Beach wedding. Shoes or no shoes?!

Hello Ashley:.You can wear these shoes/sandals for a beach wedding:

Those top sandals posted are my beach wedding shoes but I plan on going barefoot for the ceremony since no one will see my shoes. We made a cute little sign that says shoes optional and a paint brush station for afterwards to brush the sand off. I would definitely 86 the heels and just go barefoot!

I initially thought of wedges for the beach, but honestly if the dress is floor length nobody will be looking at your feet. I would not want to go barefoot on account of the dress being too long. You’re paying a lot of $ to look good and for photography. 😊

I would go wedge. That way you don’t have to be barefoot and your dress won’t drag. I wore 4 inch wedge my wedding day and it was super comfy. I’m also on the same boat as you, I hem my dress to go with my heels and did not want to shorten it any more than it already was. Doesn’t help when you’re 5’00 tall and have to wear 4 inch heels and you’re STILL shorter than most people!

I know Solemates (heel protectors) help prevent heels from sinking into grass - maybe they'd help with sand too?

I would go for the alterations and not wear shoes. I don’t think boots would look good and wedges would still be hard to walk on sand.

Will the sand be hot? If so you'll definitely want sandals to avoid burning the soles of your feet

Definitely don’t go barefoot if your dress was measured to heels it will drag and won’t look as nice. Not to mention the sand if it’s hot will burn your feet. I got one can’t wear no shoes on the beach. May step on a rock, shell, crap people throw in the sand. Not worth the pain in the feet

If you really don't have time/budget to get your dress altered, then I think you should wear wedges. You can clear the sand out of them after your ceremony so they will be comfortable for your reception (I am assuming your reception is not on the sand).

As for everyone else, please let your guests know the ceremony will be on sand and then let them make their own decisions for comfort. Same with your bridesmaids. Assure them you just want them to be comfortable and are fine with whatever footwear (or lack) they choose.

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I think the espadrilles in this post would be perfect, or a wedge heel of some sort. I don't think a heel cover (like Solemates) is going to provide enough surface area on loose sand. Based on the alterations you have already done, getting a pair of wedges seems to be the least expensive, most practical option.

I would suggest platform sandals for the beach ceremony:

That way, you still have open toes and ways for the sand to slide out of your shoes while still getting some height so your dress hem will be closer to how it was designed for your original shoes. They also have a bit more of a casual vibe so they wont look super out of place among a sea of barefoot guests if that's the route you choose.

Is your reception not in the sand or is there another area where you can take some pictures in your original shoes? If so you can have some pictures with your dress looking EXACTLY the way you'd like it to.

On sand, barefoot is easiest. Having shoes on, even flip flops, slows you down incredibly. On rocks, flat shoes are best.

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Reception is in a nice French restaurant. A shoe change will definitely be in order

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I hear you, I'm 5'1"! Another reason I don't want to go barefoot, I need the height

No shoes!!