By: Veronika Lazabal
Here’s a bridesmaid 101 look at the duties of a maid of honor…
Her veil! Her train! Her flowers! Now you know why they call it being the Maid of honor… But do you need a little guidance on just what it means to be la dama de honor? Luckily for you, we’ve got maid of honor checklist just for you.
First and foremost: Congratulations! Obviously, the bride must think you’re pretty darned cool if she asked you to be her “wingman” on the biggest day of her life.
In general, your job as maid of honor entails catering to the stressed out bride—helping her with whatever she needs, offering emotional support, and keeping her sane. (Not an easy task, especially when she’s probably contemplating hoping on the next plane to Vegas) Depending on the bride in question, those maid of honor duties may include accompanying her on shopping trips and dress fittings, putting together centerpieces, or helping decide the color and flavor of the third tier on her cake.
But perhaps the most important maid of honor duties are to run interference between the bride, the guests, and the bridal party. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Introduce yourself early on in the wedding process. (The engagement party is always a good time to let everyone know who you are) Give guests your phone number, and let them know that they should call you, and not the bride, if they have any questions about the venue, registry, etc.
- If the couple is expecting out of town guests, familiarize yourself with the area where the reception is going to be held, and send out an email letting them know that you’re taking on the maid of honor duties. Nearby hotel and restaurant information is always helpful.
- Maid of honor 101 dictates that you stay on top of the bridal party! Make sure that all of the bridesmaids have been fitted for their dresses, everyone shows up to the rehearsals on time, and (if it’s an out of town wedding) that everyone makes their travel arrangements when they should.
- On the day of the wedding, help ensure that things run as smoothly as possible—and that your girl is enjoying herself. That means adjusting her train while she dances, making sure her dress looks faboo for pictures, passing her the powder when her nose looks shiny, and reminding her to take a sec and eat.
