Our Aruba Wedding

For the beach part of the wedding I wore these high heel wedge flip flops from Advantage Bridal (made by “Elegance by Carbonneau”). They worked great for the ceremony – I had no problems at all walking down the aisle. After the ceremony I changed dresses and put on my Jimmy Choos. As much as I love the Choos, by the time the reception ended, I needed a break and put the flip flops back on. We decided to walk down to Sopranos Piano Bar for a little after-party. Its a 10-15 minute walk. All was good until the next morning until I realized how bad the flip flops tore apart my feet! I had a blister between my toes that was ripped open! I was so uncomfortable for the next two days. I couldn’t easily wear any of my other flip flops and walks on the beach drove sand into the broken blister. So be careful if you intend to purchase these or others similar, especially if you plan to wear them for any decent amount of walking!

I’ve been through planning highs and lows which shoes have not escaped. While I wish I could be comfortable barefoot or in a simple flat flip flop, I’m just not. I’m 5′2″ (almost) and chose a strapless dress with a bit of a mermaid shape, flaring at the knee. You know, one of those dresses that looks great on a 6′ model or even on you when you’re standing on that 10″ pedestal at the salon? But you know what – even without the excuse of that dress, I’m just one of those girls that LOVES my high heels.

I ended up falling for the most amazing pair of Jimmy Choos! Getting them was an ordeal but I have them now, no matter how ridiculous they are. Problem is they will totally not work on the beach or on the lawn where dinner is. So, I needed back up which will be a pair of high heel wedge flip flops. I shopped around and ended up choosing the high heel wedge flip flops from Advantage Bridal (made by “Elegance by Carbonneau”). At first they shipped me the wrong pair, but they were wonderful when it came to handling the return / exchange.

Two days ago, the correct pair arrived and I’m a little disappointed. The crystals are attached to a loose mesh which is then cut and glued to the sandal. They aren’t evenly spaced and in places that thread mesh shows through. It also isn’t glued as well as it could be so I may add some more glue. I might not have thought too much of it if I didn’t already own a pair of really nice wedge flip flops by Lady Lanell that are MUCH better made with each crystal glued into place. I did pay a lot more for the Lady Lanell’s ($160 vs $45), but I was thinking maybe that was because it was a couple of years ago before we were seeing so many crystal flip flops.

Well, I think this is a case of ‘You get what you pay for’. Advantage Bridal also sells Lady Lanell’s for $145, yet I chose these others for $45. So, I should have known better, but others might expect them to look more like they do in the picture on the website. Something tells me that when they are on my feet they’ll be fine. Who’s going to notice uneven crystals and mesh shining through? No one. I tried to take pictures to show you what I’m talking about but all I have handy is an iPhone so I’m not sure if you can see what I’m getting (click on the picture for a larger image – actually, click the pic to go to the detail page and then click on that pic – sorry, I’m not good at this blog stuff). Since I was at it, I thought I’d also take a picture of my beloved Choos!

As a side note – the ivory Jimmy Choo Macy is sold out worldwide (at least in a 37). We finally found a pair in London and had them shipped to the US. After we got them we were slapped with $200+ in duty from customs! If you make a purchase overseas and carry it back with you, you can bring in up to $800 without duty. However if you have it shipped, the limit is $200. If you exceed the $200, you pay duty on the entire amount, not just the amount that exceeds $200. We’re disgusted by this charge and were going to return this pair and purchase them in the US but they are still sold out. They don’t expect to receive replenishment until the end of November. Something tells me I will be buried in these shoes!