When a dancer gets married, she already knows the benefits of dance shoes and how they differ from other shoes. But if you\’re not a dancer you don\’t realize there\’s a difference. How many times have you seen a bride hike up her dress and dance in bare feet because she lasted longer than her feet did in the shoes she chose. Dancers, share your dance shoe secret with your betrothed fiends, they will thank you for it. Here is our list of 10 reasons why brides love dance shoes.
- They are strong – For dance professionals, their dance shoes are their sports equipment, and thus the top dance shoe brands sponsor the world\’s best dancers just like Nike and Under Armour sponsor high profile athletes. That means, that these shoes must be able to stand up to the massive athletics and force applied by dancers at the top of the sport.
- They are comfortable – The best dancers in the world also demand that their dance shoes protect the health of their feet and be comfortable enough to wear through the hours and hours of daily practice required at their level. Your wedding day starts early and ends late – you want to choose shoes that you won\’t have to abandon by dinner. Dance shoes are flexible, they bend with your feet, and are incredibly light.
- Better fit – A dance shoe is created to feel like a glove on your hand, it shouldn\’t pinch or feel restricting but it should be fit snug. This can make all the difference to your foot comfort throughout the day. Most fashion shoes are created to fit the largest number of people – it\’s just good business sense. However, because dance shoes are the dance athlete\’s primary piece of equipment, the fit is so important. Many top brands are available in a wide number of lengths, and the different styles aren\’t just different fashion statements, but actually allow the dancer to pick what works for the shape of her foot. Square shaped feet, and wayward pinky toes can be addressed by the style.
- Ability to customize the fit – Just like the difference in the fit between a man\’s custom tailored suit and one that\’s off the rack, custom dance shoes that are professionally fit allows you to have the right combination of attributes for your feet. In addition to four standard widths, and 5 premium widths*, dancers can even specify a narrow back or wider front* if that\’s what\’s needed (* a small surcharge applies).
- Choice of heel – this allows the bride to take into consideration factors like her height next to the groom in the wedding pictures and how many stairs she faces that day.
- Design your own wedding shoes – After addressing the fit, the bride can choose the material*, colours and can even combine two different materials. Satins can be dyed to match a dress, and gold or silver leathers can be added to provide the right accent to the chosen colour scheme. The bride can also choose to reap the benefits of the chrome leather dance sole or for a small surcharge, they can substitute a street sole.
- Cost – According to a survey by Canadian magazine Wedding Bells, the average Canadian bride spends an average of $1716 on her wedding gown. I couldn\’t find any statistics on how much the average Canadian bride spends on shoes but UK brides apparently spend £107 ($212 CDN). The average price of a professional quality dance shoe ranges between $150-$200, which is about the average price of a good pair of athletic shoes.
- Quality that lasts – After the wedding the bride has a pair of dance shoes suitable for just about any occasion that calls for comfortable dressy heels.
