Bridal Shoe Stories : Three Brides and Their Stunning Shoes

We asked a few brides to tell us what it was like to be in their shoes on the big day. Here is what we heard and what we learned in this high heel confidential.

If the shoe fits, then all is well. So, when you set out to find your sole mate, whether tall, dark or it holds you to ransom, remember Christian Louboutin’s phrase “A woman can carry a bag, but it is the shoe that carries the woman.” The foot contains more bones than any other single part of the body, so it probably justifies our shoe fetish and the need for ‘just one more pair.’  What we wouldn’t do to for the perfect heel for that perfect walk. Regardless of whether you are wearing a saree, lehenga or gown for your nuptials, every bride desires the right footwear that will make her walk tall and proud.

The shoe transforms your attitude and body language, and every woman will attest to this fact. There are so many types of shoes to choose from; flats, kitten heels, wedges, pumps, peep toes and the ever so tall stilettos. It is indeed an art form to learn to walk in your shoes, pun intended. Every bride would possibly narrate a Cinderella moment though we have to say the scullery maid was a true brand ambassador. She ran a successful advertising campaign for shoes though Dorothy and her ruby slippers ran a close second. But don’t you wonder what it felt like to wear those glass slippers and the red shoes that changed Oz forever? We couldn’t speak to Cinderella or Dorothy, but we did ask a few gorgeous brides for a few ‘footnotes’.

Kavita’s Shoes

The gorgeous bride: Kavita, Lawyer
Photographer: William Chang

Heels, especially stilettos, always add that extra touch of elegance to a saree. So I grinned and bore the pain on my wedding day. My legs were fine that day but the next one was another story. They were aching a lot as we were standing for about ten hours straight. In retrospect, I could have probably switched to flats later on for the dancing in the evening but then that meant unpinning my saree and adjusting the length. I really did want to buy something for myself for the wedding and was very excited to spend my monthly earnings on shoes! I think it was worthwhile because I have worn it so many times after that, and it goes with both Western and Indian outfits. Buying designer shoes once in a lifetime is justified.

Those shoes are special to me because,

(a) I bought it with my own money

(b) the hunt for the shoes was so much fun – all the research, trying on different shoes, looking at magazines

(c) I always smile when I see/ wear them as they remind me of my wedding.

 Anjali’s Shoes

The gorgeous bride: Anjali, Architect
Photographer: Anisha Coehlo

The theme for my wedding was coral and pink. I had told my mother about coral colored shoes and when she spotted them on a trip to the US, she picked them up. The right color, the right heel and quite a steal. I was really excited because it was exactly what I wanted, something unconventional.

A burst of color beneath my off white saree, they matched my bouquet and my bridesmaid’s sarees. I wore them for my bachelorette party to break them in and also then it would be the ‘something old’ for my wedding. On the big day, my feet did hurt after over four hours of standing, but then again I am not used to wearing heels. I still walk tall in them and pair them with different outfits. I would suggest soon-to-be brides to not wear heels if one is not used to them or get practicing.

Gloria’s Shoes

The gorgeous bride: Gloria, Journalist
Photographer: Arpit Philips

I was super excited as any other bride on my wedding day. I had the perfect dress and a pair of high heels I was in love with (they reminded me of Cinderella’s glass slippers).I went through the whole process of hair and makeup and slipping into my dream dress without any panic. I was marrying the man of my dreams, and I found no part of it that made me nervous. Well, not for long.

When the time came to slip into the heels I dearly loved, I panicked. I never anticipated how difficult it would be to balance myself with the dress, the bakram skirt, the veil and the works. And then while walking hand in hand with my husband through the garden for the pictures, I lost balance. There I was on the ground with my bouquet struggling to get up because we just couldn’t stop laughing. I thanked my stars that there no one was around (except the photographer). But what’s a wedding without a funny story!
P.S I never wore those heels again!