We have all had the misfortune of buying a new pair of shoes, then, forgetting to break them in or practice walking in them before the event for which they were purchased. Don’t make that mistake with your wedding shoes. Blisters or a turned ankle on your wedding day are not fun. Follow these tips and you will float elegantly (and foot-pain free) through your wedding day.

A few hours’ wear around the house will certainly help, but most experts recommend a longer break-in period, especially if you are not accustomed to wearing the type of bridal heel you’ve chosen. Techniques that have helped others break in their high hells and become comfortable walking in them include:

* To prevent slipping on slick church or reception floors, scuff or put rough tape on the soles.

* Wear your shoes off and on around the house for three or four weeks. This will help break them in gradually.

* For an even better breaking in, start with wearing your wedding shoes an hour at a time while you complete light chores inside. (Avoid the outdoors; you don’t want to soil the shoes.) When the shoes are comfortable after an hour’s wear, begin keeping them on until they hurt. Gradually increase the time over a month until you can wear your bridal shoes for several hours with no blisters.

Practicing Moving and Walking

If you are uncomfortable with walking in heels, take this opportunity to practice while breaking in your shoes. Here are some tips for learning different maneuvers.

Skirting obstacles

Invariably, there will be a few surprises on your wedding day that will require a bit of quick-stepping: a child will fall in your way, or you will have to move around a mess or rain puddle, for example. Avoiding these obstacles will require stepping sideways, altering your stride, or even moving backwards without stumbling. Practice these moves at various speeds until you can confidently complete them in your heels. As an added bonus, if you plan to wear your high heels at the reception, these same motions will prepare you for the dance floor.

Turning

Because your back will be “on stage” facing your guests during the ceremony, you must be able to gracefully turn before walking back down the aisle after the finale - when your groom kisses you for the first time. Depending on your ceremony, you may not need to make a full 180-degree turn; but, by practicing a full turnaround, you will be prepared for all eventualities.

Imagine it is your wedding day and you are facing the person who is conducting the ceremony. First, pivot halfway around, so that both feet, as well as your body, are facing your new husband, and your weight is on the leg closest to the officiant. Complete the turn by stepping toward the aisle with the foot closest to your guests. At that point, you will be facing your guests and can safely continue walking back down the aisle. If you would like visual demonstrations, study fashion models as they turn at the end of runways. A search on YouTube or other video Websites will provide several examples.

Walking up and down stairs

Falling, as you walk up or down steps, can mean much more than an embarrassing moment. To avoid an unscheduled trip to the emergency room, get plenty of practice before your wedding day. When at all possible, hold on to a railing for added support and balance. Whether you are ascending and descending, be sure the entire sole and heel of your shoe are completely over the stair before placing your foot. As you go up the stairs, place your sole and heel on the stair at the same time. As you go down, focus on firmly placing your sole on each step.

If you follow the above tips for breaking in and walking in your bridal heels, your feet will thank you with a pain-free wedding day!

About the Author

Bobette Kyle-Wagner is publisher at MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com — a Website helping engaged couples get the most use from Internet wedding resources. The site includes online wedding tips, original articles, tutorials, and shopping sections. Read more about or buy wedding shoes at: http://www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/bride/accessories/bridal-shoes

Special Occasions was founded in 1984 by Gerald and Diane Brenner. Diane’s designs are trendy, comfortable, fashion oriented, and cutting edge. Special Occasions wedding shoes reflect the company’s commitment to being tuned in to the latest fashions, trends, designs, and fabrics throughout the world.

If women can wear engagement rings to announce their status, why can’t men? Well, there really is no reason. The wearing of men’s engagement rings is more common in other countries than in the United States and Canada, but the tradition is becoming more popular in North America as more couples want the man — as well as woman — to wear evidence of their engaged status.

Some choose to buy a traditional man’s wedding band as an engagement ring, for later use as the wedding ring. Others prefer a more interesting ring so choose a man’s diamond solitaire (which can also serve as the wedding band) or other unique design. When the couple becomes married, the engagement ring then becomes a right hand ring and is replaced on the left finger by the wedding band.

Choosing a Ring

A man’s engagement ring with gemstones can still have a very masculine feel. While large diamond solitaires are a bit extreme, mens engagement bands are often set with diamonds or cubic zirconium. Another way to signify commitment is an Irish Claddagh ring, which doesn’t look like a traditional wedding or engagement ring but conveys the same message. Vintage rings, signet rings, and tungsten or titanium rings with unique detailing — with or without gemstones — are also excellent options.

When She Proposes to Him

Proposing is no longer the exclusive province of men. In fact, more and more women are popping the question in today’s modern world. If a woman presents an engagement ring to a man, what does he do? Well, it depends on how avant-garde he is. Many men don’t think twice about accepting both the proposal and the ring. Others are more reticent. Women often want to choose their engagement rings; he may want to do that as well.

If he out-and-out rejects the idea of wearing an engagement ring, the bride-to-be may give him some other personal gift as a token of their mutual commitment. A dress watch, cuff links, a money clip, a masculine bracelet or neck chain are all appropriate symbols of engagement. What matters is his preference, of course. While men’s engagement rings look nothing like the women’s rings, they both signify the same idea: mutual love and commitment to each other.

Men’s Promise Rings

A promise ring, given to a man by the very special woman in his life, is a symbol of friendship, caring, and connection. It is not so much a promise of her intentions as it is the promise of the potential for a deeper romance to develop between them. The tradition of giving promise rings for men has evolved over the years, as have so many other traditions associated with love and romance. In the last century, women sometimes gave promise rings because the man was not yet ready to become engaged. The gift was usually a surprise, and the recipient had the right to decline if he wished. Refusing, while it is an option, had to be handled with great diplomacy; but then that’s a challenge women have faced for centuries. The important thing to remember is that “the times, they are a changing,” and styles in men’s jewelry are changing right along with them.

About the Author

Bobette Kyle-Wagner is publisher at MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com — a Website helping engaged couples get the most use from Internet wedding resources. The site includes online wedding tips, original articles, tutorials, and shopping sections. Read more about or purchase men’s engagement and wedding rings at: http://www.MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com/rings

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Before looking at used gowns, first decide what features you want your wedding dress to have and research the various designer’s styles so you know which brands tend to have “your look.” Also, figure out “your” size in each of your preferred designers’ gowns. Just like everyday womens clothing, sizes vary.

There are several places to find used gowns. You’ll want to set up notices, put in requests, and monitor each of them:

- Consignment stores can be a good used gown source. If you are lucky enough to have a local used formalwear store, alert the owner that you are looking for a dress.

- Craigslist is a very active used-goods marketplace (As I write this, the St. Louis Craigslist has 408 wedding gowns listings). Find your local Craigslist, open a free account, and make an “item wanted” post. Do searches for the terms “wedding gown” and “wedding dress” in the clothing section — and monitor new listings often — to see what is currently being sold.

- While not technically “used,” bridal store floor samples are a great bargain. Most stores sell their last-season samples for $99 and up.

- Buy at auction. By far the largest auction site is eBay, and they have an extensive bridal gown section. Right now, there are 12,705 wedding dresses at auction on eBay. Many were worn once or are sales samples.