I'd go with something simple and classic. Like what maybe Kate Middleton would wear.

Nice find, Rn.. but that listing highlights why I will not look at, buy or wear nine west shoes anymore. It wasn't always this way but a huge percentage of their shoes are synthetic leather.

In defense of the hiking boots with wedding dress.. first, she HAD lovely shoes which she wore in the church and attempted to wear at the reception. The ground was so wet that it was soaking into all of our shoes. Being an archeologist.. she had hiking boots in the car. It worked.. and it made for an adorable photo (which I will share if I can find it).

I am not really a fan of high tops with a wedding dress-- but that said, I am sure some people can rock it! I also kind of dig cowboy boots with a dress.. if it fits the style of the dress and the wedding.

I have a pair of simple black one inch heeled pumps that I bought several blingy clips to adorn. You might find shoes to match the color of your dress at a bridal shop or something like that, with perhaps a small adornment for a bit of bling. I just googled "shoe clips" and there are a gazillion options.

Are you comfortable sharing your age jojoco? If under 30, I say rock those pearl high tops! Why be so serious folks? A little fun & surprise is always a welcome relief for me at weddings!

I should've put a ;-) face by the high tops. I think they're fun, but not really what I had in mind. I tend to go more classic. But, for the record, I'm 53.

Your dress is the epitome of class and I agree with others who think very classic and simple. I want to come to your wedding!

Do you not have a local store that specializes in wedding shoes that can be died? We have one in my town and it's a godsend - so much from which to choose and all are comfortable. Ask at a local bridal shop. You must try these on and wear them around the house for an hour or so to be sure they are comfortable.

Yes -- those are out! Can't even imagine you in those.

I think I *may* have found the shoe. I was in Ithaca this morning meeting my former mother-in-law for lunch and went shoe shopping first. I gave myself 30 minutes. These are not what I had in mind before I walked into the store,, but I think they work really well. Hard to tell, but the fabric is velvet and it is all one light color despite the differences in the picture. I think velvet might be really wonderful for a fall wedding. It also tends to match the liner fabric very well which has a slight tinge of rose/champagne?

please weigh in.

jo

Lovely! They look like they could be comfortable too.

omg they look perfect

I agree--they're perfect.

Love them! They match perfectly, look modern and not bridal (which is a compliment).

I love them! And your dress is SO beautiful - you will be stunning!

They look perfect!

Great shoes for dancing too. You scored, I hope.

Yes!

Beautiful. And for me, there is always something just a little sexy about ankle straps.

What colour are you painting your toenails?

Oh yikes blfenton, I have to wear polish?? lol

im basically a wash n wear kind of girl. Can't believe I have to start thinking about hair and makeup. I don't even own any makeup!

Omg, you don't wear makeup? Your bridesmaids are gonna have to help.

if you don't usually wear any, it will be very jarring if you wear too much. Get thee to a Bobbi Brown. They do a nice job at the no-makeup makeup look. Don't mention it's for a wedding though ... they might be tempted.

So I had to Google Bobbi Brown. My ffirst reaction was wow, she kind a looks like me but with makeup, lol. Now I know what look I want. :-)

Here she is:

Oh my gosh, you are so cute. Yes, light on the make-up for you.

OMG you could be Bobbi's sister! Yes, to some light touch makeup. Don't let anyone talk you into the whole airbrush thing. It looks great for pics but totally not necessary imo. You will be smashing. And I agree with what Mtn said.

Yes, to the shoes! Perfection in every way.

I'm a little biased since (namedrop) for years we lived in the same town, and she had a great makeup studio/bar there, but I think BB does a super job, esp for women over xx. You look pretty darn good without makeup, though, Jojo! No wonder you don't bother. If you want to dress it up a bit, and esp for photos, though, BB is a good brand to start with.

PS

I had to laugh above when Dedtired said "Can't even imagine you in those." It is kind of funny right, since we are all just imagining you anyway.

Of course, now we actually have a face, LOL.

I love your shoe choice. I'm jealous because I have cankles and can't do an ankle strap. Bobbi Brown is an excellent choice for makeup as well. Congrats on your upcoming big day!

I love the shoes you found! Perfect with the dress.

You have great skin to begin with - nothing to airbrush! I love your idea of taking the BB pic as an example!

One more thing about Bobbi Brown. Personally I find her foundations too yellow. It's been a few years, but every time I've tried her foundation I look terrible. Right now I'm using Armani Luminous Silk and love it. I use shadow, blush and lipstick from BB.

Color match can be tough. I would google makeup artists and get a consult. Maybe you know someone who can make a suggestion. I don't recommend a department store but a salon. Take the picture. It isn't necessary that they use her products (I like them but can see where the foundation can be an issue.) If you don't use makeup it is important to use a makeup artist who can leave you looking natural. You have gorgeous skin so a light hand is all that is needed.

Yes, you are beautiful without makeup. As others have said, a light kiss of makeup is all that is needed. My. Dd is getting married the beginning of July and we have already booked a makeup artist and her assistant for all the bridesmaids. Ha! And hairdresser. For those who want them. You are a breath of fresh air, Jo.

Can I just say that you are the nicest group of people I know. You've made me smile with all your kind comments. And I have to change my earlier statement that I don't have bridesmaids. I do, they're right here ❤️

Jo

Aww. Can we pick our own dresses, though? Let's have a contest.

Isn't that my job MTN? Anyone who is a size 12 or over has to wear spaghetti straps and anyone who is under that has to wear halter tops that gap horrendously. LOL.

Our dress code says "cocktail attire "but we don't really care what people show up in. We just put that so that women would have an excuse to dress up if they want to.The groom will be in a suit, and my dad wants to wear a tux. Hope he does, he looks super in a tux.

Yes, this has been fun. Keep sharing all the details. And since you are not camera shy, we would love to see your wedding photos, so keep that in mind.

I wanna be a bridesmaid and I am so envious( as opposed to jealous) of your skin. My flaming red Rosacea needs makeup.

I can't wait to see your pictures.

I only have sons so will never be the Mother of the Bride or have much of a say in anything when/if they get married. I am very close to my niece and when she was getting married, she invited me along to look for her wedding dress. It was so much fun.

I feel like that all over again.

I'm ready. Just bought this Max Mara dress $795 marked down to $119 at Nordstrom Rack and I have nowhere else to wear it!

I love the shoes, and you are adorable.

Those shoes are absolutely perfect!!! You will look beautiful whether you wear make-up or not.

You are gorgeous! Do you want to wear your hair down or do an updo?

1929, cute dress. I cannot really wear strapless bras though, I need more infrastructure.

I only wear seamed bras because they use the grain of the fabric for better control. Seamed strapless are hard to find, but they make a difference. I have the Fantasie Ella (not long line). Don't know if they make them any more.

I really don't need the dress. Not sure if I will be strong and return it.

That's a great deal - love the dress. Keep it and come up with an outing to wear it!

The shoes are stunning and you are stunning! I had to share a cautionary tale about make up as a non-make up person. If you do end up going to a make up artist, do a trial run! For my sister's wedding, her hairdresser did my make up and I ended up with raccoon eyes and it was traumatizing and horrible. The timeline was too tight to stop and redo everything. Actually the hairdo was also bad and so was my bridesmaid dress (the other bridesmaid was so picky that finally I just went with her second choice of dress, her first choice was something with a sash like a Miss America pageant so I considered myself lucky to get the extra plumping shiny taffeta special). I try not to look at those pictures.

For my wedding, I went to Mac and put myself entirely in the make up artist hands, telling her I wanted a very natural look, took a lot of notes. I did end up having a good look on the day, part of it is because my hairdresser took pity on me and helped me with the blending. But it would've been cheaper to go to a make up artist than to buy all the makeup myself.

I agree with the others, your 'unmadeup' face is quite stunning! Similar to the pic of Bobbi Brown, I'd go for a very light makeup job, just to enhance your natural beauty. You have beautiful eyes, so I'd just add some mascara to really show them off. A light touch of foundation could blend any different tones in your skin, and a hint of colour on your cheeks. Your lips are a nice colour, so you could decide to go bare or wear something similar to Bobbi's shade, in the photo.

As far as the shoes, they are really pretty, but I do have one question. Have you ever worn that style before, where the outside length of the shoe is closed, but the inner side is open? That's exactly the style I wore 35 years ago when I married, and they really hurt my feet after a short while. Years later I bought another pair of dress shoes in that style, and experienced the same thing. I don't know what it was, but that style shoe is the only kind I've ever worn, that isn't comfortable on me.

If you've worn that kind before, then I'm sure those will also be fine!But if you haven't, perhaps you could go to store, try on something similar and walk around in them, just to make sure you find them comfortable. Good luck, (LOVE your dress, btw) you're going to be a gorgeous bride!

Amicus, I have one pair of shoes in the same style and they don't seem to bother me. But I've never worn them for a whole night, just out to dinner and such. I think what I will do is have another pair of shoes that I can slip on under my gown after the ceremony if I need to.. I don't think most people would notice.

You guys are all so nice about my appearance, but I think my skin has a lot of uneven tones. Mostly from a misspent childhood in the sun. I will look at some options with a make up artist I know. Definitely going very light make up. Thank you all for the boost of confidence you've given me.

Jo your story reminds me of a wedding I was in back in my youth. There were three of us gals in the wedding party, all best friends. The couple was getting married in a barn type place so really no place to get ready there, so we were all at the home of the sister of the groom, getting dressed and trying to figure out makeup. We all worked in an outdoor woodsy wilderness type situation (one on a boat, one a ski instructor and me as a camp director) and none of us ever wore makeup. But we figured we needed to at least try so we all brought whatever makeup odds and ends we had and were trying to figure out how to do it. Should we wear eye shadow? If so, how to apply? What about rouge, what kind and how to not look sunburned? How to apply mascara correctly, powder or foundation? etc. None of us had a clue and we were laughing so hard we couldn't take it seriously. Like three teenagers at a slumber party and the groom's sister who was more traditional thought we were loony. We did a little bit and then pretty much threw in the towel. I have photos, we looked good. But we were young then and could get away with more, or less as the case was then.

When my twin sister got married, a friend of hers had worked at a make-up counter, so knew the ins and outs of makeup. She offered to do the bridal party. I remember feeling I was over done. But, in the photos, we all looked terrific. One sister, who was from out of town did not participate and you really did see the difference in the photos.

So, yes to at least a light touch of makeup.

IMO, you need makeup for pictures. I am envious you don't need ANY makeup in real life. I encourage you to find a really good makeup artist and do at least two trials and have someone take pictures to see how it looks on "film".

In the end you are gorgeous, you are in love and you want a great wedding but you are awaiting a great marriage.

I wonder if you sent an email to Bobbi Brown with your picture showing you as her twin if she might gift you a makeup artist!