Filippa Scott

So thats the big question I suppose, I mean we all as brides want to have the prettiest and perfect dress of our dreams but where do we fare when it comes to shoes? Ok so I was a bride in 2004 and married my wonderful husband in Cyprus but rather than worrying about comfort, I suppose all I cared about was how pretty my shoes were but it does appear that more and more feel that comfort is the key what with most brides wearing them in total for over 8 hours during the course of their wedding day. Heres our top 10 key tips for choosing your Wedding Footwear.

1 – Choose a brand that has is renowned in the field, why? because they have the experience of creating timeless classics incorporating glamour, comfort and almost all popular brands will have a range of shoes suitable for your budget. Our personal favourite is the Paradox London range featuring Pink By Paradox, Belle and Benjamin Adams and the Rainbow Club range also incorporating Else, leaders in the bridal shoe industry can mean only one thing, comfort, affordability and expertise in creating beautiful bridal shoes for the industry. In fact Paradox is a 2011 award winner.

2 – Wear a heel height and style that you are used to, if you’re comfortable in 3 inch heels normally why go and kill you calves and leg muscles not to mention your feet by trying 5 inch. You’ll find them unbearable to wear meaning you’ll spend the best day of your life worrying about blisters and you’ll end up walking around bear foot, cue beautiful ivory or white dress, black feet ! a very big no no. If you wear a wedding shoe that is on par with your normal fashion shoe then you should be fine.

3 – Pick the right colour, Almost all of us want shoes that compliment the dress perfectly which poses a problem on occasions for those with diamond white dresses, 95% of shoes can be bleached however the bleaching process does not guarantee a diamond white effect, thankfully brands such as Benjamin Walk based in the US offer a vast amount of styles, well in fact hundreds that are available in Diamond White therefore saving you the cost of bleaching/dyeing and meaning hopefully you can get the perfect match. My dress was a Maggie Diamond White and I ended up wearing silver shoes with complimented my pretty swarovski embellishments anyway.

4 – Pick a style that you can wear again! – Why would you want to buy a wedding shoe that you wear for one day and then it goes in a box in the roof to collect dust? choose a shoe that you would wear with jeans or another outfit on a special occasion, have them dyed to match and bobs your uncle you can wear them again and again.

5 – Skintone – Pick a shoe that compliments your skin tone, this creates added leg length and makes you look taller.

6 – Material – If your dress is silk we would recommend you choose a silk shoe thus complimenting the material of the dress, likewise with Satin, Lace etc. Theres no end of selection nowadays when it comes to shoes and their fabrics, even if it comes down to the detailing of the shoe, if your dress features pearls, why not choose a shoe that incorporates pearls into the design?

7 – Buy in advance!, we know only to well that alot of brides tend to purchase their shoes a day before the wedding and then end up in a complete panic when they don’t fit, they’re not the right style and then comes the bridezilla moment “we’ve all had them” Purchase your shoes at least 3 months in advance so you can ensure you have the pair of your dreams and wear them around the house to stretch them slightly for the big day. A bride with a plaster on her heels is not a good look

8 – Location, Consider where the ceremony is taking place, if you are getting married say on a beach the last thing you want to do is be sinking unelegantly into the sand so “think” about the whole day, where you will be wearing them and are they suitable.

9 – READ the terms and conditions of shoe purchases and consider how long for delivery whether this be in store on on-line, many high street shops do not offer a returns policy as most shoes are purchased to order meaning that if they don’t have your size in store and you have to order them you’ll have to keep them which I suppose is why many customers use the internet nowadays for this purchase as we are bound to offering a returns / exchange policy.

10 – Finally, browse the web fully, with no fewer than 200 styles on our own website alone (sorry for the shameless plug) you can spend hours looking and considering the perfect shoe for your day. If you’re stuck between 4 pairs why not order all 4 so you have them there in front of you, do look at the returns policy from the site you are ordering from as many sites do not allow more than 2 pairs for sampling.

Well i hope that kind of gave you a mini insight into what is to be considered, we’ll be back soon with our new blogs for our bridesmaid dress photoshoot happening the end of the month, our new showroom and our Benjamin Adams shoe videos, yes you heard it right videos, we were the original company to introduce 360 degree rotational imagery for the shoes but it seems others have got onto that trend so it was time for the change although an expensive one, we can showcase every fine detailing in real life providing you the bride with lots of various viewing components, we are very excited about this and don’t worry we’re already planning our next shoe move before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon !!!!!

We were thrilled when Sarah asked to work with us with creating this blog for you guys.

Maybe you’re in the beginning stages of dress shopping or maybe you’ve already narrowed it down to a certain cut or style. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to picking a dress that fits your style- not to mention your body. Let’s make it easy by breaking down the general shapes that most wedding gowns fall under, which body types they flatter the most, and how to tailor your workout routine to make sure you look your best in the dress that you’ve already bought. Here are some common wedding dress styles and appropriate exercises that target the areas of your body that will be most prominent according to the style of wedding dress you have selected!

style: Ballgown- necklines/sleeves vary
accencuates: core
exercise: Abdominal crunches
how to:

1. Lie on your back and place your feet on a wall so that your knees and hips are bent at  90-degree angles. Tighten your abdominal muscles.

2. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor. To avoid straining your neck, cross your arms on your chest rather than locking them behind your head. Hold for three deep breaths.

3. Return to the start position and repeat.

style: Trumpet/Mermaid-
accencuates: butt, thighs, and hips
exercise: Squats
how to:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and, for added intensity, hold weights at shoulder level or at your sides.
2. Bend the knees, and lower into a squat, keeping the knees behind the toes.  Imagine that you’re sticking your butt out behind you, but keep the torso upright and contracted.
3. Press into the heels to stand up.
4. Repeat for 2-3 sets of 8-16 reps

style: Midcalf/Ballerina- forgiving on thighs and hips
accencuates: legs/calves.
exercise: chair squat
how to:
This is a great exercises for toning legs and calves. It is easy to do and it is not necessary to purchase expensive equipment, all you need is a chair! 1. Place a chair just behind you and stand in front of it with feet about hip- or shoulder-width apart.

2. Contract the abs and keep them tight as you bend the knees and slowly squat towards the chair.

3. Keep the knees behind the toes as you sit down on the chair for a few seconds.

4. Contract the glutes and hamstrings to lift up out of the chair and begin extending the legs.

5. Fully extend the legs until you’re back to standing position.

6. Repeat this for 1-3 sets of 10-16 repetitions.

7. To progress, squat down until you’re just hovering over the chair, but not sitting all the way down.

8. Make sure to keep your knees in line with your toes.
A-line/Princess-forgiving on bottom half
accentuates: bodice and core
exercise: the bicycle
how to:
1. Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground. Put your hands beside your head.
2. Bring knees to a 45- degree angle and slowly mimic a bicycle pedal motion.
3. Touch your left elbow to your right knee and your right elbow to your left knee.
4. Lie on the floor interlock your fingers and place your hands behind your head.
5. Bring knees towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor while neck remains flat on the floor.
6. Straighten the left leg while simultaneously turn the upper body to the left, taking the right elbow towards the left knee.
7. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the right knee.
8. Continue alternating sides for 1-4 sets of 14-16 repetitions.

Empire-forgiving on abs
accentuates: chest and shoulders
exercise: chest and shoulders
how to:
1.lie on your back and hold the weights (between 5 and 8 lbs) with your palms facing upward, and your arms outstretched to each side.
2. With your elbows bent, lift your arms above chest until your hands are almost touching. And repeat 10-12 repetitions.

Strapless/low back-
accentuates: chest and shoulders
exercises: Lateral pull downs
how to:
Although the lateral pull down requires a specific machine which can be found at any gym.  “Lat” pull downs are great for working out the upper back muscle like the posterior deltoid.
1. Sit straight on a bench facing the tower and hold the bar with a broad, overhand grip. Keeping your back straight, pull the lat to your chest.
2. Touch the lat to your chest and hold it for two seconds while pinching your shoulder blades together.
3. Keep the tension, move the bar back to the original position. Do three sets of eight to twelve repetitions.

By Sasha Britton for Girls of Elegance Limited,  Gym Source, your source for treadmills, ellipticals, home gyms and so much more.