What came first - your shoes or dress?

ali79ger

The dress is obviously more fun, but the more I think of it...feels like I should have my shoes first...  THOUGHTS???

swissarmymelody

In my opinion, definitely the dress. Shoes are just an accessory and you don't want to go out and get a pair, then find a dress that they clash with. You may find a simple dress and decide that a more decorative shoe would go well, or vice versa.

I actually spent more time looking for the shoes than the dress! I wanted formal shoes, but I had to consider the outdoor ceremony and style of the dress. Have fun and good luck!

nhelene

I had a general idea of what I wanted in a shoe (height, color, etc) but I waited until I had the dress to start shopping.

katanne9

Put it this way, are you going to choose your dress based around your shoes??

opalsky007

Definitely the dress, because like PP said, you never know what's going to clash, what heel height you'll need, and so on.

But if you find a fabulous, colorful pair that you can't pass up, you could always buy them and pair them with an LBD for your bachelorette or rehearsal.

baystateapple

I actually had the shoes picked out first, but changed my mind when I got the dress.  I wanted a pair of open-toe heels, but when I was trying on dresses wearing a pair, I realized how much they pinched my feet. 

I went out and bought a pair of low-heel, closed-toe ballroom shoes after that.  Soooo comfy.

Milagros121

It's either barefoot or flip flops for me, so shoes I guess

Knittibell

There is actually a totally practical reason to get the dress first. When my dress came in, we realized not only did it not need to be hemmed, but I could not get a shoe more than 1.5" or the dress would be too short (I'm fairly tall, but not crazy tall, around 5'9")

So then I had to hunt for some shoes that weren't too high. Had I bought the shoes first, I'd have had to return them or been stuck with them, because I'd definitely have gotten a higher heel!

LoriAH11

I am a shoe junkie and I've had in mind the pair of shoes I've wanted all along. However, with that being said I still don't have my dress and the one that I think I am getting I'm not 100% sure they will go with it. If you find a pair you love just go ahead and get them if you can return them and take them dress shopping with you.  I wish I had brought my own shoes the first couple of times I went dress shopping because the plain white ones in the store are just not my thing and to I think I might have already picked something out. 

But, if you find a dress that you fall in love with but the shoes don't quite go I wouldn't forego the dress, especially if you get a longer dress nobody is really going ot see the shoes anyway. I'm getting a tea-length so shoes are a bit more important.

ali79ger

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_came-first-shoes-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:62c9ccd3-f2c6-4592-9907-a7af02547bedPost:f689dace-f227-469f-8c45-2d2a8b90ff81">Re: What came first - your shoes or dress?</a>:
[QUOTE]Put it this way, are you going to choose your dress based around your shoes??
Posted by katanne9[/QUOTE]

Good point and definitely NO.  I guess more than anything, having a good idea of what will be on my feet when I try on dresses is the best bet.  Reason why I say - my fiance is MANY inches taller, so I have space for any heel - but I also danced the night away at a wedding on Sunday and my feet are STILL sore!  :)  My sister's gown would've required a special order due to beading at the hem if she wasn't wearing flats - I guess I'm scared to run into situations like that.

opalsky007

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_came-first-shoes-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:62c9ccd3-f2c6-4592-9907-a7af02547bedPost:87c68a3d-de95-4396-951e-e3cc14a3ec21">Re: What came first - your shoes or dress?</a>:
[QUOTE]There is actually a totally practical reason to get the dress first. When my dress came in, we realized not only did it not need to be hemmed, but I could not get a shoe more than 1.5" or the dress would be too short (I'm fairly tall, but not crazy tall, around 5'9") So then I had to hunt for some shoes that weren't too high. Had I bought the shoes first, I'd have had to return them or been stuck with them, because I'd definitely have gotten a higher heel!
Posted by Knittibell[/QUOTE]

Yeah, this is why I wound up wearing flats. I'd been planning on heels, but then my dress was too short with anything else. At least with flats, I was pretty comfortable all night.

msange727

i know exactly the kind of shoes i want, but there are a lot of variables in style that could clash with different types of dresses - and i haven't even gone dress-shopping yet. so as much as i want to get shoes now (a couple of the styles i found are on sale...), i'm waiting until i at least have a clearer picture of the type of dress i'll be wearing.

baboox

It should be the dress for practical reasons.  That being said, I am never practical.  I picked my weil first because it is so amazing!  Birdcage with a big reddish flower in top.  Very high fashion/vintage.  I got a dress and shoes to match it.  If you fall in love with shoes first,  get them!  And take them when you try on dresses and for fittings.

LDYGTR13

Definitely your dress. You can base your shoes on your dress...plus who really sees Bride's shoes anyway? Unless of course you're wearing tea length or showing them off all of the time. I'm getting married in just over 3 months and I still don't have shoes. No bigger. Dress is WAY more important.

christinelyn0131

It was the shoes. I know I'm the minority, but I picked the Something Blue by Manolo Blahniks....when else are you going to wear those!?

They went with our vintage-y theme (they look vintage-y to me). I'm only 5'4", so if the bridal shop can't accomodate me at 5'8.5" then I'd worry about the quality of the dress!!

I also can't imagine them clashing, but hey, I haven't gone dress shopping yet.

Knittibell

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_came-first-shoes-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:62c9ccd3-f2c6-4592-9907-a7af02547bedPost:c19ea42c-0a6b-4db1-a5ba-dfd310771c24">Re: What came first - your shoes or dress?</a>:
[QUOTE]It should be the dress for practical reasons.  That being said, I am never practical.  I picked my weil first because it is so amazing!  Birdcage with a big reddish flower in top.  Very high fashion/vintage.  I got a dress and shoes to match it.  If you fall in love with shoes first,  get them!  And take them when you try on dresses and for fittings.
Posted by baboox[/QUOTE]

I want to see that veil!! :)

aerinpegadrak

Yeah, I needed to get taller shoes than I was planning to in order not to have to pay out the butt to have my scallop-hem dress shortened.

baboox

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_came-first-shoes-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:62c9ccd3-f2c6-4592-9907-a7af02547bedPost:2a4df1c7-2b7e-431b-960c-787552bfa4d7">Re: What came first - your shoes or dress?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: What came first - your shoes or dress? : I want to see that veil!! :)
Posted by Knittibell[/QUOTE]
Hi Knittibelle,
I just switched my avatar photo to a photo of my veil to show you.  I love it!  I luckily had no trouble getting a gown to match.

fairy_diva

I guess I did it backwards too.  LOL!  I knew what I wanted in the style & shape of my dress because I know what I like. I also have size 8 wide feet and shoes are a PIA for me to find locally in stores. I was browsing Shoebuy.com and looking at their white dress shoes and ordered 2 piar I really liked in my size, 1 kept the ones that fit the best.  I wasn't worried about them matching my dress cause, basically they are white dyable satin dress sandle with 1 3/4 inch heel. I know my limitations and 2 1/2 inches is as tall as I can go in heels.  My FI is 5'11" and I am 5' 6" so I knew I was safe there, at 5'6" I knew a 1.5 to 2 inch heel would work with dresses that are for 5'8" dresses.  My dress requires a hem but that's ok I would rather be comfortable all night.  I also sent them off to be dyed to match the navy trim on my dress and just got my rhinestone bling shoe clips today!  Love both my dress & shoes!

kpwedkk

The shoes were bought a while before the dress, but that's because they were already owned - like 2 years prior. The matching of the shoes and the dress happened when I got the dress.

Amivy06

We found the shoes before we had even looked at dresses, months before. It just happened that we came across the right color shoes that were exactly what I had pictured wearing. When we went dress shopping, we brought the shoes along and I was really excited that I had them when I found my dress.

jmkes

Dress first.  It was a no brainer for me because I'm going barefoot for the ceremony and wearing flip flops for the reception.  I'm 5'10" and my DF is 6'1".  I really want him to look taller than me in our pics.  If I even wear a tiny kitten heel we are eye-to-eye.  I chose flip flops because I don't want my feet to hurt.  Yes I am wearing a traditional gown with a semi-cathedral train.  No one's gonna see my feet so I'm going for comfort!

jwang517

i guess you can do it either way. for me, i got my dresses first, the first one was a cocktail vera that i asked to make into a tea-length, with black sash. our theme is white/green/black. i have in my mind im getting louboutin, but couldn't decide the color, tried those that could go with my dress, and finally landed on a pair of black glitter. 2nd dress was easy, it's ivory A line with a big train my dad picked and paid for when i wasn't looking for a 2nd/long/ceremony dress. i picked whatever silver shoes i liked from louboutin, cos i don't have silver shoes yet.

unless your dress is not ivory/white or has other colors on it, and want to match th e colors, you can realy shop for dress or shoe whenever, and doesn't have to be dress first.