I will be the maid of honor for my sisters wedding, I have never been a maid of honor so I was wondering what duties they typically do for the wedding and bride.
2006-08-10 02:52:53 · 18 answers · asked by stefs86 2 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Lord, it could be minimal to excessive. You are going to make sure everything is smooth for her on the day; make sure she has something old, new, borrowed and blue. The rings are in the right hands, all the bride's maids are dressed, sober, and present, and you usually throw the shower for her. Depending on how much is being done by the family, you may be need to make decorations, get gifts for the bride's maids, put up decorations, call and write everyone you can imagine, and follow up on things like the flowers, cake, champagne, and all the supplied there of. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, it is very rewarding and very fun. You will feel really good when it all comes together and it goes off without a hitch. If you need some ideas, watch The Wedding Planner and see all the stuff Jennifer Lopez is doing in the film. It's also a great flick! Good luck!!
2006-08-10 03:01:13 · answer #1 · answered by roritr2005 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the knot has the best description here are some of the more important ones:
Help shop for dresses (the bride's and the bridesmaids'). And the MOH pays for her own entire wedding outfit (including shoes).
Offer to help the bride with prewedding tasks, from addressing invites to choosing the wedding colors and nodding enthusiastically when she waxes poetic about wedding cake.
Spread the news about where the bride and groom are registered.
Host or cohost a shower for the bride.
Attend all prewedding parties.
Plan the bachelorette party with the bridesmaids.
Sign the marriage license as a witness, along with the best man.
Collect any gift envelopes brought to the reception and keep them in a safe place.
Troubleshoot emotional crises. In most cases, this will require lots of tissues, hugging, and hair-smoothing. The MOH continues to be a trusted friend, a good listener, and a smart advisor.
and most importantly...
Keep the bride laughing. For the stressed-out bride, laughter can be as effective as venting.
you are her sister, so just do what comes naturally. tell her when you think she is making a bad choice, and listen when she needs you to.
2006-08-10 02:59:31 · answer #2 · answered by BeeBee 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the USA, the bride might have several bridesmaids, but this is the position held by the bride's chief attendant, typically her sister or closest friend. If married, the title Matron of Honor is used.
This person is usually responsible for helping the bride to dress and prepare for the ceremony, to carry the groom's wedding ring to hand to the bride during the ceremony, and similar tasks.
When the bride wishes to give this honor to a man, he may be termed the "man of honor" or (especially in Britain) "bridesman." The groom's equivalent is the "best man". A neutral term is "honor attendant".
[edit]
UK
In the United Kingdom, the term "maid of honour" originally referred to the female attendant of a queen. The term bridesmaid is normally used for a bridal attendant. However, when the attendant is married, or is a mature woman, the term matron of honour is more commonly used. The influence of American English has led to the Chief Bridesmaid sometimes being called the Maid of Honour.
In the UK, a "maid of honour" is also a type of small cake
2006-08-10 02:57:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was the maid of honor at my sisters wedding, and I had the same dilemma you are having. My best advice is to talk to your sister often (your mom too) and see what they would like help with. I think this works better than just starting to do certain things because they are "duties." My mom and I did a lot of the work with favors because I was living at home, and my sister was in another state.
Typically, the maid of honor also puts together the bachelorette party, but in my case my sister's friend helped me more with that, because I was not familiar with the area where my sister was getting married, and couldn't do all the logistics.
Congrats to your sister :-)
2006-08-10 04:26:03 · answer #4 · answered by MandyT 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The maid of honor is to be at all the pre- wedding events, and help plan the bridal shower. Also the bacholertte paty....she is to help the bride with everything the day of the wedding, and to attend fitting, etc. witht he bride. Basic if the bride needs you ...then you are there!
2006-08-10 03:28:11 · answer #5 · answered by amyann 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are lots of guidelines and lists of traditional responsiblities. But really, they're useless unless those are the things the bride is expecting of you. You need to have a chat with your friend and find out what SHE thinks maids of honor do. But the biggest duty will always be to help your friend whenever she needs it and not gripe about it.
2006-08-10 03:23:54 · answer #6 · answered by Pink Denial 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Honestly, just help whenever you can.
For example, your sister WILL have to call people who don't RSVP to see if they are coming to the wedding or not (always happens) you could offer to call 1/2 the list.
If you are her maid of honor- that means she thinks of you as a best friend too... So just do whatever you can to help her out... There should be no set list of things you must do- Just do whatever you can!
And have fun at the wedding!
2006-08-10 03:14:21 · answer #7 · answered by Jenks 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Help in going with the bride to look at different locations for the wedding. Many times the Bride needs help in choosing where to have the ceremony and party besides what day and time to have the wedding. Ask if you can participate in this process since it can be a very stressful.
Help the bride choose her wedding invitations as well as possibly address the invitations if she needs your support. Many times a bride may outsource her invitations but if they need to be addressed by the family, your help will be key in reducing the load of tasks to complete.
If the bride needs help in ordering and choosing decorations and favors, your opinions may be helpful in making decisions for narrowing down choices and making sure the decorations are in on time for the wedding, shower and bachelorette parties.
Go with the bride when she is shopping for her wedding dress as well as the Bridesmaid Dresses. It is very important to help make sure the dresses are ordered and arrive in enough time for alterations! It is helpful for you to attend the multiple fittings in giving your friend some feedback in how the dress looks and fits. Check out our partner, Perfect Bridesmaid Dresses, for great name-brand discount wedding and bridesmaid dresses.
Many times the groom does not want to go to register with his bride-to-be. You can be very supportive by going with your friend to register for her wedding gifts as well as letting other guests know where the bride and groom are registered. This is a very fun experience so take part in the choosing if she needs help.
Help the bride in the seating arrangement. This can be a very difficult process with the more people coming to the wedding. Many times it makes it easier to draw out the tables and move people around until you have a close to perfect fit. Note: It is very helpful to bring this drawing to the wedding just in case there are any mix-ups, you will save the day!
Host and Plan the Bridal Shower as well as the Bachelorette Party!
Help keep order and organization with the other bridesmaids.
Attend and help out during the rehearsal dinner. Many times the bride, groom and their families are pre-occupied and forget about things which is where you can save the day by being organized.
Field messages for the bride and her family to make sure you are up on any changes (especially if they are last minute changes that affect the other guests).
Wedding Day
Make sure the bride arrives to the ceremony and that she has everything on the Maid of Honor Checklist that we have created to make your life easier.
Assist the bride in getting into her dress and makeup
Be the messenger if the bride wants to communicate messages to the family or groom so you are always up on what is going on.
Visit the reception room and party room (if possible) to make sure there are no problems or issues. It is much better to be proactive.
Help make sure the bride has privacy if she needs some quiet time before the ceremony.
Be the witness in the signing of the marriage license which is an honor!
Help the bride with her veil and train (if she has one). I have seen many weddings where brides have tripped on their train which takes away from her experience for a moment.
Be your friend's "right-hand-woman" at the altar. She may be very nervous and you can be the calming source with your presence.
Keeper of the brides bouquet during the ceremony. Make sure you have a free hand.
Keeper of the groom's ring. It is your task to also make sure the groom's ring is in your possession at all times until you give the ring over to the bride!
Make a toast and/or speech during the wedding party since it is tradition and most people love hearing these friendship stories!
Make sure you lock up the bridal/groom money bag after the bride and groom dance with all of their family and friends so someone does not steal or pick it up by accident.
Last, but not least, provide moral support and be a great listener throughout the process since it is a very wonderful and "positively" stressful time for your friend. You can really make the difference!
2006-08-10 04:19:01 · answer #8 · answered by hullo? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well you are the most important person to the bride. You are responsible for helping her out with the planning and details (as she needs or asks for your help)! You are responsible for helping the bride be in charge of coordinating everything with all the other bridemaid's. You are also the one who usually throws the bride a bridal shower, lingerie shower, and bacherette party. You can have others help you host, but you usually lead it. And anything else that they bride needs help with!
2006-08-10 03:02:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Bridesmaid Duties
As a Bridesmaid you have a strong supportive role you must play during the entire wedding experience. Although the Maid of Honor may be there for the bride, your friend will also need your comfort and opinions as well (in most cases). Below, bridesmaid101 lists some of the top Bridesmaid's duties:
Pre-Wedding
If the bride asks about helping her with ideas on where to have the wedding, help her with scouting around and going to the different places. It may be a great idea to drive so she can focus on each location.
If you have great penmanship it is always nice to volunteer to address at least some the invitations if the bride agrees. Many times a bride may outsource her invitations but if they need to be addressed by the family, your help will be key in reducing the load of tasks to complete.
Your friend may need help in ordering and choosing decorations and favors, your opinions may be helpful in making decisions for narrowing down choices and making sure the decorations are in on time for the wedding, shower and bachelorette parties.
It is a major treat to go with the bride when she is shopping for her wedding dress. She may even invite you to be involved in picking out the Bridesmaid Dresses. It is very important to help make sure the dresses are ordered and arrive in enough time for alterations!
Make sure to pick up your bridesmaid dress in a "reasonable" amount of time in case of additional fittings.
Many times the groom does not want to go to register with his bride-to-be. You can be very supportive by going with your friend to register for her wedding gifts as well as letting other guests know where the bride and groom are registered. This is a very fun experience so take part in the choosing if she needs help.
Help the bride in the seating arrangement. This can be a very difficult process with the more people coming to the wedding. Many times it makes it easier to draw out the tables and move people around until you have a close to perfect fit. Note: It is very helpful to bring this drawing to the wedding just in case there are any mix-ups, you will save the day!
Help Plan the Bridal Shower with the Maid of Honor as well as the Bachelorette Party!
Be a good communicator with information. Many times information prior to a wedding does not reach everyone. Friends will appreciate confirming plans of each shower and party as well as wedding day information.
Attend and help out during the rehearsal dinner. Many times the bride, groom and their families are pre-occupied and forget about things which is where you can save the day by being supportive.
Wedding Day
Assist the bride in getting into her dress and makeup
Ask if the bride needs anything (food, water, etc) all the way up till the time she is walking down the aisle. She will really appreciate it!
Assist the other bridesmaids on where to go and timing, especially if they show up late.
Help make sure the bride has privacy if she needs some quiet time before the ceremony.
Be the witness in the signing of the marriage license which is an honor!
Assist the guests to their seats and be social prior to the wedding. The guests love to see the bridesmaids and groomsmen out and about.
Take some deep breaths and walk slow when you walk down the aisle since it is common to speed up. If a groomsman walks down the aisle with you, make him refrain from talking or fooling around.
Always look for the unexpected since it is common for the most uncommon things to happen (i.e, something falling down at the alter). If you are close enough, fix what needs to be fixin so the bride, groom and their families can focus on the ceremony.
If you are single, make sure to mingle and have a great time at the party! It is mandatory to catch the bridal bouquet :)
If you are with your partner, make sure to dance and socialize since it means a lot to the bride and groom (when they have time to sit down) to see their friends having and creating a good time for themselves and the other guests.
Last, but not least, Provide moral support and be a great listener throughout the process since it is a very wonderful and "positively" stressful time for your friend. You can really make the difference!
2006-08-12 16:40:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋