The best shoes to wear for your adventure elopement that will look great in photos as well as keep you safe and comfortable.
You opt for an adventure elopement and suddenly “wedding shoes” searches on Pinterest aren’t quite doing the trick. The last thing you want is a rolled ankle on your elopement day. But you also don’t want your shoes to throw off the vibe of your photos or detract from your beautiful outfits.
Here’s the most important thing: if you’re wearing a dress, your shoes will NOT show.
Most of the photos featured in this blog are brides deliberately showing off their shoes. They really won’t show up in your images. Even if you’re wearing pants, your shoes aren’t prominently featured in 99% of images (unless you have a tall dress slit). If you stick with neutral colors, you’re already most of your way there for great shoes for your photos.
Above all else, pick your shoes for comfort.
While this blog is for eloping folks, I think every kind of wedding should be opting for comfortable footwear. This is going to be a long day and you don’t want to have foot pain distracting you from the fun.
Keep reading for my top tips on picking the perfect shoes for your elopement!
Top Shoes for Your Adventure Elopement
The first step to finding your perfect shoe is expanding what you view as wedding shoes. The sky is the limit. Your top two criteria should be comfort and neutral colors (unless you want a pop of color). You’d be amazed how many shoe styles can become wedding friendly if they’re in a neutral color.
Below are some shoes my couples have picked and inspiration for you!
Top shoes for folks in dresses
- Chacos
- Did you know you can order custom Chacos? You can add embroidery to them if you want to add your wedding date or anything else 8 characters or less. They actually aren’t much more expensive than regular Chacos.
- Blundstones
- If you’re talented like this bride, you can add your own flare to them! She hand embroidered her Blundstones herself.
- Dr. Martens
- Chelsea style boot
- This one looks great for men or women if you want to match your spouse.
- Add some flare to your hiking boots
- If you want to add something a bit more wedding-ish to a functional shoe, you can swap your laces for white or your wedding colors!
Top shoes for folks wearing pants
- Second hand dress shoes that can get dirty
- Neutral colored hiking shoes
- Dr. Martens
- Chelsea style boot
- This one looks great for men or women if you want to match your spouse.
Consider fully embracing your adventurous vibe with matching hiking boots! Even if they’re less formal looking, the matching can help them look extra cute in photos. Bold, colored laces like this really help make it clear you’re matching.
Consider Bringing Multiple Pairs of Shoes
If you want a pair of pretty heels to go with your functional walking shoes, go for it! Just because you’re going nontraditional doesn’t mean you need to leave behind elements that are important for you. Now, I wouldn’t recommend going with only heels for safety but chat with your photographer about where it’d be safe to wear a fancy pair of shoes. Maybe use them for your first look, an indoor part of the day, or an outdoor location that will have solid footing. Keep in mind though, shoes are not very visible with a dress and your dress needs to be hemmed to the length of your walking shoes, not the heels.
For folks wearing pants, this is a great option too. Unfortunately, the shoes will be visible in most photos and dress shoes have terrible tread. It can be a pain to swap shoes frequently so some people wear functional, neutral colored shoes most of the day and swap into the formal shoes for the portrait part of the day (for my couples, we usually focus on pose-y portraits during golden hour and more candid the rest of the day). Most portraits are going to be done on flat, level ground anyways!
Here’s an example of swapping shoes partway through the day. The groom is wearing hiking boots in the first image and dress shoes in the second. It’s not very visually obvious but if you’ll notice it in your images, make sure you make the swap. The bride is wearing hiking boots in both!
Don’t Buy Expensive Shoes You Can’t Get Dirty
While you want to buy shoes you like and are excited about for such a special day, don’t invest in a brand new pair of expensive dress shoes for your elopement day. You will probably end your day with shoes covered in mud, dust, salt water, or maybe all of the above. The last thing you want is to waste energy on your special day worrying about your outfits (this goes for suits and dresses too).
If you’re looking at formal shoes, check your local thrift stores or second hand stores. Many of these shoes will look nice but won’t have been worn many times. Alternatively, you can wear an older pair of formal shoes you already own and have been well used.
Think About Your Elopement Locations
The kind of shoe that will work best depends heavily on your adventure for your elopement. I specialize in Oregon Coast elopements so we spend a lot of time in a mix of mud and sand but there’s also not usually a ton of hiking. If you’re eloping in the mountains of Washington, you’re probably looking at some more rugged, extended hiking. Chacos may be a great fit for the Oregon Coast and hikes around a mile but not so much for a rocky trail in the mountains.
If you’re not sure what terrain you’re dealing with, lean into the knowledge of your photographer.
Your photographer is a great resource since they’ve, hopefully, been to this place before even if you haven’t. They can warn you about terrain that may be more rugged than you expect.
Also know your own limits. If you tend to roll your ankle often while exploring, skip the Chacos and go for more ankle support. If you’ve scaled mountains in your Chacos, you’re probably safe to use them for your elopement as well.
Wear the Shoes Before Your Elopement Day
Just like you wouldn’t go overnight backpacking with a brand new pair of boots, you don’t want to trial run these shoes the day of your elopement. Make sure to break them in and ensure you’re comfortable in them. Even if that just means wearing them around the house, you’ll be happy to be wearing shoes you know will work.
Consider wearing a familiar pair of shoes you love.
A lot of eloping couples are already have hiking shoes so consider sticking with whatever you already have and love. A cute shoe picture is great but it’s just one image over you feeling comfortable and confident all day. This also takes away the stress of maybe trashing a brand new pair of shoes while adventuring.
Hi, I’m Miki and I’m an elopement photographer specializing in the Oregon Coast! This sort of thing is something I help my clients with all the time. If you’re dreaming of an Oregon Coast elopement, I’m your gal. Learn more about my services here or contact me here!
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