The maid of honor is possibly the greatest distinction that female friends can award one another. Of all the people your friend wants standing by her on the most important day of her life, she wants you to be the closest, both physically and metaphorically. There are a lot of duties that come with holding such a prestigious title, so to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the top five responsibilities of a maid of honor.
Shop for Dresses
Other than the actual ceremony itself, one of the most exciting parts of getting married is going dress shopping. Attend the bride’s dress fittings and be honest with her about the dresses. Offer to assist in zipping her up and hanging gowns back on their racks as she goes from one dress to the next.
Plan the Parties
When it comes to preparing the bridal shower and bachelorette party, be sure you’re ready to take the lead. You’ll rapidly become the authority on the wedding process as you help out with everything from finding family members and bridesmaids to developing a budget for the party. Bachelorette parties are a blast, especially when you know the bride will enjoy and appreciate them.
Write Your Speech
Some brides prefer that only relatives give speeches at their wedding. Others opt to skip the speeches altogether. It is your responsibility as a maid of honor to be prepared to make a speech and not humiliate your best friend in the process. Narrow down some of your ideas in advance in the months before the wedding, and then spend a week solidifying your ideas and tying things together leading up to the wedding.
Remind the Bride To Eat
It is customary to check in regularly, especially in the bridal suite, to see if the bride has anything she would like to snack on. It’s not out of the ordinary for a bride to be so excited that she doesn’t even think about food. But eating a high-protein snack will serve to keep hunger at bay. This is an oft-forgotten thing to know on the day of the wedding, which makes it one of the most important responsibilities of a maid of honor.
Lay Everything Out
As if committing your life to another person isn’t stressful enough, the bride will also be wearing one of the most expensive and intricate dresses she will ever put on. Things must be organized ahead of time, including underwear, shoes, and jewelry. It’s also important to set everything up ahead of time so you won’t have to waste time in the hours before the ceremony searching for something blue.
