First comes the dress, and then the shoes. For some brides, they’re an afterthought. But as anyone who has looked through a wedding album and seen the obligatory photo of the bride’s shoes before she puts them on, they’re pretty important. I’ve been going through the shoe search myself, and it’s been quite a battle between the practical side of me and the side that loves fabulous shoes. The Carrie Bradshaw side of me already impulse bought one pair that was absolutely perfect – with a 3 1/4″ heel – and the Miranda side of me sent them back. Why are all the cute heels so high? I could survive a painful night on the town, but my wedding day? My sore feet are the last thing I want to be thinking about. I thought I’d share a little of my research.

Hey Lady Shoes

Created by twin sisters Emily and Jessica Leung, these designs claim to be the “anti-dyeable, actually-danceable wedding shoe.” Their designs are super cute, and their shoe-science seems solid. All of their designs use a special insole made of high-impact, NASA-developed memory foam to increase comfort and “dance endurance.” Full arch support helps with ball-of-foot numbness. Each design is offered in 3″ and 4″ heel versions – but the 4″ version has a 1″ platform, so the angle of the foot is the same on both. I have yet to personally try these shoes on (check their website for retail listings) but they sound pretty promising…

Scarpasa

This company’s motto is “Lower your heels, not your expectations.” The collection, made up of the some of the best European designers using only the highest-quality materials, focuses on heels that are 2″ or less. The company is definitely not geared toward bridal wear, but their mission has an emphasis on stylish-yet-comfortable, for women who need their shoes to actually take them places. Like down the aisle…?

Then, finally, there’s the old standby – zappos. I have to mention them because they have such a sophisticated search engine – you can search in the women’s section by size, color, and heel height. None of the other shoe websites I’ve used have such a helpful search function – no more finding a great shoe you like to learn that it doesn’t come in your size or that it’s a 5″ heel.

Happy shoe hunting! Leave a comment if you have any tips…