Maid of Honor-what an honor!

Hi all, Katie here!
This past weekend one of my best friends, who I have mentioned before because she is planning her wedding, asked me to be her maid of honor. I was actually a little surprised she didn’t ask one of her oldest friends, who is also a bridesmaid, but when she explained she told me that she thought my organizational and planning capabilities would be very helpful to her, and I would probably be doing a lot of that any way. I am very honored to be her maid of honor, and it brought a few tears to my eyes as my heart filled with pride and happiness to be such a big part of her day. As we all get older and move away, it’s difficult to maintain strong relationships with your close friends, and her asking me to be so involved her in her big day made me feel like I am important to her and that made me feel really good.

Once the emotions settled down, I got to thinking about what a maid of honor really does…plan a bridal shower and/or bachelorette party? Help with the organizing of the big day, and be present to assist the bride with whatever her needs are on the day of? Give a speech/toast at the reception (eep!)? A quick Google search revealed the following:
• Coordinate with the bridesmaids. This could include keeping them informed about fittings, pre-wedding parties, or anything else they need to know.

• Host a shower with the help of the bridesmaids. This includes planning, setting up, and splitting the costs.

• Host, plan, and set up the bachelorette party with the help of the bridesmaids.

• Pay for your wedding day attire. This includes your dress, jewelry, and shoes. The bridal party is responsible for purchasing their own attire; occasionally a very generous and thoughtful bride will purchase these items for you, but don’t bet the farm on it.

• Help the bride shop for wedding dresses, or at least offer.

• Keep the groom’s ring during the wedding ceremony.

• Arrange the bride’s train at appropriate point in ceremony, if needed.

• Hold the bride’s bouquet during the ceremony vows. (Be sure to give it back before she trots back up the aisle!)

• Arrange the receiving line after the ceremony, if applicable.

• Sign the marriage license if needed.

• Toast the bride and groom if given an opportunity-this could be at the rehearsal dinner or at the wedding reception.

• Help where needed at reception; make sure bride has a chance to eat and drink something.

This is actually the shortest list I found with the most common responsibilities. Other lists included many more, such as making sure all the other bridesmaids are prepared and on time, especially on the day of, directing guests and gifts at the reception and playing hostess, making sure the bouquets and corsages are given to the appropriate people, assist the photographer, etc.

Whew! That is a lot to take care of! Basically do anything that needs to be taken care of so the bride doesn’t have to, since on that day she should be relaxed and enjoying every moment. The two biggies that I forgot about are carrying the groom’s ring, and witnessing the signing of the marriage license. Those are BIG responsibilities! Everyone always jokes about forgetting the rings…what if I actually did?!

Fortunately for me, my friend is pretty laid back and will probably have a very non-traditional wedding AND she is hiring a wedding planner who I am sure will guide me through most of the process and take care of a many of the details on the day of. As of right now, they don’t have a date or anything, so I am waiting for further instructions. But I am excited and looking forward to being a part of the process for her. I am sure it will be a great day and I am honored to be able to be with her as she marries her best friend.