Asked to be the Maid of Honor, Now What??

Are you the Maid of Honor in a friend of family member's wedding? Congratulations, it's a huge honor!

Lucky for the bride, they tend to have a big support system to help plan and make sure their special day goes off without a hitch. While she may have present and future family members by her side to help her, her number one person is her Maid or Matron of Honor. If this is your pleasurable duty in someone's wedding, there are many tasks that you need to be ready to deal with. While it may seem like a lot of duties, you will never realize how important your help is and how thankful the bride is that you are there for her. The duties that you as the Maid of Honor will have will be for both pre-wedding activities and wedding day activities.

Pre-wedding Duties:

• Scout wedding locations.
• Select invitations and help with invitation prep.
• Explore floral options and other decorative choices.
• Help the bride shop for her wedding dress and choose bridesmaids' dresses.
• Oversee delivery of the dresses, monitor fittings and assist with other wardrobe functions.
• Encourage the bride to register for gifts, spread the word about where the bride is registered and answer any gift questions that may arise.
• Help with honeymoon planning.
• Help with seating chart details.
• Attend the cake tasting and make recommendations.
• Attend the catering meetings or tastings and make recommendations.
• Host the bridal shower.
• Host the bachelorette party.
• Maintain timetables and be of general assistance to keep things moving forward.
• Attend the rehearsal dinner.
• Keep a list of gifts received.

Day of Wedding Duties:

• Help the bride dress and deal with her hair, jewelry and the unavoidable wedding day jitters.
• Check the last minute details, like instructions for the photographer and deliveries to the hall.
• Act as a messenger between the bride and groom (and various and sundry family members).
• Handle dress and veil issues. Maneuverability could be important here, even in the restroom, so this is an important and sometimes unexpected duty involving lifting, fluffing, arranging and rearranging.
• Hold and protect the groom's ring.
• Hold the bride's bouquet for the duration of the wedding ceremony.
• Witness the marriage license signing.
• Be part of the receiving line at the reception or act as a greeter.
• Toast the bride and groom.
• Participate in the first dance at a formal reception (partnered with the best man). 

Even if the bride turns into a bit of a bridezilla on her wedding day, it is your job to be the level-headed support systems she will need!

Happy Planning!

Emily