You have been asked to be a maid of honor. Perhaps it is your best friend’s upcoming nuptials, your sister’s or your cousin’s. You are so excited to have been asked, as you consider it to be an honor. Now what?
The duties that are designated to a maid of honor are not written in stone and can vary from person to person. Some brides will want their maid of honor to play an integral role in all wedding preparations, whereas others may not require as much of a helping hand.
Regardless of which situation describes yours, there are certain duties that are important to observe when you find yourself sitting at the right hand of a bride (so to speak).
It is your job to keep her as happy as possible. One of the most important jobs of a maid of honor is to be supportive of the bride. Listen to her when she wants to talk, offer advice when she asks for it, and be encouraging and upbeat!
Wedding planning can be stressful for everyone concerned (possibly including you). Make sure that you get the bride away from the wedding frenzy whenever possible, so her stress levels don’t reach the boiling point. Go for a walk or drive together or go out for coffee and spend time talking about anything other than the wedding.
A certain amount of wedding planning may be allocated to you. Make sure you find out from the bride what she wishes for you to do before you go ahead with anything in particular.
Some of the wedding planning that the maid of honor may be asked to participate in includes:
- Helping to research and choose the site for the wedding ceremony and/or the reception
- Shopping for a wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses
- Shopping for the wedding invitations, as well as decorations and wedding favors
- Meeting with caterers, photographers and videographers
- Working on the gift registry
- Planning the seating arrangement for the reception
- The bridal shower and bachelorette party are the responsibility of the maid of honor and bridesmaids to arrange.
- The maid of honor may be asked to help with the preparations for the rehearsal dinner.
- As a maid of honor you will need to write a speech to toast the bride at the wedding.
Enjoy!
