How in the world do you walk in high heels?

Just make your dress longer and no one will see your feet :)
Otherwise, I’d suggest just wearing them around the house. I am extremely clumsy and hate wearing high heels, but after a couple times I got the hang of it.

If it makes you feel any better I tripped walking down the isle at my own wedding… Yup. I’m that girl.

Can you get shorter heels dyed to match the dress? Explain to the bride that no one will notice if your shoes are shorter, but everyone will notice if you fall flat walking down the aisle. Kinda ruins the symmetry, don’t you think?

@JilltheTooth There’s no way I can try to convince her of anything at this point. Her mind is set.

I think it will help if you realize heels don’t make you a girly girl. They make you a go gurl GO.

Heels are about walking with power and confidence, not being dainty. Picture yourself stomping. But make sure it’s never toe-heel. Heel-toe or both at once.

But practice before the wedding.

@rangerr : Ah, yes, “bridal dementia” or “wedding psychopathy”. I’ve seen it often. If you don’t tell her, and do it anyway, she’ll be too distracted to notice on the day…with any luck…

Practice, if you must. Ask your doctor to write you a letter saying it is not healthy for you to walk on such high heels.

Go to the pharmacy store and buy the little moleskin pads for the balls of your feet, they should come with an adhesive backing and go in your shoes. Those will give your feet and toes some grip at that height.

When you stand in the heels then tighten your core/abdominal muscles and it will feel lighter as you walk forward. Concentrate on keeping your pelvis straight or tucked slightly under. Practice walking forward in front of a mirror and see if it feels more comfortable to pick up your knees more or less, adjust as you go for what looks natural moving under the dress. Walking with your toes pointed outwards will make your strides more heavy and clumsy.

Two weeks is a good amount of time to practice on different floor surfaces. Good luck and have fun.

oh girl, I feel for you!! As you probably could tell, I’m not the stiletto type either… I have found though that I can manage to wear wedge shaped heels, which can sometimes be quite high.

My suggestion would be to buy/borrow a pair of wedges and practice wearing them before the wedding. It also helps if you slowly increase the time you wear them, so as to not overstress the tendons in your feet and your toes. Oh, and be sure to reward yourself often with foot baths!! good luck…

How thin are the heels? If they’re pretty thin, I don’t suggest walking heel to toe, because unless your ankles are used to it, it will make them wobbly. You already said you’re clumsy – as am I – and trying to learn heel to toe did not work for me, until I got used to heels. If you do try heel to toe in thin heels, make sure you put a little more weight on the front of your feet than on the back, when your feet make contact with the ground. Also, make sure your hips aren’t basically stationary when you walk. Putting a little swagger in your butt and hips makes it much easier to balance in any kind of heels.

Don’t: can’t: hurts too much! If you must wear them, and it sounds like you must – just wear them for the ceremony and bring comfortable shoes to change into as soon as you can.

Practice, practice, practice. As soon as you get home, put those shoes on and walk around in them. Just a little at first, then a little longer every day. I swear it will get easier. I used to wear them all the time, but am out of practice now. Anytime I need to wear them again, I have to go through the practice thing all over again. Good luck!

My feet hurt for you already. But then, I’ve always looked like Minnie Mouse in anything over 2 inch heels because I’m so short.

Practice is the key. Do you know what type of flooring the ceremony site has? Walking on carpet vs. a solid surface can make all of the difference.

Do you have any low heels you could wear for a couple of days? It might help build your confidence, as you get used to walking in them, get your balance etc. Then if there are higher ones. . . so you can gradually increase the height? No one should START diving from HIGH BOARD! 4 inch heels! It’s madness! Even women used to walking in heels, can find that challenging! The other advice you’ve gotten, I agree with, esp. comfortable shoes to wear after the ceremony. Oh, and wear them for the rehearsal. Sometimes there is thick padding under the carpet in the aisle. Practice on it. If it’s a disaster by then, and the bride sees it and how hard you’ve tried, maybe she will take pity on you. Figure out a pair that would work with the dress, that you could use, if you get a reprieve! Good Luck! Remember, even models have fallen on the runway! They just get back up and carry on!

I’m going to throw out there that asking anyone else other than one’s own self to wear higher than a 3” heel is really pushing the friends envelope. I’ve been wearing heels for decades, I’m good, really good at walking, striding, whatever but 4” heels are as high as I go unless there’s a platform toe. Wedge shoes are dangerous at pretty much any height.

Oh, also make sure the shoes fit you properly. Don’t just make do, have them professionally fitted.

Practice! Use your hips when you walk. Keep your back straight. Don’t drag the heel when you walk. Walk up stairs just on the toes. Don’t walk on grates, grass or brick. They’re all difficult. Do ankle exercises for a few weeks before. If your heel tilts because of the ankle leaning you can break it. Make sure the shoe itself has soles with friction, if not go and buy rubber pads for the bottom. Find a nice thing for te inside that prevents your foot slipping around from sweat or stockings.

Practice,practice,practice! ;)

@rangerr Very, Very Carefully and slow.
I’m with you, not really that girl… I had to wear them in my sisters wedding too and had never worn heels at all. I just went really slow, with pauses between steps and then sighed a huge breath of relief when I made it all the way to the front with just a couple wobbles… I trip in running shoes, so it was a blessing I made it that far… the pictures after the wedding, I was barefoot….

It depends on how far. For a short time/distance, I walk like i’m trying out some of those under-the-costume stilts.

Oh, another thing. Brand new high heeled shoes are often extremely slippery. Either scuff up the soles (walk around on asphalt or something) or get some no slip thingys that stick to the soles of the shoes.

Try practicing because you have no choice.

You know, what’s wrong with brides who don’t give two craps about how their bridesmaids will feel or putting their bridesmaids in things that are clearly not reflective of the bridesmaids. I’d say grab some flip flops, maybe it’ll be the kind of wedding where sometime in the evening, it’ll get to the flip flops point. As far as how to walk in heels, don’t let your knees buckle and keep your thighs tight and back straight when you walk.

Definitely have an alternate decent pair of shoes in your car or tote or whatever you’re bringing along so you won’t be trapped in the heels all night.

I wouldn’t wear ‘em. I’d come up with any excuse necessary, but I wouldn’t. My daughter in law wanted me to wear ‘em, and I did, and took ‘em off within 15 minutes of entering the reception. Didn’t even wear them out of there, and they went to Good Will next day.

my tip? look down a LOT. Have a target, and focus on it. Keep your eyes on where you need to get to. Swagger a lot too, just one foot in front of the other.

I’m terrible at remembering to update these.
So.. Two days after I asked this, my cousins were kind enough to put me in 5 inch heels and set up an obstacle course in their basement for me to go through.

I discovered that I can run in heels that high, but I still had issues walking.
So after 5 hours of them making me walk up and down their hallways, I finally was able to keep my balance enough to not look ridiculous.

Then I got a text from the bride saying she changed our shoes to shorter heels.
:l

Thank goodness she changed her mind, and that you didn’t break your ankle in the mean time!