Maid of Honor Duties

Thanks to this free printable maid of honor checklist, you can make sure you nail all of your duties without all the stress. Click here to download this free PDF!

1. Be accessible; no matter how many times the bride calls you in tears about the napkins, listen and console her. Try to come up with solutions to fix the issue; you want to make her wedding as stress-free as possible. This is possibly the most important of your maid of honor duties.
2. Create inspiration boards for the bride.
3. Attend any meetings the bride requests; cake tasting, florist, catering etc.
4. Go dress shopping with the bride.
5. Go dress shopping with the bridesmaids.
6. Spread the news of the couple's registry.
7. Make your contact information accessible for out-of-town guests for any last-minute emergencies. Many forget that their maid of honor duties consist of helping the bride with guests.
8. Keep track of the bridesmaids throughout the entire planning process and on the day of; make sure they have their dresses, shoes, and jewelry on time and know where to be for all events.
9. Help address envelopes, pack favors etc.
10. Plan a bridal shower about two months before the wedding (see next section).
11. Record all gifts given at the bridal shower.
12. Collect the bows from the gifts to make a "bowquet" for the rehearsal.
13. Throw a bachelorette party. This is another very important part of your maid of honor duties!

Never planned a bridal shower before? No worries - just use this handy printable bridal shower checklist to make sure that you cover all the bases. Click here to download this free PDF!

1. Handle any last-minute crises; make sure that these all go through you, not the bride!
2. Have an emergency kit containing bobby pins, acetaminophen, lotion, tissues, a copy of her vows, mints, stain remover, mascara, face wipes, oil blotters, lipstick, fabric tape, antacids, floss, and deodorant.
3. Have contact information for all vendors and bridesmaids
4. Make sure all bridesmaids are at the venue and made up correctly on time.
5. Help the bride dress.
6. Wrangle up the bridal party and make sure everyone is where they need to be before the ceremony begins, this includes the flower girl and ring bearer.
7. Bustle the bride's train once she is situated.
8. Hold the groom's ring during the ceremony.
9. Hold the bride's bouquet during the ceremony.
10. Sign the marriage license as a witness.
11. Stand in the receiving line, if the bride requests.
12. Direct guests as needed and collect any cards or gifts that aren't placed on the gift table.
13. Enter the reception hall with the rest of the bridal party.
14. Give a toast (see below).
15. Dance and encourage others to do so!
16. Make sure the bride eats and has a good time.
17. Help the bride change out of her dress, and have her honeymoon bag ready.

One of the most nerve-wracking tasks on your list of maid of honor duties is the big speech. Learn how to write the perfect maid of honor speech that will wow the crowd!

Now that you’ve gone through this maid of honor checklist, you’ll want to learn how the tradition of having a maid of honor got started. In the United Kingdom, the maid of honor was actually the female attendant to the queen, not her closest or special girlfriend as they are known to be today. In fact, if the queen’s head attendant was married, she’d be referred to as the matron of honor rather than a maid.

Maids of Honor were usually meant to help out with parts of the wedding the bride was unable to handle just as they are known to do today. However, the duties were much more strenuous under the queen as a bride, who was not expected to do any of the work or planning for herself. If you’re looking at these tips and finding all the work overwhelming, just remember that you could be a servant to the queen!