Buying the right wedding shoes

Whether you are the groom or a guest it is important to look your best.  Here is a run through of what shoes to wear with different dress codes and an explanation of some basic shoe terminology.

Morning Suit – the most formal of wedding outfits, where you might expect to see a member of the Royal family attending the wedding. Polished black oxford shoes would be most suitable.

Traditionally oxford shoes are more formal than a derby design, as they give the most clean and formal look, however both are good options for formal occasions and a derby style shoe fits a wider foot or one with a high instep more comfortably.

Black Tie/Tuxedo

Black formal shoes are ideal to wear with black tie, or this is a great excuse to wear a black patent shoe if it is an evening event.

Click here to shop: Moreschi Arles & Stemar Scala

Blue Suit

Blue suits are very popular and look great with brown or burgundy shoes, although a black shoe can also look good. 

Click here to shop: Barker Mcclean & Cheaney Wilton

Grey Suit

Grey suits look great with black shoes but also with dark brown and burgundy.

Click here to shop: Barker Trent & Cheaney Alfred

The RM Williams Craftsman boot is a classic elegant style that can be worn with a suit or black tie for a wedding.  

Click here to shop: RM Williams Comfort Craftsman

If you invest in a pair of Goodyear welted shoes or boots, they can have their soles replaced by a skilled cobbler, meaning the shoes can last a long time, if the uppers are looked after. Although the initial outlay can be expensive, you definitely get what you pay for and they bring many years of joy.

Good quality shoes generally come in half sizes and width fittings and all have different last shapes.  At W. J French & Son we offer an in store measuring and shoe fitting service to help you get the perfect fit – always important if you are going to own these shoes for many years. We also have a workshop onsite where our cobbler who has 40 years’ experience can repair your shoes.

Shoe Styles

There are different variations of men’s shoes styles which are detailed in the image below.

To see our full range of men’s formal shoes check out our website:

Formal shoes (wjfrenchandson.co.uk)

Contact us with any questions by either calling us on 02380226542 to talk to someone in our men’s department or email us at mail@wjfrenchandsonco.uk.