17 Super-Modern Statement Shoes to Wear to Your Wedding

For many women, creating their wedding day look can be equal parts stressful and exciting. With every passing year, weddings become more modern and eclectic—and that goes for the dress code, too. While traditional black-tie affairs are still plenty popular, I also have lots of millennial friends who are passing over the fancy gala for a more laid-back (and often more affordable) experience—meaning they’re as apt to consider wearing a jumpsuit, tea-length skirt, or chic suit as they are a classic white dress. Although it’s fantastic to have tons of options when it comes to what’s considered “bridal,” it can also make it harder to pick one outfit and feel 100 percent confident about it, since there are a million other choices that would probably be just as cool and chic.

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In my case, the word “bridal” has never really resonated. I can swoon over my friends decked out in voluminous gowns in various shades of white, veils, and trains fit for a magazine, but have trouble picturing myself going with a similar look at my own wedding, which I’m currently planning. I’m lucky to have the chance to collaborate with a talented seamstress family friend, who will be making me a more casual white dress—one that’s not full-length and fits the breezy Cape Cod beach setting of our nuptials. We plan to sew pieces of my mom and grandmother’s wedding dress into the seams so I’ll carry a piece of tradition within my less traditional look.

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As for the shoes, I know that I won’t be going with a pair that’s subtle, elegant, or classic. “Your shoes are your exclamation point!” says Katiti, the designer who’s making my dress. I couldn’t have said it better myself. The beauty of a tea-length dress is that my shoes will be there for all to see—and I plan to make the most of that. I want color, embellishment, and unapologetically flamboyant maximalism from the ankles down.

Whether they’re hot pink 5″ stilettos that some might think better suited to a night out on the town or a pair of bejeweled flat slides that ooze whimsy and glamour, ahead you’ll find shoes that bring something special to your feet, whether they cost $200 or $2,000. Click through to check out 17 pairs of modern statement shoes for the bride who loves fashion but eschews convention.