A bridal party has a natural feel when everything coordinates, and when the wedding has a natural feel, most of the attention is where it belongs: on the bride. Shoes are part of this continuity. Not only do matching shoes give the wedding party a finished look, but they also prevent too stark a contrast between shoes and dress from drawing attention away from the proceedings.

One way to match shoes is to buy shoes of neutral colors. Shades of beige go especially well with dark, bold colors like dark pink, burgundy, brown, rust, and even dark greens and blues. Very light beige and off-white or eggshell shoes can work with pastel colors. Eggshell sandals go well with sundress-style bridesmaid dresses in an outdoor summer wedding. Sandals also work well with other casual weddings.

Another way to match shoes to the bridesmaid dresses works well when the dresses are dark colors. Use shoes that are one or two shades lighter that the dresses. This provides a slight, but complementary, contrast to the bridesmaid dresses. This will not work, however, by using dark shoes with light colors. The contrast is to too jarring, especially with very pale colors.

The best way to get a good match with shoes, however, is to purchase shoes which can be dyed. When the shoes match the bridesmaid dresses almost perfectly, the bridal party has a truly finished look. With very pale, neutral colors, it is almost necessary to dye the shoes to match your bridesmaid dresses. Dyeable shoes can be purchased at most fine shoe stores, as well as online. Most start retailing in the region of $35 a pair.

If you decide to dye your shoes to match the bridesmaid dresses, take a color swatch of the bridesmaid dress fabric to the dyer. He or she will be able to create a dye color to match. It is also a good idea to do all of the shoes at the same time. If all of the shoes are done in the same batch, they will not vary, even slightly, in color.

Shoes may seem an unimportant detail, but when they do not match the bridesmaid dresses, it can be distracting rather than attractive. Matching shoes add to the uniformity and elegant finish of a wedding party.