Being asked to be the maid of honour is exciting and a huge privilege. You’ve not only been picked for this role because you’re a great friend, but you also possess the right traits to live up to the responsibility. After all, there are many maid of honour duties that you’ll need to tick off in the coming months of your bestie’s engagement.
So what are they?
Maid of honour duties are many and varied and largely depend on the bride’s wishes. From organising the hen’s party to a speech at the wedding, being a maid of honour is the ultimate mark of friendship.
While maid of honour duties vary from person to person, there are a few standard expectations from all chief bridesmaids. Here are the five most common maid of honour duties to be aware of.
Assist with wedding planning
When you’re first asked to be the maid of honour, be prepared that you might also be delegated a few wedding planning tasks. Planning a wedding is a massive job and the bride and groom will hand some things over to the people they trust the most. That’s you.
While you’re opinion matters to the bride, at the end of the day, this is about what she wants, not what you want. If you’re tasked with something to organise for the wedding, make sure you listen to the bride’s wishes, even if you think you have a better idea.
You’ve been chosen as the maid of honour because of your close ties to the bride. But you’ve also been chosen because you’re reliable. Live up to this expectation and assist with wedding planning wherever possible.
Taking charge of organising hen’s party
Organising the hen’s party is a job for all bridesmaids but, as maid of honour, you’ll take the reins and have overall say on the event’s activities.
Be sure to listen to the bride’s wishes regarding what she wants for the day. If she’s specifically requested a low-key event, don’t go throwing her a raging party just because you think it’d be more fun.
Take charge of the hen’s party planning and delegate tasks to other bridesmaids to ensure the event comes together nicely and everyone feels included in its organisation.
Helping the bride get ready and keeping her calm
Wedding day jitters can affect even the calmest of brides. Even if the bride believes wholeheartedly that she won’t experience nerves on her wedding day, there’s a high chance she will at some point.
Be there to ease her nerves. Make her laugh. Ensure she stays hydrated. Make her chamomile tea if you have to.
Whatever it is that you need to do to keep your best friend calm, make sure you do it for her on her wedding day.
The bride may also need help getting into her wedding dress. Fiddly buttons and fussy fabric are typical of wedding dresses and most brides need some assistance. Keep in mind that this is the gown of her dreams, so take your time. The last thing the bride wants is a wardrobe malfunction on the most special day of her life.
Signing the marriage license
As maid of honour, you’ll be asked to sign the marriage license as a witness. This is an imperative part of a wedding ceremony as it legally binds the couple as husband and wife.
This may seem like a quick and easy task but you need to be aware of how important your signature is in making the marriage official.
Treat this job as a huge honour, because it is. If there’s a signing table set up, take the time to sit down and sign the license carefully. Don’t stand next to the table and scribble your name quickly. The bride will want to see that you take her marriage seriously and you support her in this new chapter of her life.
Saying a speech at the wedding reception
Ahhh, wedding speeches. We’ve all witnessed a shocker or two in the past. Don’t be this person.
It’s important to remember that a wedding speech is not a 21st speech. While it’s always good to add some humorous anecdotes in a wedding speech, don’t go overboard and turn it into an all-out roast on the bride!
Being asked to say a wedding speech is an honour in itself. As the bride will have very little clue about the content of your speech, she is putting complete faith in you that you will do her justice when it comes time for speeches.
Be funny, be sentimental and, above all, understand that this is the most important day of your best friend’s life. Say a speech that she will remember for all the right reasons.
Witnessing the closeness of a bride and her maid of honour is something truly special and we’re lucky to see this so often here at Markovina Vineyard Estate. This unwavering relationship is something that all brides will keep close to their heart which is why maid of honours need to take their duties seriously.
Wedding season is here and we’re busy helping all our couples plan their weddings
As an all-inclusive venue, we take care of all the major tasks in wedding planning.
We provide an exceptional food and beverage menu, decorations and music and lighting.
We also only host one wedding per day to ensure our couples have use of the full estate grounds.
There is so much to organise when planning a wedding so let us make it easier for you. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you create the wedding of your dreams.
