V: Shoe Saga Concludes--Black is Practical, but boots are more fun anyway

Behold, my closet's latest resident: Cole Haan Petra boots with Nike Air cushioning.

Perfect for a late fall honeymoon in Italy, don't you think? OMG, life is complete. And yes, these count as 'wedding shoes' in the budget.

Oh, and I got something to wear at the actual wedding too. Guess's Janesca is way on sale at Nordstrom, coming in at a much more wallet-friendly $52. My review: very comfortable and stable-feeling, with a manageable 2.75" heel.

It's pretty darn near impossible to find black pumps that are NOT patent leather this season, but these are technically just shiny black leather.

For the wedding, I'm thinking of dressing them up with a classic shoe clip. Then they will live on as a totally great pair practical of black heels. Perfecto!