When picking out a wedding shoe, one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is how high you want your heel to be. Whether your a shorter bride looking to gain some extra inches, or a dress conscious bride who doesn’t want to compromise her gown’s train; a 5-inch heel can truly make all the difference.

However, that daunting size can send anyone into a rage of panic. So before you run out and purchase today’s latest trends, follow this Pro & Con list to make sure a heel of this magnitude is right for you.

Pro’s:

1. Slimmer Appearance - Wearing high heels has long been a sneaky trick of women who want to achieve that lusted after long and lean appearance. Dating back to the days of Cleopatra, fashionistas from all over have discovered that the higher the heel – the more elongated and thus thinner one will look. This is a perfect solution for any bride who wants to look their absolute best on their wedding day.

 

2. Dress Hemming – For the brides who opt for a long royal or cathedral length wedding gown, the issue will arise of how to hem your dress. While this problem can easily be fixed by a tailor – it can also be very costly. For shorter women, this simple alternation can raise the price tag a couple hundred dollars on an already expensive gown. So to save money, a 5-inch heel becomes the perfect tailor and a great time and money saver.

 

3. Height: Aside from making you look leaner, a tall stiletto can do just what it advertises – make you look taller! This comes into handy during many facets of your special day; from making your first kiss with your husband less awkward by eliminating the height difference, to making ballroom dancing more natural. However, these rules have the opposite effect if you are a taller bride or have a fiance who height is not much different from your own.

Con’s:

1. Pain: To no surprise, the top of the con list is pain! Although the the camera and the mirror will absolutely love you for wearing that pair of strappy heels – your feel will certainly hate you by the end of the night. As I mentioned in an earlier Shoe Tuesday post, one way you can alleviate this misery is to balance your shoe out with a higher platform. However if you have your eye on a particular shoe that doesn’t provide such support, inserting comfortable insoles can truly make all the difference. Aldo has a line of Gel Instep Cushions that provide not only comfort – but also support and non-slip protection.

 

2. Difficulty Walking/Dancing: Although some of you are seasoned veterans when it comes to strutting your stuff in heels – others, and probably more common, find yourself shrieking at the mere thought of a shoe that has a 5-inch heel. And that’s just for walking in them! At a wedding however, you will be on your feet practically the whole day talking to people, saying your vows, and most frighteningly – dancing. For those who can barely walk up a flight of stairs without looking like a child playing dress-up with her mothers shoes, dancing seems completely out of the question. However, there are plenty of solutions! They always say that “practice makes perfect,” so why not follow that same golden rule you’ve been dishing out for all these years. If you don’t wear them to work – wear them around the house! Get comfortable and more confident by practicing practicing, and practicing some more. Another fun and easy method is simply just to talk them off during the reception! Yes, you splurged on a gorgeous set of heels – but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer for longer than you need to. Provide the guests with flip flops so they can rest their feet, but don’t feel grossed out about walking around barefoot. Old Navy sells cheap flip-flops in all colors and sizes that make a thoughtful & practice wedding favor that you and your guests can both enjoy.

So, now that you’ve seen both sides of the shoe story – I hope you feel confident to either strut your stuff down the aisle in those sky-rocking stiletto’s you’ve had your eye on; or rather glide gracefully wearing a pair of shoes that is half the heel but all the impact.

*All the shoes in the pictures above can be found online in the Wedding Shop of DSW for under $100.

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