I chose the Gardenia II shoes in blue to complement my vintage-inspired wedding dress and I couldn't have been happier with my choice. When I was looking for shoes, so many of them were white, satin and open toed. For a January wedding in beautiful but rainy Cumbria, that would have been a disaster. And it wouldn't really fit with my style either. So when I found the Gardenia II shoes, they looked like a perfect fit. It's a style of shoe I wear regularly anyway, closed toes, a more practical material, a fabulous colour and they looked beautiful. I had never spent this much on a pair of shoes and I was nervous about that and what if they weren't comfortable for long enough and I had just wasted that money, etc. But a friend had worn Rachel Simpson shoes to her wedding and had raved about them and I loved how they looked, so the recommendation from her made me feel less nervous. And really I had nothing to worry about, they are so worth it. The shoes are packaged well and wrapped individually, so they're well protected and feel very special. The shade of blue is beautiful and I loved seeing them peek out from under my dress and they look fabulous in our wedding photos. There was none of that awkward, painful period of breaking them in. They were incredibly comfortable from the moment I put them on and remained comfortable all day. My only sadness is that I haven't managed to wear them again - none of my clothes seem to go with them - but that's not the shoes' fault and I'll keep trying :)