Maid of Honour Duties: The Ultimate Guide
Many congratulations if you have been chosen to be the Maid of Honour!
You can now use this guide as your ultimate resource for Maid of Honour duties and tips so you can help make your sisters, your cousins or your best friend’s wedding day a success.
The Maid of Honor is typically someone who is close to the bride, such as a sister, best friend, or cousin. Being a Maid of Honour is a big responsibility and can also be a lot of work, but it’s also wonderful to be chosen! You are the bride’s right-hand woman, and she will rely on you to help her through the planning process and ensure that everything goes smoothly on the wedding day. In this blog, we will discuss all of the duties that come with being Maid of Honour, as well as provide some tips for making the role a little bit easier.
Discover more articles of interest
Bridesmaid Duties: The Ultimate Guide
Wedding table and Seating Plan: The Ultimate Guide
The history behind the name
A way of referring to female attendants who served in a court or noble house.
The term ‘maid of honour’ has been used since the 16th century. It was once a way of referring to female attendants who served in a court or noble house. If you are married, you should be referred to as ‘matron of honour’ (ooh, matron!) Today, thankfully, Maid of Honour is most commonly used, married or not.
Responsibilities of the Maid of Honour
The Maid of Honour is expected to provide assistance to the bride in all aspects of wedding planning,
From selecting a venue and making decisions about the reception decorations to helping with the guest list, wedding invitations and day-of tasks such as greeting the wedding guests, seating them at their tables, and ensuring everyone has what they need. And most importantly, the Maid of Honour must also be available to provide emotional support and advice to the bride during the wedding planning process.
4 Tips for the Maid of Honour
Being Maid of Honour is a big task, you must remove all the all the planning stress from the bride. Luckily there are ways to make it easier. Here are some tips:
1. Make sure you have all the necessary information, including details about the wedding venue, suppliers, and timeline, so you can help the bride with any questions or issues.
2. Free up time for ‘wedmin’ that will come your way!
3. Be the go-to person before, during and even after the big day.
4. Delegate! We insist you delegate tasks to the bridesmaids. Don’t get overwhelmed they are there to help too.
The difference between the Maid of Honour and the Bridesmaids
The Maid of Honour is the bride’s right-hand woman; she has additional responsibilities to those of the bridesmaids and plays an important role in helping to plan the wedding. The bridesmaids help out with tasks such as helping with decorations and running errands, anything you have delegated.
Remember to include each bridesmaid in the wedding planning process and timeline and consult them if there are any changes to plans that need to be made or have been made the bride is relying on you, and in turn, you can rely on your bridesmaids.
Be the go-to person before, during and even after the big day
Guests at a wedding have lots of questions. What’s the address for this venue? What is the dress code? As the maid of honour, you can answer these questions and provide all the essential information without stressing the bride!
Can there be more than one Maid of Honour?
Yes, you can have more than one Maid of Honour!
It is up to the bride and groom to decide how many Maids of Honour they want to have; however, it is generally recommended that there is only one Maid of Honour so that she can focus her attention on the duties required. When there are multiple Maids of Honour, the duties should be divided among them in order to ensure that each Maid has an area of responsibility.
Duties before the big day
Provide assistance to the bride in all aspects of wedding planning
As mentioned before, The Maid of Honour is expected to provide assistance to the bride in all aspects of wedding planning, from selecting a venue and making decisions about decorations to helping with the guest list and addressing wedding invitations. The Maid of Honour duties before the wedding day include:
1. Helping the bride to select a venue, catering, decorations and other services.
2. Draw up a list of guests and make sure they are all invited.
3. Go with wedding dress shopping to find the perfect dress.
4. Help to choose the bridesmaids dresses and attend dress fittings.
5. Organise accessories for the bridal party.
6. Assist the bride in selecting bridesmaids gifts.
7. Organise the Hen Party and any other pre-wedding events.
8. Provide emotional support and be available to help with any questions or issues that come up during the wedding planning process.
Top Tip!
The most important role on this list is the last one. To be the emotional support and be available to help. If your bride is feeling overwhelmed, you need to be there for her. Let her know she can rely on you and that it will all work out in the end!
Although this sounds like a lot, it’s not! Phew!! The bride and groom will have done the majority of the above. Selecting the venue, the caterer and other services, plus making decisions about decorations. As a Maid of Honour, your bride would like you to simply have a say or an opinion on certain things. Just remember to be helpful and, above all, tactful. Organising the Hen Party…now this is your moment!
Pre-wedding Events
This includes the Hen Party but could also include organising a coffee morning, a meal out, or a zoom call if the bridesmaids chosen don’t all know one another. If the bride has decided to go DIY with her wedding decorations, arrange a crafty get-together with all the bridesmaids and mums of the bride and groom and get making! Drinks and nibbles are a must.
The day before the wedding
Ensure all the bridesmaids have all the details and the bridal party have the running order
Take the lead in ensuring all the bridesmaids have all the details the date, the time, and the location. And that they also have their dresses, shoes and accessories ready to go. Check that the bridal party understands the events’ running order for the day ahead.
If you, the bride and the bridesmaids are staying together the night before the wedding, ensure the bride has everything she needs and is relaxed. Maybe open a bottle of bubbles or two, but don’t go crazy a clear head in the morning is required for all.
On the day of the wedding
Getting Ready
The maid of honour is the chief bridesmaid she can delegate roles to the other bridesmaids, and we suggest that you do! Let each bridesmaid know what they need to do and when. Other jobs during this time include:
1. Assisting the bride in getting ready.
2. Help with accessories and dress fittings as needed.
3. Make sure that all of the bridesmaids are ready and on time.
4. Have an emergency kit. This should include safety pins, plasters, blister pads and more.
5. Receive the flowers and check them.
The Wedding Ceremony
Traditionally the maid of honour, bridesmaids and the bride’s mum travel to the ceremony together, leaving ten minutes before the bride to see her arrive. Once the bride has arrived, the Maid of honour will have one last chance to make sure the bride looks fabulous!
Walking down the aisle
In the UK, the bride and her father traditionally walk down the aisle first, leading the procession of bridesmaids, flower girls, and pageboys, but many couples now prefer the American format of the bridesmaids leading the way. During the ceremony, the maid of honour jobs include:
1. Holding the bride’s bouquet.
2. Giving a reading.
3. Being a witness.
4. Looking after the flower girl(s) and page boy(s).
The Reception
1. Keep the day on track.
2. Stand in the receiving line.
3. Give a speech.
4. Safely receive and store all wedding gifts.
5. Round up friends and family for group photos.
Keeping the day on track can be hard! Liaise with the venues wedding planner if they have one, or the couples wedding planner or day coordinator. You need to be updated with the timings and made aware if anything is delayed. If the couple did not choose to have a planner or a day coordinator, it’s down to you to speak with all the suppliers. While being Maid of Honor can be a lot of work, it is also a great honour and an unforgettable experience. Just remember to delegate!
