How To: Maid of Honor Duties

Getting asked to be someone’s Maid of Honor is a huge compliment—whether you’re serving this role for your sister, cousin, or best friend, doing it correctly is extremely important. As Maid of Honor, you’re second in command and will be helping the bride through every step of her wedding planning process, so it’s important to know what’s typically expected of a Maid of Honor. Each bride is unique in what she expects, so be sure to have a conversation with the bride to be sure you’re on the same page. Some brides want minimal help, while others may want you involved in every decision they make!

Prior to the wedding, your biggest duties are the bachelorette party and bridal shower. Before you start planning, be sure to check with other bridesmaids about their budget. You don’t want to plan an entire girls weekend in Cabo only to discover it’s out of half the bridal party’s budget! After that, ask the bride when she’s available (it’s her party, after all). We suggest sending dates she chooses to the rest of the bridesmaids in a survey, so you’ll know what weekend works best for everyone. 

More than likely, you’ll get to go dress shopping with the bride as one of the few opinions she trusts to help her choose the perfect wedding dress. You also may need to help her with any DIY projects for the wedding, whether it be addressing invitations or arranging centerpieces. Through this entire period, to keep stress off the bride, you should learn as much as you can about the wedding to be the first point of contact for other bridesmaids, and maybe even some guests.

For the day of the wedding, there’s a lot more to remember beyond your reception speech. In the morning, you’ll probably need to run a few things (seating cards, wedding favors, etc.) over to the reception venue before you start getting ready. While getting ready, make sure the bride gets something to eat; a lot of brides are so excited on their wedding day they forget to eat, and you don’t want her having hunger pangs later in the day. You’ll also likely be in charge of the groom’s ring for the ceremony, so be sure to have the ring ready to go and somewhere easy to get to before you walk down the aisle!

While all of these tasks are important, and sometimes difficult to juggle depending on your level of involvement, one of your most important jobs is to make sure the bride is relaxed through the entire process. At the end of the day, you’re still her best friend, and making sure she’s having fun and decompressing with a girls’ night every so often during the planning process is just as important as anything else you do.