Krystal and Matt Ritter’s wedding last April at the W Fort Lauderdale hotel was a black tie-preferred event, but shoes were optional for their bridal party and 155 guests — at least on the dance floor.
The couple, who met at Florida State University and now live in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., instead made wedding-branded socks available for anyone wishing to toss off their uncomfortable heels or oxfords.
At the reception, near the dance floor, a wooden sign read: “A little treat for your dancing feet. Grab a pair & leave your excuses under the table.” A basket was filled with navy blue socks with the text “#ForRitterOrPoorer” inked in white.
“I didn’t want it to be an iron-on — I wanted it to be embedded in the sock, so when it got washed, the hashtag didn’t go away,” said Ms. Ritter, 29, who paid more than $800 for these custom-designed party favors.
She had a similarly themed sock for herself, only in white. The groomsmen had argyle-patterned socks, while Mr. Ritter had blue socks imprinted with the face of their six-pound, eight-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Chloe, whom they wanted to be part of their special day.
“Obviously, that was also my wife’s idea,” Mr. Ritter, 30, an account director at a public relations firm, said of his special footwear. He said he was surprised, though, by how many people took advantage of the socks. “There were more people using them than I thought,” he said. “We anticipated that mostly women would be the ones to use them, and they were thrilled that they didn’t have to walk around the dance floor barefoot.”
Ms. Ritter, an experiential marketing manager, said had envisioned incorporating socks into her wedding even before she was engaged. She was inspired by a flip-flop giveaway at a New Year’s Eve reception. “Socks were one of the things I knew I wanted to do,” she said.
More and more couples seem to be doing the same.
Ivory + Mason Socks sold 76,000 pairs of men’s socks since the beginning of the year, and as much as 70 percent of business has been driven by weddings, according to Shervin Natan, the chief executive. “When we started, it was one-offs,” he said. “We quickly transitioned to selling sock kits. Our customers were women, and they were ordering packs of eight and packs of 12. They were saying ‘It’s for our weddings’.” More specifically, for their grooms’ inner circles.
Based in Los Angeles, Ivory + Mason sells socks in bundles and by the pair, starting at $9 a pair. Custom labels cost an additional $5 a pair and come with a gift bag. Designs range from Americana and argyle to animals (like monkeys and penguins) and sports themes.
The Ritters also provided socks for their wedding guests to wear on the dance floor.CreditSuzanne Delawar Studios
“It adds a fun element to the wedding,” said Mr. Natan, whose business has catered to larger orders, including 300 pairs for a Houston wedding this past March.
Other businesses have been dipping their toes into the matrimony-focused sock pool. No Cold Feet, which is based in Chicago, specializes in men’s wedding socks and labels. The Etsy shop ItsYourTurnSocks which operates out of Louisville, Ky., offers options for the best man, uncles, brothers and the father of bride. The Sock Drawer and John’s Crazy Socks also sell a variety of fun, less formal and themed, socks for brides, grooms and other wedding-goers.
When Andrew Glaser, 32, of Closter, N.J., married in September 2015, his groomsmen, father and father-in-law were all gifted matching accessories, on the wedding day, and that included socks.
“I gave everybody socks, which were nautical themed,” Mr. Glaser said. “My wife wanted everybody to look fluid and similar.”
He said he understands the importance of this request: “It’s to make sure nobody wears some ridiculous color sock, and then makes your pictures look weird.”
One groomsmen refused, insisting his tuxedo shoes looked better without the provided white anchor-decorated navy socks. But, the other eight obliged.
“Everybody’s used to it,” Mr. Glaser said. “I’ve done some weddings where they make everybody wear the exact same tuxedo. It’s ridiculous. Socks aren’t a big deal.”
And unlike some occasion-specific suits and many bridesmaid dresses, socks can usually be worn again.
For the Ritter wedding, family and friends traveled from California, Germany and New York. Many attendees used their party favors the next day. “I was getting pictures. People were wearing their hashtag socks on the plane,” Ms. Ritter said.
“For us, it’s also been a keepsake,” added Mr. Ritter, who initially thought the sock idea was silly. “In addition to our wedding video, we can always go back and look at it. It brings up some great memories.”
