One year ago, my best friend gave me a title I never thought I would hold. Matron of Honor. I think it was karma because Stephanie was my Maid of Honor at my wedding 11 months prior. You see, I HATE being a Bridesmaid. Something about it makes my skin crawl. I’ve never been a big group hangout kind of person, it’s not really my personality, but I adore Stephanie and couldn’t tell her no. Although I tried convincing to let me double-duty that day; Photographer and Matron of Honor. She shot that idea down right away because she wanted me to have FUN that day. Fun. Right. 😉
In honor of Stephanie being a Mrs. for ONE YEAR TODAY, I figured it was fitting to talk about the maid of honor durties for a wedding day. This is a tough job, you’re the one responisble for making sure your Bride is having a stressfree day, and anything that would cause her stress, the Maid of Honor handles. So let’s chat for a minute the duties of a maid of honor.
Maid of Honor Duties
- You’re the Handler and Organizer.
You are responsible for handling any problems that arise on the wedding day. Timeline problems, missing groomsmen, drunk groomsmen, keeping track of the dress, making sure your girl ALWAYS has a drink in her hand and a smile on her face. You’re responsible for keeping her calm. It rained and felt like a cool April day on Stephanie’s day. I called Hair and Makeup and asked if we could push the timeline up 30 minutes and then contacted the photographer to move the first look up because there was a break in the clouds. PERFECT timing for photos. Stephanie didn’t even have to ask. I just did. But that could had been the photographer in me too making sure we didn’t get caught in the middle of a rain storm. - Mother Hen 101
Keep track of everyone. Know where everone is, and where they’re suppose to be at any given time. Get a copy of the timeline from your Bride and memorize it. Family formals start at 6 right after the ceremony, help remind Grandma Jane that she needs to stay close for those precious grandmother/granddaughter photos. This keeping track of people also includes our girl. She needs to be on time for everything or it throws the whole day off. This is tricky, you don’t want to be overly pushy because you’ll stress her out, but you want to be pushy enough that she’s not stressed about being late. Good luck with that. - Quick Thinker
Start imaging how the day could go in your head and what you’ll do to make sure it’s not chaos. Forward thinking here will help you out, and keep your girl from having a nervous meltdown on her wedding day. - Keeper of the Dress
Even though it’s mentioned in the first task for maid of honor duties, Keeper of the Dress needs to be talked about seperately. Up until the point the photographer takes the dress for detail photos, that bad boy shouldn’t leave your sight. You may also be asked to help get the Bride in her dress (Stephanie helped me), you’ll have to learn to bussle the dress (it’s smart to go to a fitting to see how it’s done), and the best part of keeper of the dress – you’ll hold it up while our girl needs to do number one. Hopefully it’s only number one. If it’s number two, feel free to pass off this duty to the new Husband! 😉 - Toast Maker
I was so prepared for maid of honor duties for Stephanie’s wedding, but the toast part got me. I waited until the morning of the wedding, while i’m in the chair having my hair done, typing my speech on my phone. Yes, just HOURS before I was to give a speech, I was typing it on my phone. I’ve always been a girl who preforms better under pressure. Some of my best college papers were completed the night before the deadline. Here’s a couple tips for that – DON’T make it last forever. Guests are hungry, and they don’t understand your inside jokes. Short, sweet, and to the point. And don’t forget to toast to the new couple. - DRINKS
Number five reminded me of number six. Sometimes the caterers forget to add a little bubbly to the glasses for toasts. Do your best to make sure at least the Bride and Groom have a drink to toast with! And then make sure the Bride stays hydrated throughout the night. Yes – she needs water every couple drinks.
While these maid of honor duties are related just for the wedding day, there are plenty of other duties that need taken care of before the big day. Just be present for the girl who choose you to be beside her as she becomes a Wife. Be present in the wedding planning, helpful in making small decisions, and be a listening ear when she needs to vent about family drama, because every wedding brings some drama with it.
July 18th, 2014 – I couldn’t have asked for a better maid of honor. She set the bar HIGH for when it was my turn to return the favor.
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