Cindy, What to Wear to the Ball? Stylish Slipper Options for the Fairytale Bride

Even as weddings get increasingly bigger, glammer, and more choreographed and celebrity-planned, the number of brides craving a wedding straight from a fairytale never let up.  

Instead, the fairytale wedding just gets bigger, with crystal chandeliers and sparkling crystal trees, rosebuds dangling from satin ribbons, aisle runners heaped with petals and rhinestone-studded bouquet wraps.

Which of course begs the question: what to wear on your feet on this day of all days?

Finding the perfect Cinderella shoes can pose quite a quandary for many brides. Here's what most of us want: the perfect knock-'em-dead clear glass slipper. Something that shows off that killer pedicure, and has the elegance and fire of cut crystal. (Yet doesn't weigh 25 pounds a shoe, like real crystal would.)  Not to mention a talking point that'll keep your guests chattering all night long.

But what we actually find? In most cases, vinyl.  Rather sensible vinyl, at that, with a low heel and sturdy design.  

The truth is, though, princess brides have more options than might first appear. In fact, one of our site surveys reveals a fairly broad set of high-style strategies:

The low vinyl "slipper."
You've probably seen these Cinderella slippers at wedding sites. You might have loved the idea, but wished for a few more design options. Still, this is our fairytale brides' most popular choice for footwear, at about 28%. Fun to wear, and to save for a little girl down the line.

The fabulous bright pump.
These brides, at around 24%, are going with the hip, fun trend of brightly-hued shoes, whether it's those sultry Louboutin red soles peeking out at the high end, or a spunky pair of Payless aqua pumps.  

Demure and classic.
For just under 10% of princess brides, the timeless white or champagne wedding shoe fits the bill.

Turning up the heat.
5% of brides are going bold with those same sky-high vinyl stilettos that you sometime seen at wedding sites ... and sometimes at sites less squeaky-clean and bridal.

Doing it their way.
Almost 15% of fairytale brides are forging their own path through the shoe process, some commissioning custom creations out of raw silk and beads on a clear plastic frame.

Of course, the couture world doesn't leave us high and dry when it comes to footwear flights of fancy, either. Check out Stuart Weitzman's lucite-and-rhinestone-studded beauties, "Arabesque," for starters.

The upshot? The shoes of your dreams are out there. So rest assured, you'll be walking down the aisle in a pair of foot candy every bit as fabulous as those crystal-draped manzanita branches or that stunning cobblestone-castle cake.