“When I got married a dozen years ago, it was customary to select a pair of practical white pumps from the half dozen options at the bridal salon and have them dyed the exact shade of white/ivory as your gown. I felt like a renegade buying my shoes “off the rack” from a non-wedding retailer (though they were white). Wedding shoes, like so many things in the bridal industry, have come a long way in the meantime. Brides are looking at their footwear as another way to personalize their wedding and express their unique style. After all, as even Cinderella can attest, shoes make the outfit (even if they are hidden most of the time under a full length ball gown).  A fresh but sentimental option is to select beautiful blue shoes, a nod to the “something blue” for good luck. Here are three gorgeous blue styles from recent weddings.” – Liz Banfield

Shoe credits: (light blue ) Roger Vivier shoes, which were also featured on the book cover of Weddings by Tara Guerard. Peep toe blue shoes by Stuart Weitzman and jeweled buckle shoes by Manolo Blahnik.

(This month’s wedding contributor, Liz Banfield, has photographed several books on weddings including Weddings by Tara Guerard and Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South.)