Stepping Up Your Style: How to Rock Bridesmaid Dresses with Converse Shoes

Planning a wedding takes time and some people say money, but you can plan a small, fun wedding on a budget without sacrificing style. One of the largest expenses for brides comes from the need for bridesmaid dresses and shoes. Often dyed to match the dresses, these typically high-heeled satin shoes can cost hundreds of dollars per pair. The shoes can cost as much as the dresses.

Before you elope to avoid the costs, keep reading to learn how to not only save money on your big day but create a more comfortable day for your bridesmaids and yourself. Let’s consider how to rock bridesmaids’ dresses with Converse shoes so you can end the wedding shopping nightmare and plan your dream wedding.

Style Appropriate for Your Wedding Location

One of the most challenging aspects of a wedding comes from finding an affordable location for the reception. Wedding reception halls prove notoriously costly and may require you to use a corporate catering service with which they partner. That can actually drive up the cost of your wedding.

Choose an alternative location that sites your wedding and reception in the same spot. Consider state and national parks for a fabulous natural setting, such as a dreamy summer mountain wedding or a beach wedding with ocean foam brushing against the edge of your dress. You don’t have to travel far to host a destination wedding because about half of the U.S. states host a national park and every state houses at least one state park. This means no matter where you live, you’re near a destination suitable for a wedding.

High heels don’t work well in these situations, but Converse long ago expanded its line of shoes to include more than the standard basketball sneakers. Sneakers and dress shoes styled like them do work well in outdoor situations.

How Converse Became a Formalwear Legend

Somewhere in the 1980s, a stylist paired Converse high-top sneakers with a prom dress for a fashion shoot, and a fashion trend ensued. Today, Converse designs sneaker-like shoes for formal occasions including prom night and wedding days..

The venerable shoe firm also created a cottage industry for shoe customizers who opened Etsy shops, specializing in blinging out Converse sneakers and dress shoes.

Not only do these and other shops create ready-to-wear bejeweled designs, but they also create bespoke designs. That means if you choose lavender bridesmaids’ dresses, your bridesmaids could each pick up a pair of matching Converse Chucks in lavender and have them customized with a design of the bride’s or their choice.

Wedding Shopping for Wedding Clothes and Formal Sneakers

Choose your location first, then plan your clothes, dresses, and shoes. Why? Your location influences your attire choices. High tops and beach sand don’t mix well, but high tops provide ankle support that comes in handy if you plan a summer mountain wedding.

A Sunset Lakeshore Wedding in Tea Length Bridesmaids Dresses and Converse Low-Tops

Plan an evening sunset wedding on the shores of gorgeous Lake Eufaula, OK. Its state park offers shoreline access and accommodations in the manner of RV parking, campsites, and rental cabins.

Wedding colors of any sunset shade or a deep blue to match the waterwork in this setting. Bridesmaids dresses in pinks, purples, oranges, or reds will work well and Converse makes sneakers in multiple colorways. Consider an animal print low-top sneaker with sequins for a lake beach wedding.

A Daytime Wedding on the Edges of a Geyser in Jewel-Toned Bridesmaids Dresses and Converse Sneakers

Match the jewel tones of Yellowstone’s Morning Glory Pool in Upper Geyser Basin, Wyoming, with your bridesmaids’ dresses and matching Converse sneakers. Yellowstone, the famed U.S. national park, offers accommodations for your guests in campsites, RV parking, lodges, and cabins. This massive park also features restaurants or cooking facilities, so you can hire a chef to grill the food at your reception.

Choose bridesmaids’ dresses in jewel tones like emerald, ruby, or sapphire to match the colors of the geothermal locations in Yellowstone. The emerald formation of the Morning Glory Pool offers a breathtaking backdrop for formal attire in forest green or emerald green tones. Consider wedding shopping for Converse low-top or high-top sneakers decorated with colored sequins or faux emeralds.

A Beach Wedding in Metallic Tones with Converse Crush Heel Sneakers

Perhaps you reside in South Carolina and dream of a beach wedding, but the resorts near Charleston, like Seabrook Island, remain out of your price range. You can still have your dream wedding by hosting it in one of the many breathtaking state parks the state offers, such as Edisto Beach State Park. The park features many backdrops in its 1,255 acres but most people only know about its beachfront cabins and Botany Bay. Explore the Edisto Beach State Park website to learn about the many wedding options available. The park offers tent camping, RV parking, and cabins, and its location sits near a slew of vacation rentals.

Let your wedding shopping at Converse lead you to the Chuck Taylor All-Star Crush Heel Sneakers in gold. Pair these comfortable shoes that you can wear as mules or sneakers with gold or mixed metallics bridesmaids dresses. Mules work great on the beach sand and your bridesmaids can easily kick off their shoes to run in the ocean waves. These sneakers work well with any A-line dress; we suggest the chiffon V-neck pictured below.

A Postcard Perfect Mountain Wedding in Dusty Blue Chiffon and Sequin Converse High-Tops

This picturesque wedding combines the mountains and a waterfall for epic views while you say your “I dos.” The featured location works best for Californians and Nevadans since you’ll find it in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Falls offers amazing views year-round and its wheelchair-accessible trail makes this location work for everyone. If you want alternatives, Yosemite contains a number of Pair a chiffon bridesmaids gown in dusty blue with sequined Converse high-top sneakers. No problem if dusty blue doesn’t match your color scheme because this dress comes in 43 colors and at less than $100, it also proves you can plan a fabulous, fashionable wedding with some savvy wedding shopping.

Accessorizing When Wearing Bridesmaids Dresses with Converse Sneakers

Your wedding shopping goes far beyond a trip to the wedding dress shop. Once you buy the dress and the shoes, and you take care of the bridesmaids’ dresses, you’ve still got many other considerations, such as the bridesmaids’ accessories, gifts for the wedding party, the reception tableware, and much more.

Bridesmaids need accessories that they can wear or carry during the wedding and at the reception. For some bridesmaids, matching their glasses to the dress may prove important, so they’ll need an eyeglass shop that customizes frames if they lack do-it-yourselfer talents.

If you want to try decorating a pair of eyeglasses, start with a pair of bargain frames, such as reading glasses from the dime store. You should practice before attempting to add to prescription eyewear, even if you’re blinging out a spare pair. With an outdoor wedding, consider creating these custom frames for sunglasses for your bridesmaids.

Consider adding sequins, jewels, or crystals to a pair of eyewear. This lets you match the frames to the dress and Converse sneakers creating a pulled-together look.

Saving Money on Your Rings and Wedding Party Gifts

Traditionally, the wedding colors apply to everything – dresses, cummerbunds, bridesmaids’ shoes, flowers, pocket handkerchiefs, and wedding party gifts. Here’s how to shop and save money on everything for your wedding.

The Jewelry

Your wedding shopping also involves visiting a diamond engagement ring shop if you’re the one popping the question. You might purchase a matching wedding ring set from the same store or explore bespoke options on Etsy or your local jewelry pawn shop. Many people obtain quick cash for jewelry by selling it at a pawn shop. Their bad breakup can mean huge savings for you. Visiting such shops can help you find fantastic rings for very little money.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen Gifts

Skip the traditional trip to the department store and instead, shop like a professional marketer. That means visiting the website of a promotional product store like Amsterdam Printing which specializes in business-to-business gifts. You can order small batches of most items, starting at just 10 to 15 of most gift sets. These custom gifts carry whatever message you want, so you can immortalize them with your wedding information, including the date and a thank you message to your wedding party.

Because most items come in a variety of colors, you can match the gift sets to your wedding colors. For a mountain wedding, try the Weekender Eco-Pack set or the Welcome Gift set for an affordable gift set for bridesmaids and groomsmen. The dearth of gender-neutral gifts tops the list of great things about shopping at promotional marketing stores. These gifts, like the Leeman Trellis Knit Gift set offer something they’ll use every day that you can still customize with your wedding information.

Consider executive gifts for the wedding party, too. Perhaps you want something special for both sets of parents and your best man and maid of honor. Try Eprinted for leather gifts, such as folios, electronics organizer carrying cases, journals, binders, pens, and much more, all customized with your thank you message or wedding information.

Wedding Party Memory Wear

Forget the tacky T-shirts with iron-on transfers. Instead, shop for Eddie Bauer outdoor wear that’s emblazoned with your wedding information. Corporate Gear.com makes it happen and they make it affordable. From polo shirts to hooded, fleece-lined jackets, you can nab it here and keep everyone warm on the mountaintop or cool at the beach.

Bridesmaids’ Handbags to Match Bridesmaids’ Dresses and Converse Sneakers

Skip the mall and shop online. We suggest starting at JJ’s House, a massive shop dedicated to formal wear and accessories. Whether you want your bridesmaids to carry a clutch or a handbag, JJ’s carries it, and in an array of colors. Prices start at a little less than $20 per bag and range up to more than $50. You could conceivably purchase a bag to match the dresses and provide one for each bridesmaid for less than $100 if you have a small wedding party.

Also, shop on Etsy. The shop Just Bagzz offers leather and vegan leather bags, clutches, and cross-body purses in a wide array of colors. From jewel tones to pearl white or cream, you can find it here. Just Bagzz keeps its handmade bags affordable, too, with most bags costing between $27 and $60 each.

Putting It All Together

Now that you’ve perfectly outfitted your bridesmaids in luxurious formal attire and designer Converse sneakers, you’ve guaranteed their comfort. Your glamorous destination wedding locales abound since you’ve got options in every state of the U.S. Since you’ll hold your reception in the same location as your wedding, you only need your convenience tents now.

Not all parks offer picnic shelters at their most scenic locations. That means you’ll need to take something with you for people to sit beneath. It will also offer cover for the reception food. Gather your fashionably attired wedding party beneath this gazebo canopy tent in wedding white with windows from AOSOM.com for less than $125. The 10′ x 20′ tent offers plenty of space for a small wedding. If you need more than one, they’re affordable and available.

You can have your dream wedding for a small price. Your bridesmaids can look gorgeous and feel comfortable wearing dressy wedding Converse shoes that match their gowns. Choose your location and plan your destination wedding accordingly.