So your best friend or favorite family member is getting hitched and you have been given the grand honor of being the maid of honor. What could be better? Well, now that you have been given a place of honor in this momentous occasion, now would be a great moment to address some of the main questions that come to mind with this event. If you have never done this before, or even if you have, you may be wondering about the most important responsibilities that come with this role.

Yes, it is a great honor to be the maid of honor, but there are also some important responsibilities that come with the title. Never fear, because in the following article we will cover all you need to know about making a great impression as the maid of honor.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BEING A MAID OF HONOR?
The maid of honor is there to support the bride before, during and even in the aftermath of the big event. This is often why the maid of honor is selected from the closest of friends and relatives. If you have been selected for this monumental role, it is because the bride thinks very highly of you. The bride will be counting on you for emotional support that will make this special day possible for her.

It is definitely a big responsibility being the maid of honor and it’s an exciting one too. You will help your friend or relative face the wedding day and all its challenges and joys. It will be up to you to help the bride-to-be avoid the stress so she can focus on her big day.

WHAT DO MAIDS OF HONOR DO?
Now that we have established the significance of the role it is time to consider what you will be doing. The maid of honor, or matron of honor if you are already married, is much more than a title. It is an important role with various functions.

Some of the things you will have to address as the maid of honor include:
• Plan celebrations before the wedding.
• Helping to plan the wedding.
• Coordinate the bridesmaids.
• Assist the wedding guests.
• Above all keep the bride-to-be calm

Then of course the roles will be different between depending on the needs of the bride herself. The roles may be different depending on whether or not the bride –to-be has a couple or many bride’s maids. But, you should expect that your role will be the most crucial of all.

MAID OF HONOR TIPS
It can be overwhelming to take on this challenging role without any prior introduction. But, don’t feel overwhelmed, here are some important tips on providing the best support possible.

• Communicate with the bride – the first step will be to ask the bride what she will need help with. Having clear communication will allow your task to be easier by removing any guess-work from the issue and keeps you from overlapping responsibilities with the bride’s maids.

• Communicate with the bridesmaids – part of your task will be whipping the bride’s maids into a semblance of order. This will require next level communications skills. The first thing to discuss will be the budget parameters. This is especially important when organizing the bachelorette party or bridal shower. Make sure you have introduced all the bridesmaids to each other personally or through email.

• Set your budget – with all the planning you will have to do, you need to keep your budget parameters clearly defined. Use the information you collected from your bridesmaids to decide how much you will be spending on celebrations.

• Know what the bride-to-be wants – there is a good chance that you are the bride-to-be’s sister, cousin or best friend. Make sure that you use all that you know about this woman to your advantage when planning this celebration.

• Don’t do too much – while your role is very important you will have to remember that it is not your wedding day. You want to make sure that the bride feels she is still in charge and never overstep your boundaries. Never assume a role that was not assigned to you. Make sure you are there to be supportive to the bride, so you know where to draw the line when needed.

• Don’t do too little – it is all about that delicate balance. Even if the bride insists on doing everything herself, you must always be there at her elbow to make sure she is never taking on more than her capacity. Make suggestions of ways you can make her day a little easier.

• Be trustworthy – You were chosen for this role for a specific reason. You will need to show that you were a good pick by always arriving on time and being ready and well-informed to take command of the situation if the need arises.

• Stay organized – The best plan to be a top-notch maid of honor is to stay well-organized, this will begin with a practical list of things to do that can be crossed out as progress is made. Make sure your to-do list is coordinated with the wedding plan time-line. This will ensure that your tasks are on track and on-point with the overall plan.

 

MAID OF HONOR RESPONSIBILITIES BEFORE THE WEDDING

There will be many things to do in the weeks and months prior to the big day and you can expect things to get very hectic. There will be a whole wedding timeline with your role to play and you will do well to know exactly what your objectives are at every corner.

So, what will these responsibilities be and what will they look like? This rally depends on the bride and the wedding. But, you can usually expect a slew of parties, rehearsals and more, here are just some of the most common responsibilities you may see as a maid of honor.

1. HELP WITH THE PLANNING PROCESS
While every wedding will be different, there will be some things that are constant in all weddings, like the great support the bride-to-be will require from you. Never forget that it is the bride's day to shine so you will never want to take over the decisions making process, just facilitate it. This can be done by:
• Putting together a guest list.

• Researching venues and vendors.
• Ordering and sending invitations.
• Choosing a color scheme or theme.
• Helping with DIY projects for the wedding.

If these tasks have already been handled by the bride, you will need to think of some other ways to lend a hand. Running errands will always be an important part of the process. If you have already had a wedding, as the matron of honor your insights and suggestions will be especially valuable.

2. ATTEND THE BRIDE’S DRESS APPOINTMENT
The bride-to-be will probably make an appointment for this most important session as early as 6-months before the big day. It is very likely that she will invite friends and family to come along as the opinions of her bridesmaids and family will be very important. Make sure you are on time for this event and bring a box of tissues for all the tears of joy that are sure to be flowing.

3. LEAD THE BRIDAL PARTY
In many ways the maid of honor can be seen as the head bridesmaid. For this reason, part of your duties will be directing the bridesmaids. Of course, this will vary between bridesmaids and wedding celebrations so be adaptable. But, it is quite likely that you will be asked to:

• Pass on wedding information to the bridesmaids, including important dates.
• See to it that bridesmaids order their dresses and important accessories by the designated day.
• Make sure bridesmaids’ hair and makeup appointments for the wedding day are arranged.
• Coordinate travel or accommodations for the bridesmaids before the wedding day and pre-wedding parties.

4. PLAN A BRIDAL SHOWER
The bridal shower is an important part of the celebration that will occur a few weeks or months before the big day and unites all the wedding guests and family members. Guests will bring gifts and even financial aid that can help with the wedding celebration. If this will be a large gathering, you can expect a fair amount of planning and as the maid of honor your input and support will be invaluable.

The bridal shower is not especially difficult to organize or prepare for. This will be made easier by the fact that you will already have the guest list and information. One big decision is the choice to make this a surprise or planned by the bride herself. This will be largely decided by the bride herself, but as the maid of honor it will be up to you to make this decision.
Whether the gamut of pre-wedding celebrations will be a surprise or not, it is up to you to know all of this before time. Make sure you ask the bride for available dates. Make sure you know who the bride wants to see at these celebrations. The same goes for the bridal shower as it does for the bachelorette party and any other celebrations.

5. PLAN A BACHELORETTE PARTY
It is definitely a celebration that is worth remembering and this is why it is important to have both the bridal shower and the bachelorette party before the wedding day. Wat you will do in the bachelorette party will largely be decided by friends and family members. This celebration is traditional and can involve everyone going out for drinks and a night of unbridled fun. This is best done a few weeks or up to two months before the big day.

6. ANSWER GUESTS’ QUESTIONS
As the wedding day draws closer you will find that your wedding guests are going to have many questions. You can free up time for your bride by handling these questions yourself. Often this task is done over the bride or groom's wedding site, but not everyone is so tech-savvy.

Suggest to the bride that you can handle these questions and tell her to direct all queries to your phone number or over email. Offer to take over the task of answering these questions on the wedding site. Just be sure that you know full-well how the site works and that you have the full information to be able to answer everything.

 

MAID OF HONOR RESPONSIBILITIES ON THE WEDDING DAY

Once the big day arrives the air will be thick with excitement and nerves will be strained, mostly by the bride herself. She will need you now more than ever for addressing all types of last minute concerns. You will need to keep your wits about you and keep calm, this will best be done if you have a good idea of what your responsibilities for this day will be.

1. GET READY WITH THE BRIDE AND THE BRIDESMAIDS
Get into your own beautiful bridesmaids outfit and then prepare to help the bride get into hers as well. There may be hair and makeup appointments that will have to be attended on time. Or, this may be done by a beautician who shows up on site. You will want to make sure the bride has time to relax with friends and family before the event. Make sure you are well-prepared beforehand so that you can address your duties and still look great during the photoshoots.

2. BRING A WEDDING DAY EMERGENCY KIT
The best maid of honor will always arrive fully prepared for the unexpected. There will be many unexpected events that will occur without fail and you can diffuse much of the tension and stress the bride can feel with a little preparation. Make sure you pack an emergency kit with some items like:

• Bobby pins
• Fashion tape
• Pain relievers
• Safety pins
• Bandages
• Hairspray
• Scissors
• A small sewing kit
• Extra phone chargers
• Makeup for touch-ups
• Tape
• Stain remover pens

3. KEEP THE BRIDE CALM
The emergency kit you pack will go a long way in keeping the bride calm and collected, but this doesn’t mean that the bride will not feel nervous and jittery regardless of all your foresight. Make sure she has eaten well and had enough to drink. Furthermore, you can take the time to screen questions, comments and negativity from the rest of the guests and army of bridesmaids. 


4. HELP THE BRIDE AT THE ALTAR
During the wedding ceremony your presence will be the most crucial part for her and you will stay very close by. You will need to consider a few of these tasks during the ceremony.

• Adjust the bride’s train, veil and gown. This will need to be done anytime she moves.
• Hold the bride’s bouquet for the ceremony.
• If there’s no ring bearer you will also hold the rings
• Bring tissues in case the bride — or anyone else — needs them during the ceremony.

5. SIGN THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
The newlyweds will most likely have the best man and the maid of honor sign the marriage license. It is a simple task but essential to the entire ceremony. This is most often done after the ceremony so make sure you are present and available to do this at the right time.

6. GIVE A TOAST
This will not actually happen until the wedding day. But, don’t wait until the last minute to come up with something memorable. As a matter of fact you will probably want to begin this as soon as you get the request to be the maid of honor. Brainstorm many ideas and have a completed toast weeks before the celebration. This will give you plenty of time for rehearsal and modifications before the big day.

FIND THE PERFECT MAID OF HONOR DRESSES AT AZARIA BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
As a leading bridal salon in New Jersey, you will find a stunning array of maid of honor bridesmaid’s dresses at Azaria. Whether you are looking to feature a single color or style, you are sure to find the best selection of dresses by planning your dream wedding with us. Some of the most exquisite names and brands we offer include Watters, Cristina Wu, Sorella Vita and Bari Jay. Count on us to have all you need to suit any taste and purpose. Click HERE to book an appointment today to visit Azaria Bridal.