So typical. I’m a girl who loves shoes. To me shoes are like art. Sculptures of love if you may. Together as a pair, like a perfect union of two unique and beautiful soles. Oh yes, this love affair is serious. And if you didn’t catch that pun then you may want to just stop reading now. This goes a little deeper than my infatuation with footwear, while I was in Seattle I had a conversation with Nate and Sachin about designer shoes. Earlier in the day names like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin had been dropped and the guys were… well, lost. So I knew I had to do something. I sat the two lads down for a little talk. (Well, it was more like the car ride back to the hotel). Some people spend hundreds to thousands on shoes, and if its their wedding day, you better make sure you get a shot of those bad boys. The idea of spending hundred and even thousands of dollars on shoes was a clearly mind boggling to the guys because the conversation came to a screeching halt. Yup, hundreds and thousands. But what does that mean for a wedding photographer? Do you need to start reading fashion magazines religiously? No. I mean it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a copy of Vogue every once in a while, but not so you can learn to shoot Manolo Blahnkis any different than you would a pair of Steve Maddens, but so you can make sure you shoot every pair of shoes like they are Manolo Blahniks. It doesn’t matter who makes the shoe, our job is to capture the memory of the day as best as we can. Including the shoes. I’m speaking from experience.
When I got married, I had 6 weeks to plan. On top of it all I was working full time and spending as many evenings as possible with Jeff’s dad who was battling cancer. I didn’t have much time for anything. Most of the decisions I made were in a split second. Flowers? Red and orange, whatever looks good together. My bouquet? Just make it white. Cream linens? Fine. The gift table? Wherever there is space. One thing I knew I wanted was fabulous shoes that I would only buy for my wedding day, but I didn’t have the time to hunt down that “perfect pair”. Not to mention I got married in November. If I have one word of advice, don’t try to look for light color wedding shoes in November. Not even online. I ordered a pair of nude Diane Von Furstenburgs (which I love). Thought I couldn’t go wrong with nude. WRONG. I probably would have done better with Timberland construction boots. That bad. I had two weeks before the wedding and the dress was already chopped down to fit my munchkin stature plus 3 inches. I had to do what I had to do. I purchased every single pair of shoes that could possibly go with my dress (again it was November so that was about 5 pair). I ended up settling on a pair of $50 Ann Marino pumps from DSW. No candy red soles, no rhinestone encrusted heels, and a far cry from anything ever seen on Sex and the City. I did not want my photographer to get ANY pictures of my shoes. She did anyway, and to be honest, when I saw the images I felt like my shoes were priceless. Thanks Ala!
(A couple more photos borrowed from Love Ala.)
I added my own bling and viola! Couture!
Comments
Ahhhaha! LOVE IT! You are awesome. Thanks so much. I feel more fashion savvy already! I’m taking notes, so keep them coming! Love the writing, the SHOES and the pics! Thanks!
I’m getting married and in November of next year, and this post makes me feel like I need to start searching for my shoes now. lol But I’m on a major budget so overpriced Manolo Blahnkis are out of the question
This is such a great post! It’s important for photographer’s to know the designers! Btw, I totally love what you did with your shoes! <3