Matching Shoes with Bridesmaid Dresses
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.
