Gone are the days where white or ivory heels were the only option for bridal footwear! Shoes are one of the best places to add personality and your own personal flair to your wedding day, as most wedding dresses are long–giving brides control over if they want guests to be able to peek at their feet.

Photo courtesy of en pointe photography

This is an incredible opportunity for blue shoes to be your “Something Blue,” but creativity doesn’t end there! You can certainly coordinate your shoes to your wedding colors, or even the theme of your wedding. I had a past bride select fun leopard shoes for a San Diego Wild Animal Park wedding.

Photo courtesy of Leigh Miller Photography

By doing so, it opens a huge option to find looks for less. Consider checking out major chains in your area (examples in the San Diego area include Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls) or larger chains such as Charles David and Nordstrom. Zappos.com has great options in all price points. What’s even better? You can order a number of different styles and return all but the perfect pair, with limited shipping fees.

Another popular option is to forgo traditional heeled wedding shoes, and consider a stacked flip flop. Inexpensive options can be found at J. Crew and Old Navy, and consider purchasing crystals from a crafts store and emebellishing your shoes on your own. If you are lucky enough to share a shoe size with your mom or other woman in your family, consider wearing her wedding shoes and having them re-heeled for a fraction of the cost of new shoes. This is also a great alternative to wearing a family dress, too.

Finally, dress up a simple pair of heels by putting crystals on the heel of your shoe or even underneath!

Photo courtesy of Melissa Koehler Photography

The Look For Less is a regular feature on our blog.  We’ve reached out to leading wedding planners to get their expert advice on how to get a great look at your wedding, without breaking the bank.

Today’s feature was written by Melissa Barrad of San Diego’s I Do Weddings. Melissa and her team will help turn your vision into a reality and help you be beautiful, be inspired and be in your element. You can check out Melissa’s work in Modern Bride, Exquisite Weddings, Ceremony Magazine, San Diego Style Weddings, The Knot and numerous other publications.