Shoes – my most treasured possession..
I love my shoes, they are my number one, all time favourite item. A friend once asked at a dinner party, if there was a fire, what would I save. Not wanting to look shallow, I said of course I would save my children, husband and cats first, and then the one item I would save would be my Grandmother’s wedding ring. I think I sounded suitably deep and selfless. But that night, I couldn’t sleep, because I was going over the actual scenario in my head. Of course I would save my Grandmother’s ring, but the truth is, I always wear it anyway, so it would already be safe, so it wouldn’t count. The children know that in the event of a major catastrophic fire, they are to climb out of the bedroom window, and slide down the conservatory roof to the grass. My son loves this idea so much he has actually tried to test the plan, with the aid of the cats when the smoke alarm goes off. (The smoke alarm goes off with such frequency in our house that it is now taken as the dinner bell)
So, unable to sleep, lying in the dark, I planned that in the event of a fire, kids go out the window, followed by cats, and hopefully I would have enough time to then run into my dressing room, get my shoe collection out of the wardrobe, and throw them out of the window onto the grass. But then I realise, they might get dirty, wet, trodden on, the possibilities are endless. No fireman in his right mind is going to tip toe carefully passed my Roland Cartier Crystal encrusted heels in order to put out the fire. They will be trampled to oblivion. So I came up with a plan. Keep all my ‘can’t live with out shoes’ in a very large pillow case. That way, in an emergency I could carry my one chosen item (bag full of shoes) out with me carefully and in a dignified manner. Once I had perfected my escape route, and children, cats and shoes were all safe and sound, I resisted the urge to get up and find a suitable pillow case, and I was able to sleep.
A few months later, at Christmas, I lit my beautiful homemade christmas candle decoration. (It looked lovely but I didn’t think through he practicalities of having a naked flame inside a dried flower wreath UNDER tinsel and other sparkly stuff.) I left it burning subtly on the dining table, and wondered if Anthea Turner could ever have come up with such a fabulous idea. A few minutes later my subtle decoration had turned into two feet of flames (well nearly) and the fire was heading for the tinder box of tablecloth and napkins. I was seconds away from a total inferno. I bravely headed into panic mode, immediately followed by headless chicken mode, and went screaming around the house, shouting for my husband. I remembered to throw the kids into the garden as the cat watched on. My husband heroically went into the conservatory to control the inferno – which blew out quickly with the help of the draught from the open door, and him throwing a wet cloth on it. At no point in this 30 second drama did I even think of my precious shoes.
All of this leads me to how important shoes are. They are lovely, sexy and the best ones are totally impractical. So on your wedding day, the least of your worries should be about your shoes. Don’t spend a fortune on them, as you will only be wearing them for a day. Everyone looks at your dress, not your feet anyway, and they will only get quick glimpses of your shoes as you get out of the car, and by the time you are dancing to ‘I will survive’ (or is that just the weddings that I go to?) you will have taken even the most comfortable shoes off anyway. So choose a good pair of stylish, inexpensive shoes, or look at hiring a pair, and keep a comfy pair of flipflops handy for the reception. Shoes have to be comfortable for your wedding day, but they don’t have to be expensive. However, if you do want to splash out on a really expensive pair, try going for a pair that aren’t too bridal, so that you can wear them again and again – and keep them in a fireproof box by the door – just incase.
Sue x March 19th