Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Shoes from Payless

I've been working on some more wedding planning over the past week. One of my tasks was to find shoes for the bridesmaids. While I let them pick the style of dress they will each wear, I want them to all wear the same shoes. The dresses are tea-length, so everyone will see their shoes. It will look better if they are the same.

I have 5 bridesmaids who live in 3 different states, none of whom live in the same city. I needed to find shoes that they could all easily get. I wanted a style that looked nice with a heel that was no more than 2" (so they don't kill themselves trying to get down the aisle). They needed to be black. I wanted them to be under $20, so in the event they don't like them or have no other reason to ever wear them again, they didn't lose a ton of money on these shoes.

After much searching, I found shoes at Payless that fit all of the requirements, including only being $17.99! (There's a store within 8 miles of all of the bridesmaids.) The only problem was that I couldn't find these shoes in the store when I first started looking. So, my sister (roommate/maid of honor) bought them from Payless.com. They have free shipping to a store and easy returns/exchanges. Luckily, we liked them, and they fit. However, if they hadn't worked out, she could have easily gotten a refund at the store without the hassle or expense of returning them by mail.

So, if you are looking for shoes that may be for a one-time use (like for a wedding), look at what Payless has to offer because they have good prices and offer free shipping if you can’t find what you want in a store. Just watch out for the dyeable shoes because they can be more expensive (as much as $39.99). It’s much better to buy shoes that are already made in the color you need or to buy a complimentary color.

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3 comments:

Kate said...

I think it's a great idea to save some money on shoes that the bridesmaids might not ever wear again. I do, however, caution you to make sure that they're comfortable. I wore Payless shoes in a wedding many years ago and I still remember how much they hurt. My feet and all the way up my legs. We all wanted to die starting about 5 minutes into the ceremony. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not sure if it was a Payless issue or just an uncomfortable shoe issue.

Of course, if it's lacking padding or whatever, you could get some insoles, which are still cheaper than most shoes.

P.S. I definitely don't think that $$ = comfortable when it comes to shoes. I was watching Oprah recently and she showed off the fabulous shoes she was wearing and she admitted that she can wear them for one hour, max. If I spent that much money on a pair of shoes, I would expect them to massage my feet.

Betsy said...

Hi Kate - I know what you are saying about the comfort of the shoes. However, I actually did wear Payless shoes in a wedding a few years ago -- the bride picked them out and they were $13! I liked them and kept them though I had no reason to wear them again until a couple of years later when I was in another wedding and that bride wanted us to wear similar shoes to the ones I already had. So, I wore them again. Perhaps you just had an uncomfortable style for you.

In yet another wedding, the bride picked the dyeable shoes from Payless because she wanted white shoes and she liked the style. They were more expensive than the usual Payless shoes. It was an outdoor wedding and it had rained the previous day. The shoes were so muddy after the wedding. I dropped them in the trash before I even left the reception!

It is hard to find something that will suit every bridesmaid. Hopefully, they will all be able to wear these shoes without a problem through the ceremony and the pictures. After that, I've told them they can put on flip flops or whatever is might be more comfortable, if they so choose.

Kate said...

Betsy, did I also mention that this was about 15 years ago? I suspect that Payless has gotten better in general and that these were just a lousy style. At any rate, as a many-times-very bridesmaid, skipping the pricey shoes and such was always appreciated! And flip flops? Always an excellent idea. =)