Payless almost always has something like this (and I know; I visit all the time). If not now, they will by the time April rolls around. I find the website very user-unfriendly, and I can't find any pairs I like there, but I bet if you visit a store regularly, you will find what you're looking for.

Do you find Payless shoes to be comfortable, generally? I've had some bad luck with them before. Although I have a pair of green driving moccasins from Payless that are awesome.

egh

I have been directed to purchase a pair of silver, open-toed, strappy heels...

why why why why why is this ALWAYS the case with bridesmaid gear?

amro, I not only hate shoe shopping, I HATE strappy shoes and I **LOATHE** open toes. I have the ugliest big wide goddamn klunkers on the planet. NO one needs to ever see my feet. Ever. I even wear socks to bed.

ew.

anyway I've had good luck at finding the damn-near-impossible for not-too-much-loot at DSW. Unsure if there's one near you, but damn they gottalottashoes.

Do you find Payless shoes to be comfortable, generally?

Some are, some aren't. I think you're going to need to suck it up on the "comfortable" portion of this endeavor. Open-toed strappy heels tend to be uncomfortable. But this is a one day event, and you can take them off whenever you're not taking pictures or marching down the aisle.

Try JC Penny's or Sears. I've been getting formal shoes from there for years - way before I had to purchase the manditory strappy kitten-heeled beige shoes for a wedding last summer. They were only about $30 or so.

amro, I find comfort to be an inverse relation to how narrow / pointy the toe of the shoe is. thank god that horrible trend for pointy toed shoes appears to be dying.

i've found shoes with wide rounded toes and (surprisingly enough) a slight platform to generally be the most comfortable. i'd avoid anything more than a 3" heel if you're not used to wearing heels on a regular basis; those standing-in-heels muscles will thank you at the end of the day. think of building up to wearing high heels as like any other weightlifting sort of exercise - it takes time to develop not only the balance and skill at walking in them, but also the muscular strength in your feet to support your weight on your toes/arches.

in my misguided youth I did a bit of dancing (no not that kind) and modelling and i'm short so... yeah, i've worn 6" heels plenty.

I'd go with zappos.com
and use a few searches (strappy/silver), read a few reviews, order a couple pair to try and send back the ones you don't like. Repeat as necessary.

My sister-in-law demanded that her bridesmaids buy a specific pair of $100+ silver strappy sandals for her wedding (in addition to the $200 SALMON dress). There was no freakin' way I was paying that. I find a similar pair for less than $10, but they only came in black.

So I spraypainted them silver. No one ever knew.

I think you're going to need to suck it up on the "comfortable" portion of this endeavor.

Drat. You're probably right.

All good ideas, ladies!

On preview: lonefrontranger, I actually wear heels (generally 3-3.5 inches) the majority of the time, but they tend to be sort of chunky heels and I feel very stable in them. It's the little skinny stiletto-y heel that freaks me out, but skinny heels (or "normal" heels, as the bride calls them) were part of the requirement.

jrossi, as always, you're awesome.

And yeah, being a bridesmaid is both an incredibly expensive and incredibly educational experience. I've definitely learned what I don't want to do if I ever get married.

Haaaa, spray paint- brilliant! If you're willing to do that, you'll definitely find something at Payless.

You know, it might be worth spending on some nice silver/ crystally type strappy heels as they do make a nice alternative to whatever goes with everything in the name of chic. If there is a foot fetishist in there somewhere.
There was a big shoe sale on bluefly and goddam if they don't have some stunning selections. i try not to look at the shoes i will never afford but soem of their sales kill. Returns are easy, shipping is low and i have tons of discount codes to last anyone.

Oh yeah and a friend of mine sprayed some boots and they still look completely solid so if you need paint suggestion...

Target has some super cute silver open toed heels on their website right now - great prices for a shoe that you may only wear once.

I hate shoe shopping.

Damn, I always thought they would throw a woman out of the lodge for saying that.

I really like the "Hailey" in iconomy's link.

Ha, I just bought this pair from Target, then saw iconomy's recommendation. I'm a little nervous because they're 4" heels, but I guess I can always return them.

Yes, upon preview I second jrossi's opinion on the "Hailey" in iconomy's link. Plus it comes with great reviews.
Bless you for being able to wear heels - I prefer wedges just for this reason. The most I can do is two and a half inches in height.

Weddings can suck so much. I was in one where the mother of the bride insisted all the bridesmaids wear their hair in exactly the same way. I was in another where just the dress cost $300.00. When I got married, the girls wore skirts I picked out of a catalog for $35.00 each, they chose their own tops, and since we got married on the beach, everyone was barefoot. Easy!

The only thing I hate more than shoe shopping is shoe shopping for a bridesmaid occasion.
I've got a lot of foot problems. I've had surgery, and can't wear more than a 2 or 2.5" heel (not pain, mind you, although it does hurt to try... my foot literally won't bend enough at the ankle.)

Even then I can only wear wedge or chunky heels.

But does that stop my friends/relations?
Heck no.
I have three pairs of heels in the closet now, each worn once. (well, twice. Pics and aisle. Took those fuckers off asap). Each instance lead to three days or more of limping and severe pain. In one case I had to call off work because I literally couldn't make it to the subway, and knew once I was there I wouldn't make it to my desk.

And yeah... they knew. But they wanted us to "match."

(and I'll not get started with my thoughts about brides insisting on being flanked by a matching squadron of their friends)

I have had good luck with chinese laundry.

(I didn't make my bridesmaids get matching shoes, dresses or anything. I said "get something dark red and I'll see you on my wedding day". Because I'm cool like that.)

I love Chinese Laundry.

Stay away from Nina brand shoes. Very cute, very strappy, and the most fucking uncomfortable shoes I've ever bought. (DSW seems to stock a lot of them.)

A lot of dance shoes (ballroom/salsa dance shoes) come in silver and gold. It may be worth hitting a place that sells them and seeing what they have. I'm not sure the price will be much better, but they may be more comfortable than what you find at Payless or DSW. (They're likely to have suede soles, though, which kind of takes them out of the running for everyday shoes. But I really love my salsa shoes -- super comfortable!)

A recommendation: Since you prefer chunkier heels and you'll definitely want to be comfortable, buy the silver ones for the pictures and the actual ceremony, but have your date or a friend bring a pair of comfortable heels of a similar height to wear at the reception. I did that for my sister's wedding and I was walking like I was on air the entire night--until I was dancing too enthusiastically near the end (while drunk) and twisted my left knee.