I need shoes for a wedding that will be outdoors but mainly tented. I think surfaces will vary but know for a fact there will be gravel and grass. Dance floor will be solid floor. While the venue is outdoors the wedding is not casual or country. Late afternoon(sunset) ceremony followed by nighttime reception. Winter wedding but California. It could very likely be El Niño conditions. Attire requested is suits for males and dressy for females. Invitation says long or short dresses.
I have my dress. It is an Adrianna Papell beaded short dress. I plan on wearing pantyhose. No clue about shoes. Of course the dress would look best with a high heel but I know that would be a mistake.
One daughter is still looking for a dress. She would prefer a long dress but hasn’t found anything. Her 2nd option for her body type is a fit and flare or skater style dress. She is concerned that a short dress will look funny with flats or a wedge.
So need shoes for 2 dresses- 1 that appeals to a me and a 2nd that would appeal to a college student that would work with a short fit and flare dress.
Budget- prefer to spend under $150.00. Would love to spend less.
I have seen far too many people teeter tottering around in heels at outdoor weddings. I would vote for flats…they can go with anything. Either dressy sandals or dressy flat shoes…but that is just me.
Strappy wedge sandals will keep you from sinking into the grassy lawns and gravel and will look elegant on the solid dance floor. Let me see what is out there… on sale! 
Definitely dressy flats or wedges. Heels will sink into grass, which is not only uncomfortable, but can ruin the shoes.
I think that flats look fine with short dresses.
There are lots of prey choes in your price range on this page:
http://www.zappos.com/womens-wedges~7G#!/womens-wedges-wedding-shoes~2
I wore wedges to an outdoor wedding, although not as fancy as the wedding you’re attending. There are dressy wedges though. I had no trouble walking on grass or gravel.
The only caveat is that you may not want satin/fabric shoes which could get grass stains on them. I suppose there must be a way to treat them, but that just increases the expense.
“I plan on wearing pantyhose.”
Missed this. Scratch “strappy” and “sandals”. You will need low height wedge pumps. I do not think flats will go well with a formal looking, short, beaded dress, although they would be fine with a skater dress.
Something elegant, shaped like this:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nina-liane-wedge-women/4104639
or this:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/cole-haan-bradshaw-wedge-women/4235367
I agree re flats and the beaded dress. I was thinking of the D’s potential dresses.
I was also thinking that if you plan o wear hose you might get the kind hat accommodate a peep toe shoe. I like the shoes @BunsenBurner suggested.
I personally really dislike very high wedges. Lower, shaped wedges are nicer IMHO.
I have a pair of navy cole Han shoes that are similar to the Bradshaw that BB posted. The difference is that mine are a rounder toe, not pointy. Very comfortable. Mine have a little detail near The toes.
If it were me, I’d go with what is most flattering. I know I’d look a million times better in a heel with that dress, so that is what I’d wear. I’ve been to numerous dressy outdoor events in heels and have done just fine (despite occasionally sinking a bit into the grass.) A three-inch heel is perfectly workable outdoors in my opinion, if that is what you would normally wear.
If you look just as good in the low wedges, then by all means go for them. With my body type (tall and fairly thin but a bit hippy) those shoes are not flattering with a cocktail dress.
What time of year / climate are you talking about?
Would you consider - and I’m not saying you have to! - having a pair of foldable flats just for walking across the gravel / grass and then having heels for the actual tented reception?
I had a pair of beige J Renee wedges like the ones on the page Consolation linked to - I bought them for my D’s college graduation, where we would be walking around on grass but I still wanted to look dressy and “elongated” with some kind of heel. They might be fine for your purposes; mine were pretty neutral.
“Winter wedding but California. It could very likely be El Niño conditions.”
If it is Southern CA, it could be 60+ degrees… even at sunset. If it is Napa/Sonoma, it could get chilly.
I’m wearing these to an outdoor wedding in Hawaii in a couple of weeks. I am wearing a short fancy dress. I am the MOB!
Congrats, AMS!!! ^^^
I like Pizzagirl’s idea. We went to a wedding this past summer that provided flip flops for the women to wear during the cocktail hour that was held in a grassy area.
I am too petite to wear flats. Even though I am quite thin, I feel like they make me look dumpy with a dress. I would go with the wedges.
Thank you, abasket!
Ams5796 - congrats
To answer a couple of questions
February- central coast Ca.Historical weather average high mid 60’s lows 40. I’m not concerned with being cold. I normally would go bare leg but all the CC talk of pantyhose convinced me to give it a try. I think my winter white legs will look better with hosiery.My concern with open toe is that it is extremely likely we will have rain or recently rained and ground will be muddy.Unless El Niño in this area doesn’t deliver the downpours predicted.
I prefer a rounded toe. The dress ideally needs some height in the shoe to look best. I’ll focus on wedges. Dress is a navy blue. Not sure what color shoes. I’ll look for a link.
Edit color. I bought the dress last yr and decided to pull it out of back of closet. More navy in color.
We are going to my nephew’s outdoor wedding in Mar. My sister sent this to us to consider:
http://www.amazon.com/Wowly-High-Heel-Protector-Accessory/dp/B00UWAXTME/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451338970&sr=8-2&keywords=plastic+heel+protectors
My girls said, “No way.” We had a very good laugh over it. Later we found out that my sister, MOB, actually bought them.