Do-It-Yourself: How to Dye Your Wedding Bridal Shoes
Afterall, the beautiful bride dressed in her finery is often the main focal point during the wedding ceremony. Just the very sight of her as she begins her ceremonial walk down the aisle usually brings murmurs of admiration and awe.
Then, after the ceremony has finished, the bride also garners plenty of the attention during the reception afterwards too.
You’ll probably buy a premade wedding gown off the rack, or, you’ll have one specially made by a seamstress. Or, maybe you’ll have the honor of wearing the same gown that your mother or grandmother wore on their special day.
Whatever the case, you’ll need a pair of bridal shoes to wear with your gown. Traditionally, bridal gowns are a shade of white, but that’s not always the case. Your wedding attire can actually be any color you choose.
Fabric bridal shoes generally come in white, which is actually an absence of color. They then can be dyed, or colored, to match or complement your wedding dress. You can hire a professional shoe dyer to do this, or, you can simply do it yourself and save money. The fabric on most pairs of bridal shoes are pre-shrunken, so you don’t have to worry about the material shrinking.
You can use natural products such as red beet juice, carrot juice, coffee grounds, and tobacco leaves to make a dye for your wedding shoes. But, a more reliable way to change the color of your white shoes is to purchase a quality shoe dye that’s designed to be used on bridal shoes. These dyes can be found at your local wedding supply store. Or, you can perform a search on the Internet to find what you need.
When you choose the color of the dye, it’s a one shot deal, so take your time and get the one that best matches or complements your wedding gown. Shoes can only be dyed a certain color once. After that, the only other color they can be changed to is black. And, in order to get the right color you want, hold the color charts up to your dress and compare them in the same light as your wedding is going to be in. That is, if your ceremony is going to be held outside, then go outside to examine the dye colors available and match them to your attire. If your wedding is going to be held indoors, then use indoor lighting to make your decision.
At the same time you purchase the dye for your wedding shoes, you’ll also need to purchase a good brand of water repellent for them. Because, one negative factor about dyed shoes is, the color will run when it gets wet. A good-quality
water repellent can’t completely stop the color from running, but it can help.
In order to minimize this problem, you should wear your bridal shoes only when you are inside.
Before you start to dye your wedding shoes, be sure that your shoes are clean and dry. Then, completely read and follow the instructions on the container in order to achieve the best results. Some shoes dyes are directly applied to the footwear. However, other dyes, especially if you need a lighter color, need to be diluted before they are used.
Place a layer of old newspapers across your work surface to protect it. Then, place crumpled up balls of white tissue paper inside your wedding shoes so they’ll retain their shape. You’ll want to wear a pair of plastic gloves on your hands so the dye doesn’t stain.
Usually, a dyeing job on shoes is started at the back seam. The color is applied in light, even coats. The more coats, the darker the end color will be.
Once your bridal shoes are finally the color you want them to be, allow them to dry thoroughly out of the sunlight and away from direct heat.
