Lucky Farmer,
Congratulations on your big day.
When buying a pair of shoes, especially during your first forays into good footwear, I think it's good to pay very particular attention to what fits you, and feels the most comfortable for you.
Your shoes should be snug, but not cause any hot spots, at the heel, instep, toe box, and the vamp (area of the shoe between the laces and the toecap).
When you walk, you should feel the heel of the shoe cupping your own heel nicely. The laces (on an oxford) should be just slightly apart (about half a cm or slightly more) when laced fully. Your toes and ball of the foot should not feel jiggly within the shoe, and you should not feel any pain or burning from the onset.
As such, the ability to try on the shoes in a shop is very useful, and save you some grief and risk when you buy online.
In terms of value, there are many many makers in the market. Some are really good value, some are so so, and some are terrible value.
The easiest way to approach and find a rational decision is to work within your budget.
The entry level price point for most GYW shoes is between 300-500. The entry level price point for handwelted shoes is around 700-800 odd.
At the lower price points, there are fairly minimal differences between materials, construction, finishing, so my advice at this price, is to really look for something that fits you well. Because you're not going to wear something that makes you feel uncomfortable. A good understanding from the outset of what fits you best, will aid you in decision making if and when you choose to buy from more expensive makers in future. Be prepared though, to face imperfections in shoes at this price point. Leather inconsistency, a slightly crooked captoe, a wonky medallion, slightly messy brogueing, so-so or sometimes imperfect finishing. All these will be encountered from time to time, depending on luck.
After experimenting from and trying numerous makers, the best value makers at the mid range and slightly higher price points are IMO (but not all), the Italians, Japanese, and the Austro-Hungarians. Specifically, Bonafe, AM, Vass (plus most of the other AH makers), and Jan Kielman if you have the budget for them. You'll still find some imperfections at this level, and the finishing may not be perfect. But if have chosen to buy a pair of handwelted shoes at this price, one needs to be aware of the additional cost in terms of materials, time, labour, and expertise needed for this process.
Be very very careful when paying more than 1k for a pair of shoes, as anything GYW and above this price is not justifiable. You need to be very discerning at this point. And know exactly what goes into the pair of shoes. It's probably a discussion for another day. But avoid paying for media hype, swanky marketing campaigns, and brand names, instead of actual shoe quality.
Enjoy shopping my friend.
