Did you recently get asked to be a maid of honor? That’s great news! That means that the bride thought highly enough about you that she felt you would be the right person for the job. Now that you’ve accepted the role, it’s time to get a good understand on exactly what the maid of honor duties are. As the maid of honor, you’re the bride’s top assistant in the wedding planning (other than the groom of course!). And during the wedding day, you’ll be responsible for taking a leadership role. So what exactly are the responsibilities for the maid of honor? Keep reading to find out…
1. Be The Leader Of The Bridesmaids
As the maid of honor, you’re the leader of all the other bridesmaids. That means you need to stay on top of things such as ensuring they go to their dress fittings, pick up their dress on time, coordinating transportation if needed, and generally making sure the bridesmaids know what they’re doing.
You should also be the main point-of-contact between the bridesmaids and the bride. There’s no reason for all five or six girls to be constantly trying to get a hold of the bride for questions. Instead, as the maid of honor, you should try and handle most questions. Then, if there are things you can’t answer, you can speak with the bride to find out the answers and relay them back.
2. Sign The Marriage License
Along with the best man, the maid of honor is responsible for signing the marriage license as a witness to the marriage. This isn’t one of the difficult maid of honor duties, but it’s certainly one of the most important ones.
3. Be The Life Of The Party
Being the leaders of the wedding party, the maid of honor and best man are responsible for being the life of the party at the wedding. This means ensuring all the bridesmaids and groomsmen are dancing and livening up the place. It also means that you’ll be on the dance floor as much as possible, and encouraging guests to get out there as well.
This is definitely a tiring duty, but it’s extremely important. The reception at the wedding venue is a celebration, and you and the best man should breathe life into it!
4. Do The Small Things And Be There For Her
This seems simple enough, but it’s an incredibly important responsibility. As the maid of honor, you’ll need to be there for her during the planning process and the day of the wedding.
She may feel overwhelmed at times and you need to be there to comfort her. It could be as simple as texting back and forth and hashing a situation out.
On the big day, her head is going to be spinning and she may make some wedding day mistakes. Be there to do the little things for her like grabbing her a bottle of water, getting her something to eat, and making sure her outfit and makeup is always on point!
She’ll absolutely appreciate you doing all these small things for her—trust us!
5. Attend All Of The Events
Before the big wedding day, there are plenty of other events that take place. One of the maid of honor duties is to attend all of these events such as the rehearsal dinner, wedding dress shopping, engagement party, bridal shower, and pretty much anything else.
6. Planning The Bachelorette Party
Before she finally says, “I do,” you and the bridesmaids need to send her off with a big bang. As far as maid of honor duties go, this one is near the top.
You’ll be responsible for planning and executing her kickass bachelorette party. It’s also commonplace for the maid of honor and bridesmaids to pay for the bachelorette party.
When you’re planning the party, make sure all the bridesmaids are aware of the costs that can go into it. You don’t want to put pressure on some of the girls that aren’t financially capable of affording such a party or trip.
Some brides will choose to be heavily involved in the process, while others might set a foundation and leave the rest up to the bridal party.
7. Ensure Things Run Smoothly
With so many things going on during the wedding day, there are bound to be moments where things don’t run smoothly. The maid of honor should try and ensure that the schedule is going according to plan.
If the bridesmaids are holding things up, it’s your responsibility to make sure they get refocused on what’s going on!
Maid Of Honor Duties – Conclusion
Sounds like a lot of work? That’s because it is! Being the maid of honor isn’t easy, but it should be rewarding. Like we said earlier, the bride obviously chose you for a number of reasons, but most of all because you’re important to her. That alone should give you the motivation to handle all of the maid of honor duties. Just remember to be there for her as much as possible during this whole process, and if she’s cranky or upset, realize that she’s likely stressed out and not mad at you.
