Shoe Woes

No one will see my wedding shoes unless they happen to be looking in the corner of the reception as I break it down on the dance floor, barefoot.  Right?  Wrong.  Wedding shoes have become such a "thing" and even though I never intended to let it become anything I waste effort on, it certainly has.  And I probably have my sister to blame (sorry!).

My sister/MOH NYC has a good friend who works in the shoe department at Bergdorf Goodman.  She made a big deal about how he wanted to help me pick out shoes and that he could get me a good deal, yada, yada, yada.  I went in with a pretty open mind and only a few requirements:  navy or gold (or neutral) and not too expensive.  Have you guys ever looked at the Bergdorf shoe section?  Their shoes are certainly not within my regular shoe budget and I was pretty confident they wouldn't be within my wedding shoe budget, either.  My sister told me just to send her friend some ideas and we would go from there.  OK, I can do that!  I scoured their site and stumbled upon the shoe of my dreams, the Valentino Jewelry-Bow Couture d'Orsay:

Image via Bergdorf Goodman

You. Guys.  Seriously.  How gorgeous is that shoe?  Well, it is approximately $1095 worth of gorgeous.  Yeah, no.  Not happening.  I sent him that shoe with the request to find something like that but for cheaper.  I wish I was here to tell you that you can get a stunning Valentino gold bow situation for - like - $200.  But you can't.  According to my sister's friend, you can't really get anything good for "under $1000."  HAH!  Then I guess I will go barefoot?

Back to the drawing board I went.  My Gchats were filled with shoe suggestions to and from NYC and Bridesmaid BOC.

Kate Spade New York Glam / Image via Zappos

Kate Spade New York Latrice / Image via Bergdorf Goodman

Badgley Mischka Regine / Image via Badgley Mischka

I liked all of these but none of them felt like "it" and none of them were (at that time) a great bargain.  And then it happened - BOC sent me the Kate Spade Charm.

Kate Spade Charm / Image via Footnotes Online

It was love at first sight.  I really adore this shoe and I think it would work so well with my dress and my colors.  The problem?  It is $325 - definitely more than I want to spend.  Also, originally Sister NYC wasn't too excited about the glitter, which put doubts in my own mind.  She has since changed her mind and I think she now loves them, but what if the glitter really is too much?

I have done my research and I know there are knockoffs of this beauty out there but I don't want a knockoff -  I want a really good sale.  Is that too much to ask?  I am hoping to get as lucky as Mrs. Wallaby and find them on eBay or another site like that.  I do want to try them on first but I don't know if that is an option for me. I still have a few months before I start dress fittings so I can afford to take some more time looking for a deal.

Does anyone have suggestions for a different shoe or a different way of finding these?  Anyone buy their wedding shoes without trying them on?  And yes, this is the definition of #firstworldproblems.