Center City Wedding Photographer | Guys’ Guide: Wedding Shoes

I’ve said it before detail shots are one of my favorite parts of being a Center City wedding photographer! For the bride, this means her jewelry, bouquet, dress, and anything else she’ll wear or carry down the aisle. The groom tends to have fewer details, but that doesn’t mean they’re less important. Your cufflinks, watch, boutonniere, and ring will all make great photographs. However, the accessory that can make or break your entire outfit is your shoes!

Men’s wedding shoes come in lots of different styles for any wedding. To choose the right pair, evaluate the following:

• Formal or casual?
  Your choice of shoe will be partially informed by how formal or informal your wedding will be. If you’ll be wearing a tuxedo, a classic pair of black dress shoes is probably your best choice. For a slightly less formal affair, you have a little more flexibility. Dress oxfords can have all kinds of detailing, including cap toes and cutouts. If you’re a little more of an edgy dresser, ankle boots add effortless cool to a sharp suit.

  If your wedding is extremely casual, you can wear clean, classic sneakers like Toms, Keds, or Chuck Taylors. Sandals are great for a beach wedding, although if you prefer burying your toes in the sand, you might decide to wear no shoes at all!

• Color
  Traditionally, men’s dress shoes are black, especially for formal occasions. However, modern weddings have opened the door for less traditional colors: brown, gray, and and tan are common. You can also find dress shoes in colors like gold, silver, or mint.
• Fit
  Keep in mind that no matter how much you love a pair of shoes, you’ll be wearing them for several hours on your wedding day. Above all else, they’ll need to be comfortable! The heel shouldn’t slip, or you’ll get blisters, and if your toes touch the front of the shoe, they’ll start to cramp. Most dress shoes have a lower heel to relieve pressure while standing, but if you’re picking a pair with higher heels, consider keeping a backup pair on hand in case you need some relief.
• Dancing
  Most people don’t think about how their shoes will affect their dancing–not until they’re on the dance floor, that is! Shoes with sticky soles are bad news, as are shoes with soles that are too slippery. Avoid treaded rubber soles and hard plastic soles, and look for shoes with smooth leather soles or soft rubber ones without treading. If you’re afraid your soles will be too slick, you can always take them to a cobbler to have them soled with rubber.