Wedding shoes: how to get comfort and style without picking just one

Wedding shoes get chosen for how they look with the dress, and then discovered, three hours into the reception, to be the single worst decision of the day. A few adjustments get you most of the look without the same cost.

Break them in properly, weeks ahead

Wear them around the house for short stretches starting at least a month out. New shoes that have never touched a hard floor before the wedding are the most common cause of blisters, far more than heel height itself.

Pack a backup pair

A pair of foldable flats or comfortable sandals for the dance floor is a low-cost insurance policy. Nobody notices a shoe swap once dancing starts, and your feet will thank you by hour six.

Consider a lower heel than you'd normally wear

Photos rarely show your feet in full-body shots at the angle you'd expect, so the height difference between a two-inch and a four-inch heel matters far less in photos than it does after standing for a full receiving line.