Bridal shoes are the least noticed, yet the most important part of a wedding trousseau. For most brides finding the perfect bridal shoes that match the color of the dress and are comfortable as well spells trouble. To top it all bridal shoes come with a hefty price tag.
An easy way out of this mess is to buy a pair of simple and comfortable shoes and dye them and accent them according to your taste at home. Here’s what you’ll need:
- An assortment of laces, ribbons, seed beads, silk flowers etc.
- Fabric glue
- Needle and thread
- Silk or satin shoes
- Sponge
- Strong black coffee in a bowl
- Shoe clip
Dyeing the bridal shoes
If you wish to have ivory or cream shoes for your wedding but are unable to find the right shade, simply buy a pair of white shoes and dye them to your liking. Take a bowl of strong black coffee and dip a piece of sponge in it. Squeeze it well and then apply a light coat to your shoes and leave it to dry. Apply as many coats as required to get the shade you want, remember that once the shoes dry the color will get lighter. Ensure that the color of both the shoes matches.
You can also buy a plain shoe that matches the color of your dress and then move on to decorating it as described below.
Decorating the bridal shoes
First decide whether you want the decoration to be temporary or permanent. If you want it to be permanent use a hot glue gun to attach the accessories directly on the shoes. Get crystals, ribbons, pearls and bows to go with your dress and start tacking them on the toe of your shoes. You can attach a pretty bow on the back of your shoes or if you are wearing stilettos paste a few crystals on the heel, it looks dainty.
If you want the decorations only for the wedding day then use a shoe clip that you can get from any upscale shop in your area. Affix a piece of fabric or cardboard on the shoe clip so it can provide a large base for your accessories. Now paste the beads, ribbons, lace etc to cover this base completely. Clip it on to your shoes on the D-day. Read about following Beading Crafts :
