Now, I’m facing a fairly small, yet rather annoying and time-sensitive pickle. I went for my first gown fitting earlier this month.  Adamantly, I was told that when I come for my fitting, to bring the shoes I intend to wear with the gown.  “Bring the shoes you gonna wear or we cannot hem,” the Italian alteration woman said.

“Yes, yes. I will.” When I said that, I believed I was telling the truth. I had almost 3 months to find those perfect wedding day shoes.

My criteria:

1.) Must be comfortable (ceremony & reception will be 5 hours long, and it’s on a yacht, cruising the Hudson River. Balance is needed.)

2.) Must be able to wear the shoes again after my wedding day—so no dye-able numbers. Gold, white, silver, even bronze and tan could work.

How hard could this be, right? Wrong!

The problem? Too many shoes to choose from. Did I want a small heel or a complete flat? A 2-2 1/2 inch platform maybe?

The red shoes pictured above are from Geox and as lovely as they are, the product description page does not list heel height. Best guess, anyone?

The day of the first fitting arrives. I do not have the shoes. I’m wearing a pair of  Mary-Jane sneakers. The “heel” is maybe .25-.50? I just tell the woman that will be my heel height. Half an inch. She doesn’t like that. Says it won’t work. She guides me to where the shoes are kept. I must pick from there.  None are even in my size. Stilettos and flats are all I see. Finally, I see a moderate looking sandal. Looked comfortable and had a wider stacked heel—tall enough to give me a bit of height, without jeopardizing my balance. They did not meet my 2nd criteria however, of being wearable post-wedding. They were obviously wedding shoes.

My choice revealed below—photos too.

For the purpose of the fitting, I chose those. I asked what the heel height was. “Two and a half inches,” was the reply.

Now, I’m stuck with finding 2.5 inch comfortable shoes to find, and just a couple of weeks left. All the shoes I like, that are comfortable, are 1.5 inches tall. It’s becoming nearly impossible to find a comfortable shoe—only a platform wedge will do to maintain both balance and comfort on a boat for 5 hours.

The Clarks are a 2.25 heel height—almost!—but unfortunately do not come in gold, silver, white, or bronze. This is the closest color to tan they have.

Will update with more options, if any, as I find them…

For example, in the late 1800′s, it was typical and the norm for a bride to wear her wedding gown again (to the opera, a special dinner party) even more than a few times. Also, it didn’t have to be white—the color of the dress bore no indication of the bride’s virginity.

In the 1920′s, because the bob was such a hit with women, a cloche or cap veil was worn to compliment their femininity. They fit over the forehead, and then fell down the back like typical, modern veils do.

During the 1930′s, because of the Great Depression, economy was everything to a bride and her groom. The wedding gowns were of a satin bias cut, closely fitted, hugging a women’s curves.  A detachable train was necessary to make sure the bride could wear her gown after the wedding. Just like they did in 1860! As they were not like the ball gown wedding dresses, they could be stitched into an evening dress easily, with just some cutting and a little bit of dye.

The popular wedding destination, Niagara Falls, photographed in 1911.