DIY: Barefoot Sandals + More Beachy Bridesmaids Gifts
When I decided to get married beachside in Belize, I automatically knew I wanted a barefoot wedding.
Though I love getting all gussied up, at heart, I’m a carefree, shoeless, boho child.
Despite growing up in the desert where the 110 degree weather would scorch the Arizona pavement, you could always find me frolicking around barefoot, much to the dismay of my neat freak mother.
So when I decided to make my beautiful bridesmaids go fancy free as well, I knew I’d have to give them something cool to entice them to bear their toes.
I spent hours googling “barefoot beach sandals” and “barefoot sandals for weddings” trying to find the perfect pair of bedazzled foot jewelry to deck out my babes. After finally finding a cute crochet design that was reasonably priced and not too gaudy, I ordered eight pairs for myself and my maids.
Fast forward a month, two weeks before the wedding, when I started to worry about why they hadn’t arrived yet. I reviewed my order and immediately felt like an idiot. The barefoot sandals I’d ordered were from a shop in China and they precisely stated, “allow 10-12 weeks for delivery.”
I freaked out. I had some other amazing gifts for my gals but I had my heart set on these sandals.
I frantically ran to JoAnn’s Craft Store to see if I could find a kit to make them myself. No dice.
Instead, I purchased every clasp, band, string, and bead that seemed like they might be necessary for making barefoot sandals, and went home to experiment. Much to my surprise, it turned out to be pretty easy.
All I ended up needing was elastic gold rope and some pretty beads. That’s it!
If you’re looking for a fun, creative, and made-with-love gift for your beachy bridesmaids, look no further than these DIY Barefoot Sandals.
You will need:
Beads (in your chosen colors)
Scissors (may I suggest these Swarovski Crystal Stork Scissors – not necessary, but why not?)
Instructions:
Step 1: Measure out cord by looping it around your second toe and pulling both sides around your ankle. Leave a few extra inches past where the two sides meet.
Step 2: Make a loop in the middle and tie off with a small knot.
Step 3: Begin adding beads to the cords on either side of the loop. You can do all one color, or alternate.
Step 4: When you get to your ankle, tie the two strands together.
Step 5: Next, continue beading each side till you reach the back of your ankle, then tie off. Or simple leave the gold cord bare and tie off.
Step 6: Trim any excess cord.
It took me about 30 minutes to make a pair. Not too bad — but I did have seven bridesmaids!
I packaged them up in pretty little bags and made sure to brag that I slaved away for hours on them.
In addition to the sandals, I gave my bridesmaids these beautiful, delicate gold cuffs from Gorjana to match.
The Blakely Cuff is a great accessory for low-key glamour. It’s so dainty and pretty, and went perfectly with the beach vibe.
I originally had eight bridesmaids but one wasn’t able to make it so I ended up wearing the last cuff myself.
Having the same jewelry as my best friends added a very special element to my big day. Since the cuff is so versatile, I’ve been able to wear it again and again and reconnect with that feeling.
To give my gals the gift of a beachy glow all year long, I topped off the bag with goodies from one of my new favorite organic skincare lines.
Kaeng Raeng‘s natural cleansing products smell and work incredibly. They’re all vegan, cruelty-free, and chemical-free.
The charcoal face mask is perfect for unclogging those sweaty island pores. The “Detoxfoliant” body scrub evens out any dry, sun-sapped skin. And the facial serum locks in moisture and lives up to it’s “After Glow” name.
They all come in travel sizes so they’re ideal for destination weddings.
I wore the serum every night for a week before my wedding and I really think it made a difference.
So, you may have noticed that none of these photos show my allegedly beautiful bridesmaids’ faces. It is not because Gisele, Alessandra, Candice, and Adriana are camera shy. It’s because I haven’t received all my photos yet.
I plan on sharing a bunch more Belize beach wedding pics when I get them. Stay tuned!
Weigh In: What’s the best bridesmaid gift you’ve received? What did you (or will you) give your bridesmaids? Have you ever worn barefoot sandals?
Photo Credit: Leonardo Melendez Photography
Looking for more wedding inspo? Check out these posts:
DIY Flower Crown Bar + My LA Bridal Shower >>
Liz says:
Love, love those barefoot sandals! Super cute and perfect to dress up a barefoot wedding! I love the bracelet cuff too. :) I had a fall wedding so I gave my girls pashmina wraps, silver infinity bracelets and itty little perfume samples among other small things.
Whitney English says:
Thank you!!! Those sound like amazing gifts too! I love cozy pashminas for cool fall/winter nights :)
Dale Janee says:
OMG Whitney, such beautiful wedding pics and I’m so impressed you were able to DYI the barefoot sandals!! I can already see this post going viral on Pinterest because it’s so creative and perfect for any beachside wedding. Congrats again to you and Abe!
xoDale
Whitney English says:
Ah thanks girl! Fingers crossed for a viral hit, haha! xo
Debbie says:
We used to make these years ago we called them Bead Feet..Ours were crochetted. The only problem people complained about was the toe getting very sore from the strain of the pulling. I would suggest making them as loose as possible. Just tight enough to keep from slipping off the heel. That seemed to help. I still take a few pairs along when I go to the beach.
Anh says:
Whitney, those delicate barefoot sandals look hands down charming and very adorable! I’m glad you managed to find a creative way to resolve the issue of the missing wedding sandals. :) They turned out great, especially the ones with the white beads in them. The Blakely cuff looks splendidly elegant, too! Kudos on your impressive sense of imagination. Thanks for sharing another set of lovely photos from your Belizian wedding. Looking forward to more.
Whitney English says:
Thank you! I’m so happy they turned out nice – I was devastated when I thought I wouldn’t be able to give the girls the sandals!! The white ones were mine to stand out from the gold :)
Bec's Beach Feet says:
Whitney, your wedding photos are beautiful and good job on your DIY barefoot sandals instructions. I try to convey to the brides-to-be that when buying their wedding foot jewelry online, they buy from a US artisan designer. That way they will be able to work one on one with that person, which will ensure that they get exactly what they want. And to always check the reviews, the quality that you will get from a US based designer is superior to what is available from those large retail websites.
Whitney English says:
Thanks so much for the tips!
Jennifer @ mindbodybride.com says:
You are so talented! This is a really cool idea and they look so pretty. I only had one girl friend as a bridesmaid (and my little sister-in-law) so I bought her a Zimmerman dress that she could wear at the wedding and forever after.
Whitney English says:
Thanks girl :) What a lucky bridesmaid you had!!! Love it when the brides pick dresses you can wear again.
Wendy Cartright says:
Those barefoot sandals are so adorable! I am helping my little sister plan her beach wedding and she wants to have her bridesmaids wear barefoot sandals. We might copy your idea with a few modifications, for originality’s sake. Thank you for sharing!
Whitney English says:
Thank you! I’d love to see how they turn out! Send me some pics :)
Fiona says:
Hey Whitney, that was one gorgeous wedding and I must also say that the DIY barefoot is one unique and pretty. I think am going to try making one of this myself. Thanks for the tutorial, and for sharing those awesome moments.
Fiona
Whitney English says:
Thank you so much Fiona! You’ll have to let me know if you try the tutorial and what you think. It’s super easy, I swear! :)
Kate says:
Hi Whitney! I love the DIY barefoot sandals you made. You linked these beads:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005XA6C2W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005XA6C2W&linkCode=as2&tag=tolidiinla-20&linkId=KDZLGSKRJBJQJBF7
but on Amazon they are listed as silver/gold, and your photos look like white/gold. Are the beads you used the same as the link above? I haven’t been able to find any bead sets that are just gold/white, so I just want to make sure before I purchase them.
Love this blog, thanks so much for sharing!
Whitney English says:
Hi Kate, You’re correct – the beads at the link are silver and gold. The ones I used I actually bought at Joann’s and they are gold/white. Maybe try your local craft store? Hope this helps! xo
Brittany s says:
Great post! I’m definitely inspired to make these. How many beads do you think you used for these sandals?
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