Hello,
I just happened upon this site, and it may just be my last hope. My daughter is getting married this summer. We had shoes dyed-to-match the dresses and they are too bright. The fabric is a very pale pink and the shoes are several shades brighter/darker. I told my daughter to put the shoes in the back window of her car, but think maybe I was too hasty. Please advise me on options (they are non-returnable) I would appreciate you responding to me by e-mail, in case I can not remember how I found your site. Thanks so much!
Karen

Dear Karen,
Here is what I would do.
1. Have the bride put on the whole outfit including all the accessories. See if you think the shoes really don’t work. I believe it is totally possible that they could be a jarring effect and thereby distract from the tone you want to set. But first, at least get realistic about it.
2. Now for the experiment part. There is no guaranteed way to evenly lighten the shoes. You could wipe them with a mild bleach solution and see what happens. Or, you could put them in the back window of the car, but you will probably get an uneven bleaching effect. If they don’t work in their present state, and you must have something else, you have nothing to lose by trying to lighten them. Another thing which you could try is applying a very light coat of pearlescent fabric paint. This will both lighten and produce iridescence, which is also a lightening effect
3. If you do the experimental lightening, you must be prepared for the back up plan, which is ordering or finding another pair of shoes. You might just have to chalk it up to a failure in the ensemble and start over. OR, even if they claim the shoes are not returnable, if they don’t match the swatch that you specified, you could take them back and throw a big fit. (Or insist nicely.)
Sorry there is no easy solution! Have fun and laugh through the process.
Happy wedding,
Jennifer