Maid of honor is the person holding bride’s hand when she is nervous, holding bride’s wedding dress when she needs to pee and holding bride’s flowers when she is saying I Do.
It’s usually a close friend or a member of the family. It’s someone the bride can rely on and know this person will act in her best interest.
But what are actually all the tasks she should take care of?
Last time we talked about the duties of bridesmaids. Today’s article will walk you through everything the maid of honor should be aware of.
All maids of honor should get in the right mindset at first. Remember, that this day isn’t yours. Support the bride, accept her decisions and keep smiling.
Bride
The bride will be most likely nervous and sometimes even be losing her mind. Good Maid of honor should always stay calm and be the voice of reason.
When she sees the bride has already too much on her plate, she will try to help her or at least relax her.
A good idea is to take the bride for a coffee and make her laugh. Don’t talk about the wedding though.
Bridesmaids
Maid of honor is the leader of the bridesmaid troop. She makes sure, that all the bridesmaids got their dresses and finished their fittings. That they all come to the right place at the right time. She is the one checking on all the bridesmaids and if they finished their tasks.
The maid of honor is also in charge of the bridal shower and bachelorette party. The other bridesmaid might help her, but the overall outcome is her responsibility. She is the hostess, taking care of the organizational part, while the bride is spending time with her guests.
During planning
Depending on the temperament of the bride, the maid of honor might be helping with wide variety of tasks. They can address the invites together with the bride, spread information about the wedding registry and keep a record of all gifts received at various parties and events.
Maid of honor can help scout wedding locations, explore floral options and other decorative pieces. She can assist the bride when shopping for a wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses.
She can help with a seating chart and attend meetings with caterers. Quite often hse also maintains the timetables and makes sure things are moving forward.
It also depends on the scope of the wedding. If it’s just a small wedding with few guests, the maid of honor won’t help that much as if the couple would invite 200 people.
Nevertheless, maid of honor should make sure to write down all the dates and meetings, whether its cake tasting, fittings, or shoe shopping, and always come on time.
And, of course, she attends all rehearsals.
Alternatively, she can also help with planning the honeymoon. These are the most beautiful destinations in 2018.
The Wedding Day
In the morning, maid of honor will help the bride to get dressed and put on the jewelry.
While the bride is getting her hair and makeup done, she checks on all last minute details. Since the bride can’t see the groom before the ceremony, she acts as a messenger between them.
Ceremony
During the ceremony, the maid of honor is holding bride’s bouquet, as well as groom’s ring. It’s a good idea to also have few tissues at the hand in case the bride sheds a few happy tears.
At the end of the ceremony, the maid of honor signs together with the best man the marriage license.
Reception
At the beginning of the reception, the maid of honor greets the guests.
She will also, traditionally, give a toast. During the first dance, she will partner with the best man and join the dancing couple after a while.
Maid of honor should engage with other people at the wedding reception. She should participate in all wedding activities and be a good example.
She should also behave throughout the whole wedding event and don’t make anything that would be embarrassing for her or the bride and groom.
Money
Maid of honor, as well as other bridesmaids, usually pays for her own dress and accessories.
She takes care of her travel costs too.
Besides, she might buy the couple a wedding gift. Not every bride is expecting a gift, but it’s always a nice surprise.
Maid of honor is the host of the bridal shower and therefore she is also paying for it. She can ask the other bridesmaids, or alternatively the mother of the bride, to contribute to the party. But the guests of the party shouldn’t be asked for a contribution.
The Bachelorette party is the opposite case. The maid of honor can ask each person to pay for themselves, but she should inform the guests before the party.
The dynamic between each bride and maid of honor is very specific. Therefore I’d suggest, that at the beginning of the wedding planning, the bride should sit down with her.
They should talk about each other’s expectations. The maid of honor should honestly say the bride, what she is willing to do, or how much time she has.
I hope this article was helpful and made the duties of the maid of honor more clear to you. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below.
Get Free Wedding Planning Timeline
A complete overview of what you need to plan before your wedding day.
Leave a Reply