Shoes for the Groom

Well in our last installment we traipsed over to the Designer Shoe Warehouse to look for shoes to match Mr. AZ's suit. Well, you could tell from the many many many shoe-shots that none was a clear winner. This weekend we decided to brave Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale to find the perfect Grooms shoe.

And we did, some of you brides may have heard of the Cole Haan Nike Air Bridal shoes? Like the ones pictured below...

Nordstrom

Well they also have the same technology in formal men's shoes as well. Which is terrific. They also feature a rich dark burgundy/brown color that goes AMAZING with Chocolate brown. Not only that, they were also $100 less than usual! Needless to say Mr. AZ was very happy to try them on.

Nordstrom

Sadly they were completely sold out of this color so  they gave him the black color to try on. He reports that they feel more like sneakers than formal shoes and that the toe is incredibly flexible. So the Nordstrom sales associate searched stores for his burgundy Cole Haan Airs in size 10 and they found it! I'm happy to report they will be delivered by this Friday, which is 1 week before our "due date" on buying his shoes.

Did you find any fun/super comfy shoes for your groom? What's your groom wearing? How much do you love an amazing deal?

OMG Shoes

So we all know I love my shoes, and unlike my wavering hair-inspiration my shoes are a constant. Mr. AZ on the other hand still needs shoes... so we ventured into Designer Shoe Warehouse...

Boy warehouse is the right term I can tell you... that place is daunting. We quickly set out to try on shoes, but not just any shoes. Formal shoes with laces that had rounded toes, Mr. AZ knows what he likes I guess! So take a peek at our options...

This shot is just to highlight that his suit pants are a deep chocolate brown when comparing his black dress shoes to the brown shoes he's currently trying on. It's amazing how a stuble change in color really changes the look of the pants.

The verdict is: we're sleeping on it, but we're leaning towards the ones pictured above, which in case you are interested are Mercanti Fiorentini's Leather Oxford. Did your Mister have to sleep on the all-important shoe decision?

How I Stalked My Shoes...

You may remember that I thought I got over my shoe-obsession with these beautiful Stuart Weitzmans...

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The only problem with these gorgeous garnet beauties was the ridiculous $400 price tag. Now I realize you get what you pay for, and good design costs... but $400 really?!

So I did what any good budget bride did, and I mourned the loss of the shoes and moved on. I still went back visiting them on their Nordstrom page like any shoe-obsessed woman would. Until I saw it, light at the end of the tunnel...

 

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What pray, tell does that above image mean? It means there are rows and rows of New!(er) Stuart Weitzman designs... meaning that my shoes were so "last season". Which generally translates into some sort of discount... but I scrolled down and...

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Sadly, my shoes were not yet discounted. BUT, the optimist in me, knew that it couldn't be that way for long... so I drove over to the local Nordstrom tried them on and was greeted by a Salon Shoe Expert who confided that they would be on sale in about a week! 

So he took my information and held them in my size and said all I needed to do was come pick them up and sign for my purchase and they would be mine. Was the quest for your dream shoes a "very long engagement" or more of an impulse buy?

Something Borrowed... Something Shoed Pt. II

Well they're back, the beautiful wedding shoes... I just wanted to do a quick post in support of Shoe Repair Stores and let you see what a beautiful job our cobbler did in taking a 28 year old pair of shoes and making them like new again. So without further adieu, I give you before and after...

Before Cobbler:

 Personal Photos

After Cobbler:

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They still have a few scuff marks because the shop did not have the correct pearlized champagne color (I don't blame them it's a terribly hard color to match) but they look like brand new shoes on my feet!  I attribute my reduce, reuse, recycle mentality of using cobblers rather than tossing out perfectly good shoes from Blinky Bill, anyone who has lived in Australia or the U.K. probably knows what I'm talking about. But just for good measure, below is a YouTube clip of the title sequence of the cartoon that scared me into recycling as a child ...

Something Borrowed... Something Shoed.

Originally I thought I was going to be a daring red shoe bride. Wearing fabulous, daring, sparkly 4 inch Stuart Weitzmans. Two problems: they're $400 and I'm clumsy.... this could have been disastrous. Beautiful but disastrous!

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But while I may not have dreamed about the Dress, or the Color Scheme. I have dreamt of The Shoes. Let me be more specific these champagne leather, made in Italy, heels. They are about 28 years old and in pretty very good condition for their age. I have tried them on many times, since I was a baby. While I don't have a photo of my 2 year old self in The Shoes, I do have a photo of me rocking the black pumps and purse combo.

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I really still think I rocked those pumps, even if they were oh, 10 sizes too big for me at 2 years. Anyway the love affair with my mother's shoes clearly started at a very young age. That is when she promised I could wear her shoes at my wedding. What's more is when I tried them on with the dress, they looked like they had been picked out specifically for my gown. I was SOLD!

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You guessed it, they are my mom's wedding shoes.  She borrowed her dress so there's no way I'm able to borrow that. But these puppies are all mine! But there is one problem.... one huge problem!!

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Personal Photo

The heel caps are missing, the leather on the heels are scrapped up, and the right heel is warped. Since I love these shoes and think it would be a wonderful thing to pass down to my future daughter, I have decided to get them overhauled if possible. Not only do I keep the $400 I would have spent on some trendy red shoes, but I also reduce my Carbon footprint by fixing rather than buying new. That being said I am dropping these puppies off at Abe's Shoe Repair, a highly recommended cobbler in the area, and I hope to share the before and after photos in another post.

How are you incorporating your something borrowed?