Real stories · Pretty and comfortable

The sandals that turned heads at the wedding — and didn't hurt my feet

I'm 67, and I had a wedding coming up. I wanted something pretty on my feet for once — but every nice sandal I own has me limping by the speeches. So more often than not I give in and wear something flat and frumpy, and feel a little dowdy all day.

That's the choice, isn't it. The pretty sandals hurt, and the comfortable ones look like nothing at all. I'd more or less accepted that if I wanted to look nice, my feet would have to suffer for it.

Then I came across the Sennara sandals from a British label called York Boutique — a little jewelled wedge in the summer sale. I chose the blue, not expecting them to be comfortable as well as pretty.

But they are. There's a soft cushioned footbed, a gentle wedge that gives a flattering bit of height without being a stilt, and a stretchy elastic strap at the back that just slips on and stays put. And the beaded flowers on top really are lovely — they catch the light.

Pretty enough for a wedding, comfy enough to stay on all day. I didn't think that existed.

Pretty sandals like these, I assumed, would be seventy pounds. But York Boutique sells direct, so they were £34.95 in the summer sale. I could scarcely believe it.

Three women asked me about them before the cake was even cut, and one wrote the name down. They come in three colours — blue, black and navy — and in sizes 2.5 to 8.

If you'd like pretty and comfortable for once, do treat yourself to a look. The Sennara is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 300 women, it's £34.95 in the summer sale instead of £70 — half price — and the middle sizes always seem to go first.