go for gold or metallic shades—bridal shoes in silver, gold, or rose gold are sure to turn heads. On the other hand, wedding shoes with a special glitter finish add a touch of extravagance.

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Think About Wedding Shoes Right from the Start

As you can see, a complete wedding look isn’t just about the obvious bridal accessories like the wedding ring and the bouquet. So really think carefully about which wedding shoes will go well with your wedding dress and which ones will keep you comfortable all day long. When you’re choosing wedding shoes, take a close look at the fit, the material, and the style. And: Pay close attention to which pair makes your heart beat the fastest—because that’s definitely a good indicator, not just when choosing a spouse, but also when picking the right shoes!