What Does Maid Of Honour Do?

Duties traditionally associated with the maid of honour have evolved over time.

In case you hadn't noticed, weddings today are nothing like the ones our mothers experienced when they were young.

Your maid of honour should be a hard worker, a rock for you emotionally, and a ball of enthusiasm.

There appears to be quite a bit of pressure, no? Your maid of honour should be aware of what you anticipate of her and the nature of the role she is taking on before agreeing to accept it.

Even further back in time, bridesmaids' traditional role was to serve as dummy brides in the event.

Being the bride's best requires a unique set of abilities, as modern bridesmaids are more girl squad than ransom bait.

What distinguishes a maid of honour? Many people's image of a maid of honour is that she is a demanding and bossy bridesmaid.

What Is A Maid Of Honour?

The maid of honour plays a key role in supporting the bride before, during, and after the wedding. The maid of honour traditionally performs various duties in addition to enjoying some coveted perks.

The maid of honour is responsible for planning the bachelorette party, the bridal shower, and coordinating the efforts of the bridesmaids.

The maid of honour is traditionally selected by the bride from among the bride's female relatives and acquaintances.

You will have several responsibilities as maid of honour, both before and after the wedding.

Take a look down below, because you're about to have the adventure of a lifetime.

Maid of honour Duties Before the Wedding Day

Please Help the Bride Out

During the wedding preparation process, some women will put their maids of honour through a lot, from assisting them with creating their invites to selecting cake flavours to discuss potential colour schemes (psst, here are the trendy wedding colours and palettes you need to know).

Other brides would prefer to take care of the majority of the pre-wedding chores alone or work with a wedding planner who will manage everything for them in most cases.

In any case, the maid of honour's main duty is to help the bride with any duties she needs assistance with or to listen to her ideas and offer suggestions and counsel.

Go dress shopping and get a fitting for the wedding.

Although many brides like to have the maid of honour there for this outing, the bride may or may not invite her to accompany her on her wedding dress shopping and dress fittings.

The Bridal Party's Leader

Being a bridesmaid involves several responsibilities as well.

When a bridesmaid has a question or concern, the maid of honour is the go-to person. She typically initiates and starts the email thread where the bridal party discusses the wedding-related issues.

Be the bridesmaids' attire and fashion expert.

The maid of honour should ensure that all bridesmaids order their dresses and accessories on time and should assist the bride in selecting the bridesmaid dresses.

Ensuring that hair and makeup appointments are made, assisting with travel and lodging arrangements for the group, and other duties may also be part of leading the bridal party.

Be the contact for visitors.

The majority of wedding guests are interested. But, the couple is registered where? What is the location's address? Is there a brunch after the wedding?

The majority of this information ought to be available on the couple's wedding website, but some visitors could need further help if they aren't computer savvy.

You can respond to visitors' inquiries and offer pertinent information as the maid of honour.

Organise or co-organize the bridal shower

Hosting the bridal shower with the aid of the bridesmaids is one of the maids of honour's most significant responsibilities.

It can be a lot of work to prepare a bridal shower, from selecting the location to selecting the decor, inviting guests, and placing food orders. Don't be hesitant to assign some of the work to the other wedding party members. The maid of honour records all the presents at the wedding so that the bride can promptly compose thank-you notes.

Create a bachelorette party plan.

The bride's bachelorette party should be planned by the maid of honour in collaboration with the  bridesmaids.

If you want to arrange a memorable bachelorette party, consider the bride's individuality whether you choose a destination or a local venue.

Attend wedding-related events

The maid of honour typically attends the engagement party, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner even though she doesn't normally plan them.

Duties Of The Maid Of Honour On The Wedding Day: Before The Ceremony

Dress up alongside the bride and bridal party.

It's time to prepare! The maid of honour may be very helpful in assisting the bride get dressed and making sure everyone looks stunning on the big day. She typically gets ready in the bridal suite with the bride and the other bridal party members.

Interact as a moderator Of the couple

If the bride and groom are exchanging love notes or gifts on the morning of the wedding, the best man and maid of honour could serve as go-betweens.

The maid of honour visits the bride's future husband and presents the gift and message, reporting on the response, of course!

Prepare and bring a bride's emergency kit.

Before the wedding, there could be a lot of little crises. Therefore it's important to be ready!

The maid of honour should assemble an emergency pack for the wedding day that contains supplies that could be useful, such as bandages, painkillers, and everything from safety pins to fashion tape.

Have All Vendors’ Contact Information Nearby

The bride should not worry about last-minute preparations; instead, she should unwind and enjoy her wedding morning!

Although the wedding planner or venue organiser is typically aware of wedding-related difficulties as well, the maid of honour can assist in communicating with wedding vendors if necessary.

Keep the Bride Calm

It is the responsibility of one of the maids of honour to keep the bride's spirits up if she starts to look nervous.

If you want to keep the crew in good spirits, do whatever it takes to make them laugh, whether that's listening to music, telling jokes, or watching cat videos.

Help in maintaining the schedule

The maid of honour should make sure that the wedding planner gives you a detailed wedding timeline and watch the time!

Remind the bridesmaids gently that the limo will be leaving for the ceremony in ten minutes if they are talking more than getting ready (particularly if they have had some wine or other drinks during the day!.

Duties Of The Maid Of Honour On The Wedding Day: Ceremonies

Walk along the aisle

The maid of honour's big moment in the spotlight is about to begin! You'll probably make your entrance down the aisle after the bride and all bridesmaids, ahead of the flower girl, ring bearer, and bride.

When the bride arrives at the altar, prepare her train and veil.

Please make sure the bride's clothing and veil are perfect when she gets to the altar and make any necessary modifications before the ceremony starts.

Keep the bride's bouquet.

When it comes time to exchange rings, the maid of honour should be in charge of carrying all her own and the bride's flowers.

The wedding bouquet is heavy, so if you need a break during the ceremony, ask your fellow bridesmaids to help you out.

Hold the wedding ring.

In the absence of a ring bearer, the best man and maid of honour will alternate holding the wedding bands of the bride and groom until the rings are exchanged.

As a Witness, sign the marriage licence.

The officiant will sign the marriage licence and the newlyweds immediately following the ceremony. Additionally, there must be two witnesses, who are typically the best man and maid of honour.

Duties Of The Maid Of Honour On The Wedding Day: Reception

Put yourself in the receiving line next to the groom.

Nowadays, many couples opt not to have a receiving line, but if there is one, the maid of honour welcomes guests to the reception by standing next to the groom.

With the best man, enter the reception.

The maid of honour typically arrives with the best man if the emcee is introducing the wedding party as they arrive at the reception.

You can decide if you want to enter with a goofy dance or not!

Help Bustle the Bride’s Train—and Use the Restroom!

It's a good idea to become familiar with bustling the bride's dress at the wedding; if you can make it into a dress fitting, the bride's bridal salon or seamstress can provide a brief tutorial.

The bride's dress will be cleaner and more comfortable to dance in if it has been bustled.

You might be asked to help the bride use the bathroom if her gown is extremely difficult. That is the purpose of friends (and maids of honour.

Play Host

The same as the wedding, attendees may probably have inquiries while there. WhereFor example, where is the visitor's book? When will the cake be cut? What seat do They take? What place do I put my gift?

The maid of honour's responsibilities include guiding guests and assisting with queries.

And while visitors are expected to place their gifts on the gift table or give them straight to the newlyweds, you might be trusted with one or two of them. So make careful to store any gifts in a secure location properly.

Dance With the Best Man

One of the maids of honour's primary responsibilities is ensuring that everyone has a fantastic time and gets plenty of dancing.

The woman of honour traditionally dances with the best man during the second song of the reception.

If you find it overly formal, this may not be your cup of tea. Get on the dance floor early and get as many people as possible to join you.

Keep the Bride as Stress-Free as Possible

Mini-crises may arise during the reception, but the bride and groom should not be informed. They need to forget that the bride's cousin got sick in the restroom or that the cake nearly fell over and enjoy themselves.

After the best man, give a toast.

The best man typically speaks first, followed by the maid of honour. The bride's love and admiration for the couple are expressed in the typically brief maid of honour speech. The speech will be well-received as long as it is heartfelt.

Ensure the bride consumes food and liquids.

The last thing anyone wants to come into contact with is an angry bride. Therefore, to prevent the bride from becoming dehydrated during the evening, make sure that she regularly consumes meals and has her water glass refilled.

Gather wedding presents if necessary.

Find out in advance where the couple would like their gifts to be taken after the wedding celebration so that you can prepare accordingly.

After the wedding reception is complete, you should make sure that the presents given to the couple are delivered to the appropriate people and placed in the appropriate area.

Complete Any Other Open Ends

Talk to the bride and groom about any end-of-the-night responsibilities, such as putting the top tier of the wedding cake in the freezer and properly storing the bridal garment worn by the bride. They would appreciate it if the maid of honour could assist with finishing.

Assist the couple Before, During, and After the Honeymoon

Check-in with the newlyweds before they leave for their honeymoon to see if there is anything you can do to help them, especially if you reside in the area.

It could be helpful if you stopped by their house every once in a while, watched their dog, or brought them groceries before they left for the day.

Selecting Your Maid of honour

Making the decision to select your maid of honour is significant and should not be rushed. Though custom has it that a bride's sister or closest female friend fills the position, manners are evolving.

In the twenty-first century, the title can be worn with pride by your mother, your cousin, or even your male best friend.

You can choose anybody you like to be your maid of honour, but make sure they are willing to carry out the tasks. Take into account your duties as maid of honour when picking your choice.

While you could anticipate your pals to step up to the plate, your sister might not be the greatest choice given her dubious reliability record.

Examine the duties that the maid of honour is expected to perform carefully before making your selection.

Of course, your maid of honour is under no obligation to perform all of the aforementioned tasks.

The maid of honour's responsibilities might be evenly distributed among your wedding party. InforHowever, inform other bridesmaids of your decision if you choose a maid of honour with tradition in mind.

The functions played by each member of the wedding party change as tradition does.

Even sharing the role is an option, which is especially useful if you have two closest friends or sisters and don't want to favour one over the other.

Who Should Be Chosen?

The maid of honour is traditionally chosen by the bride's sister or the closest female friend.

If this is impossible, the bride may select a trusted friend or relative to serve as her maid of honour and assist her with wedding preparations.

Be sure the person you choose to be your maid of honour can handle the role.

Consider who would perform the task most effectively while keeping the family in mind. Then, make your decision without feeling under any pressure.

Can a Man Fill the Role?

A man can serve as the maid of honour at a wedding. When a woman depends on a man as her closest friend to arrange her wedding, it makes sense that he would want to uphold that commitment.

However, you might want to consider how this will affect any historically gendered activities, like the party or wedding shower.

The bride and maid of honour will choose which activities may require gender equality.

Does the Person Have to Be Called a Maid of honour?

The phrase "maid of honour" can seem weird at times, whether you have a best friend who is a man or a woman.

This position can also be referred to as "bride's honour attendant" or, informally, "the bride's sidekick" in place of the term "maid of honour."

A married lady is referred to as "the matron of honour" if she is chosen. However, feel free to choose the phrase that best describes your maid of honour.

Be There for the Bride

The maid of honour should strike the right balance between being encouraging and not authoritative. You are the maid of honour. Thus you are the only one who truly knows your friend, the bride. Therefore, the maid of honour should ask the bride how she would want to be supported during the wedding preparation process and then start a conversation with her.

Be honest about personalities and choose whether the bride will delegate and solicit assistance or if the maid of honour should proactively check-in and provide support on occasion.

Before the wedding, decide on the extent of support and involvement, and keep in mind any tricky family dynamics the bride may face.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun.

While providing an extra set of hands is your main duty to the bride, don't forget to schedule some fun.

From an afternoon of mani-pedis to a full-fledged girls' night out, the bride should be treated as your closest friend during the whole wedding preparation process. The most important thing to keep in mind is that as a maid of honour, it is your duty to adore and care for your best friend.