5 Essential MOH Responsibilities
A Primer for Your Maid of Honor
When you've been asked to be maid of honor at someone's wedding, you may not know what exactly will be expected of you. Your maid of honor responsibilities will begin long before the big day; but with the right attitude and the right team of bridesmaids, your maid of honor experience will be one you'll never forget. Read on to learn more about what your maid of honor responsibilities include.
- Bring the bridesmaids together. With most bridal parties, the people chosen are from different stages, or aspects, of the bride and groom’s lives. Sometimes, they live in different cities or states (or even countries), and have perhaps never even met each other. Therefore, someone needs to be in charge of coordinating with everyone, and this usually falls under the maid of honor responsibilities. Get a list of email addresses and phone numbers of each bridesmaid and send it out, and help coordinate everyone’s schedules (who live in proximity to each other) in order to go shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses. Figure out times that work with everyone’s schedules for key pre-wedding events such as showers, bachelorette parties, and accessories shopping. If you are not a detail-oriented, organized person, this will pose some difficulty. Ask for some help, but make it a point to do your best.
- Help with the logistics of the bridal shower. Some consider the bridal shower as one of the maid of honor duties, but it should not necessarily fall on her shoulders. Sometimes, the mother of the bride, or the mother of the groom, wants to throw the shower; sometimes it is a close older friend (someone who is like a second mother to the bride). Depending on your age, you may not have the proper space for throwing something as large as a shower, so do not feel obligated. However, do help in whatever ways you can. Another great option is having each bridesmaid bring a dish or dessert so that the expense, cooking and food preparation does not fall on one person’s shoulders.
- Plan the bachelorette party. First, find out exactly what the bride wants for her bachelorette party. Does she want a wild night out, or an intimate time in? If it is the latter, plan an evening of pedicures and wine. If she wants a night on the town, make reservations for dinner and figure out where to go dancing!
- Plan a speech. Maid of Honor Speeches are a special part of the reception. This is your chance to put into words how happy you are for the new couple, and to verbally share in their joy. This is also an opportunity to emphasize how special the bride is to you. You have been chosen as the maid of honor because you are a sister (or like a sister) to her. You will undoubtedly have some special memories to share, and funny stories to make everyone laugh. Your enthusiasm should be contagious. Set the tone and excitement for the festivities with your speech!
- Be an extension of the bride. This is perhaps the most important of the maid of honor responsibilities. You are the second pair of eyes and ears for the bride. When the whole celebration is over, you are the person she will go to in order to get all of your feedback. (The bride simply cannot take in every little detail, but will want to hear about everything afterwards!) She will want to know about interesting conversations you heard, the coffee bar that she did not get a chance to try, and the funny thing that happened on the dance floor that she missed. If you need to, write everything down!
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