Shoes have a romantic & enchanting history...elaborate costuming became a favorite royal indulgence throughout the Renaissance era, and footwear was indeed part of the ensemble.

Cobblers began crafting shoes that were fit for a king... or a queen...to accompany ceremonial attire.

As weddings evolved into lavish formal events, wedding shoes were essential for the entire bridal party, and, of course, members of the royal court.

This fanciful footwear soon began to take on a tradition of its own among nobility & commoners.

The best known--and still practiced today-is the custom of tying  shoes to the back of the couple's wedding transport

This notion emerged from the Tudor belief
that leather had a protective quality against
evil spirits. Shoes attached to the wedding
carriage ensured that the couple would travel their new lives together without interference from outside influences.

In historic England, a custom began of placing a Sixpence in the bride's shoe for prosperity. The bride was said to walk down the aisle with:

"Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue, and
something stuck in her shoe."

A Sixpence was said to be worth it's weight in gold in bringing domestic bliss to marriages!