Fortunately, there are a number of possible solutions. Ideally, the resort or location that’s hosting the event will have carpets, pads, or pathways to a fixed gazebo or rotunda for guests to stay stable and sand-free. If not, and you’ll definitely be walking on sand, bringing a change of shoes might be in order. Wear sandals on the beach, and then, from a handbag or fashionable shoe bag, pull out your dancing shoes when you’re ready to party. In fact, after dancing the night away, you’ll be thrilled to have that first pair of shoes to slip back on and relieve those hurting feet.

And if you’re not keen on packing another pair of shoes along, a hybrid shoe is your best solution — footwear that survives the sand and thrives on the dance floor. If that’s the case, try these shoes on for size:

If clothes make the man, then surely shoes make the woman. And with the perfect pair of heels on her feet, my daughter was ready to make her mark that night, literally putting her best foot forward. Sometimes it’s really worth it to pull out all the stops instead of finding ways to do things on a shoestring, even in these difficult economic times. And a senior prom is something you remember forever.

The author’s conclusion reminded me that sometimes you do have to treat yourself (or, in his case, someone you love). When once-in-a-lifetime opportunities arise, there’s no question you’ll remember them for the rest of your life. The real question is: will you celebrate or regret them? Though shoes may be a small part of the whole experience, they are an important piece to completing the entire picture. 

Remember: shoes make the woman. Need help finding the perfect pair? Shoefly is here.

Why are the seven swans the most expensive item on the list, you ask? Good question. For the answer, remember back to the mantra of your econ 101 class: supply and demand. Although it may cost quite a pretty penny to hire nine dancers, the rarity of swans hikes up their price. Throw in their unpredictable breeding cycle, and you’re ensured a high price.

Still, unless you happen to have a woefully empty decorative pond, seven very expensive swans won’t do you much good. Can a shoe express the grace and elegance of a swan? Sure! The Xosa, shown above, has the swan’s sleek lines and timeless beauty. This 3″ heel will transition seamlessly from a day at the office to that holiday party. Give it to a friend or family member rather than seven swans, and she’ll thank you for years of low-maintenance beauty.

“Don’t tell anyone,” she quietly whispered in my ear as she
placed the letter gently on my desk. The message was rolled up like a testament, tightly sealed with a rubber band, “this is for you only.” Butterflies came to my stomach and my
curiosity spiked: "can I read this at
work?" I thought to myself as I saw the messenger silently whisk
away, back into the office shadows. I
waited impatiently, my feet tapping on the ground, as I held the secret message in my sweaty palms. I peered at my office colleagues from the corners of my eyes, took a
deep breath and unbound the lingering surreptitious message, slowly unraveling
its secret. I was overwhelmed to find an invitation to my girl’s wedding … which, naturally, was on the same weekend as
my other girlfriend’s wedding across the nation in Wisconsin. Oh sweet wedding season (sigh).

Three weekend’s before the magical wedding day, the
secret messenger/bride-to-be had a festive, joyful BBQ at her home (don’t worry, the cheesy over-doing this whole wedding bit will not
infiltrate this entire column, or at least I hope not for your sake). Of course with every festive BBQ comes the
even more cheerful consumption of summertime beverages that never quite taste like
there are many spirits in them. After a couple, or rather a fistful
depending on who you are and where you come from (being from Wisconsin, I
learned at a young age how to throw ‘em back, definitely younger than my parents know so
please don’t tell!), you wonder: “how did I get so tipsy? I swear I didn’t drink that much.” In goes the alcohol and out come the
adventures!

My secret messenger had just brought her
bride-to-be attire home from the store not two days before the festive BBQ and, in
our merry state of consumption, each of us knowing I would not be able
to attend her wonderful event, she wanted to show me her beautiful gown. Of course me being an instigator of sorts,
I wanted to actually SEE the beauty on the beautiful. In we went to the bedroom where no boys were
allowed—especially not the groom!

After she put on her dress—which truly looked much more
stunning on this beautiful girl than on the hanger—we did the
celebratory jumping and squealing which usually accompanies drunken women
trying on fairytale dresses. Actually,
who am I kidding? The celebratory
jumping and squealing usually accompanies drunken women no matter if they are
trying on fairytale dresses or not. Back
to the story.

“Okay, where are the shoes?” I asked. “I want to see the whole ensemble!”

“Shoes, yeah, that is one minor detail I
haven’t worked out yet,” was her reply.

You might be asking yourself, ‘why would she have the
dress but not the shoes to go with the dress even though the wedding is in less
than three weeks?’ The answer is
simple. This woman is a goddess among
men; she stands 6 feet tall and her soon to be hubby is about, well, 6 feet
tall:

Hubby: “You aren’t going to wear some 3-inch heels and be taller than me at our wedding, are you? I mean, you are going to wear flats
right?”

Bride-to-be: “But I love heels! What am I supposed to do? Wear this divine dress with tennis shoes?”

Ah yes, the conundrum reveals itself. Lo and behold, there is always a role for
every girlfriend in her girl’s wedding—even the ones she cannot attend. In walks Jamie to the rescue! (I
should be made up with a silver metallic cape, pomegranate tulip skirt, black sweetheart neckline halter top and some cute peep toe wedges to
match!)

“Girl, I have just the
solution!” I replied with a deep echoing
voice and a little bit of sass. You
know, real superhero-like. “I am thinking gold metallic ballet flats, perfect
for a fairytale occasion!” We were soon on the hunt for the magical golden
slippers, after our morning recovery of course:

Bride-to-be: “I LOVE these! What do we think of these? I just realized I
have less than three weeks to figure this out. Cripes! (Sigh) Maybe I’ll just
go barefoot?”

Shoeflyer Superhero, aka, Me: “It’s your wedding! Shoot! Go barefoot if you want! What
about these, they are sparkly and everything!”

Bride-to-be: “That’s the problem! I wear an 11. I’m 6
feet tall and have huge feet.”

Me: “Omigod! I
just found these! See, I will be at your
wedding, just in the spirit of shoes. Wait, what size shoe do you wear?”

Bride-to-be: “Those are cute, but they don’t come in an 11. Think BIG FEET!”

Me: “Okay, if you find a pair of shoes that you LOVE and
the store doesn’t have them in a size 11, we will go to the sales lady and ask
her to order them for you. For goodness
sake this is your wedding we are talking about! Any good shoe-obsessed sales lady would totally go the distance for a
bride-to-be.”

So what did the secret messenger/bride-to-be decide to
wear to complete her fairytale attire? Well, the answer to that is; ya got me. Why you may ask? Because it is less than two weeks before her
wedding and she STILL hasn’t decided on what shoes to wear. Oy Vey this girl is going to give me a
coronary. Although we haven’t actually
found the desired foot adornments, there are some cuties up our alley: Do we like these Seychelles? How about these ballet flats by Sam Edelman? These Sam Edelman’s are pretty cute! We love these Jeffrey Campbell’s too! And so the hunt continues …