Being a brides maid of honor is truly just that an amazing honor from one of your closest friends. At some point, though, the laughter, hugs, and glasses of champagne will fade. Then, the responsibility of holding the maid of honor title can become overwhelming. You already came with your bestie to find her dress. Then, youattended all of her fittings. You found the bridesmaids dresses. You’ve helped her coordinate the hundreds of minute details that must be hammered out before the wedding day approaches. After all of this, being the maid of honor can seem like quite the task! Plus, when the big day arrives, the job is far from done. Keep these five maid of honor tips in mind to make the day-of a breeze for you and your bride!
5 MAID OF HONOR TIPS
Here are our top maid of honor tips to keep in mind!
1. Bring a day-of essentials kit
Every bride has a doomsday scenario, whether its forgetting the ring or finding a tear in her veil. The maid of honor should plan for any of these unforeseen events. Pack a day-of essentials kit that can include virtually anything, from Band-Aids to bottles of water for staying hydrated throughout the day. The Knot has an extensive wedding day essentials checklist to help cover all the bases.
2. Schedules are a maid of honor’s friend
Keeping a day-of agenda on-hand can be a lifesaver for any maid of honor, especially when trying to keep everyone on track during hair and make-up, and during the brides prep. Keeping one eye on the clock will help everyone avoid stress as the day goes on. To keep yourself and others in the loop, establish yourself as a point of contact for the day. Give your phone number out to everyone involved in planning, including vendors!
3. Know how to bustle
Coming with the bride for her final fitting is a must-do for any maid of honor, because its the perfect time to practice, practice, practice bustling the gown. Every bustle is different, and can be as simple as three hooks, or as confusing as 5 hooks on each layer plus ties! Have the seamstress walk you through bustling the gown, and make sure she leaves instructions in the garment bag.
4. Deliver an amazing reception speech
Everyone who has been a maid of honor has dreaded the reception speech. Delivering a speech about how much you love the bride and everything you both have gone through during your friendship is an intimidating thought. It’s actually a great opportunity to say the things you wouldnt normally say to your best friend. This is your chance to talk about how amazing they are, how theyve been there for you through everything, and how truly happy you are for them. If you find yourself getting nervous, pretend that youre just talking to your friend!
5. Be an emotional life raft
The best way you can be there for the bride on the big day is to take care of everything she needs to stay emotionally happy and unstressed by everything happening around her. Bring her coffee in the morning to keep her caffeinated and pack some mints for the ceremony. Keep tissues on hand in case she has some pre-ceremony tears. What both of you will remember after the events of the day are the small gestures that kept the day happy, hopeful and breezy. Once the reception gets underway, you both can relax and enjoy the dancing, food and fun! For more tips on your maid of honor duties, take a peek at this great infographic from Maggie Sottero about all of the jobs coming your way!