Maybe some people are unaware of the maid of honor duties that is supposed to be done. An easy guide of their responsibilities during the wedding.
A maid of honor is not just someone close to you that stands beside you on your wedding day. She has more responsibilities than you think. A maid of honor should be there for you from start to finish especially when things go not as planned. She should be there to help you through your wedding day.
If you’re a bride reading this, we hope this helps you plan who to choose as your maid of honor. We assure that this helps you be aware of the things that a maid of honor should be doing. If you’re a first-time maid of honor reading this, we hope this will shed some light on what you will be responsible for. It is a bit nerve-wracking to think of the many things that a maid of honor should do. This will guide you on the maid of honor duties.
What is a Maid of Honor ?
Years ago, these were ladies of noble birth who attend to queens and princesses. Maybe that is where it all started. Today, maids of honor are unmarried women who attend to the
Who can be a Maid of Honor?
Anyone can actually be a maid of honor as long as they are still unmarried and someone the bride trusts. If a bride wants someone to be a maid of honor but is already married, she can still choose her but her title will be changed to Matron of Honor.
A bride must choose her lady carefully. This role has a lot of duties and she should also be willing to accept the responsibilities. Don’t force someone to be a maid of honor though. This might turn out bad and the bride ends up with all responsibilities. We don’t want a stressed out bride. A bride can choose her:
- Sister
- Cousin
- Aunt
- Best friend
- Friend
Note: A man can be a maid of honor too. This is what happens when the bride’s closest friend is a man. As long as he is willing to fulfill the duties, then there is no problem with that. If he requires that his manliness is left intact you can refer to him as the man of honor.
Duties
Before the Wedding
- Assist in wedding planning: Usually, this is the couples’ job but there are also times that men don’t like the artsy part of wedding planning. That is where the maid of honor comes in. If the groom wants to be part of it, then the three of them can work together.
- Attend bridal and bridesmaids dress fittings: A bride should have help when picking out the perfect gown for her wedding. She needs other peoples’ honest opinions if she looks good on a dress or not.
- Coordinate hair and makeup: She should contact and book the bride’s chosen hair and makeup artist. If the bride is still unsure of who to get, you can schedule her top 3 artists before the wedding to have a hair and makeup rehearsal. Then let the bride choose the best out of the three.
- Coordinate with venue and transportation: She should check up on venue places and book the vehicle to be used for the couple and for other guests.
- Plan the bridal shower: This is done a few weeks or days before the wedding. She should plan this with the bridesmaids and friends to come up with a great surprise party for her.
- A good listener: Wedding planning tends to be stressful for the bride. She should listen to the bride’s concerns, support system, and be a comforter when needed.
During the Wedding Ceremony
- A messenger for the bride: Since the bride and groom can’t see each other before she walks down the aisle, she acts as a messenger for her.
- Checks up on catering and other vendors: Follows up on the food and other services booked on that day if everything is going as planned.
- Help the bride dress up: A bride needs a helping hand to zip her up.
- Lead the bridesmaids: She leads the bridesmaids to their positions and keeps them from wandering around.
- Walk down the aisle: A maid of honor has her moment too. She walks first before the bridesmaids.
- Fix the brides’ dress (train and veil): A bride’s dress should look perfect down the aisle. She is always right beside to fix things when needed.
- Hold the bouquet: There are parts of the ceremony that needs the bride’s two hands especially at the part where they exchange rings.
- The signing of the marriage license: She signs the license as a witness to the couples’ wedding.
After the Wedding Ceremony (Reception)
- Assist guests to their seats: Some guests may get lost and tend to sit anywhere. Her role is to prepare a list and table assignment so that she can help the guests find their seats.
- Make sure the bride has eaten: It can be a bit overwhelming for the bride after the ceremony and tends to forget to eat.
- Escort the bride: It cannot be avoided that a bride needs to ‘go’. She helps her to the ladies room to give the bride some relief.
- Help the bride change: Some brides have another dress ready for the reception. It is her job to help her get out of the first dress and get into the second one.
- Collect the gifts: Checking the gifts if they are complete and help bring them to the couples’ car or room.
Conclusion
When reading the duties, you may be thinking of just hiring a wedding planner. But the bride trusts her maid of honor more than a wedding planner whom she had just met a few months. It can be fun to plan a wedding especially if the right people are around you. Maid of honor duties can be quite overwhelming but you’ve also got the bride to lean on.
You can also select a master and mistress of ceremonies to delegate some or many of
Her Expertise Includes:
- Being a former bride
- Planning her own wedding
- Helping run her husband's wedding service USA DJ
As a former bride herself, she knows first hand what it takes to plan a successful wedding. She now offers her experience with wedding planning to other brides to be through smartestbrides.com.
Her mission is to help other brides wedding planning become as simple and stress-free as possible.
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