Maid of Honor Duties

Those chosen to serve as a maid of honor at a wedding ceremony are agreeing to not only occupy a place of honor, but they are also taking on a few responsibilities. While tradition dictates a very few duties for the maid of honor, popular culture might add on a few more than she maybe bargained for. It’s important for a maid of honor to take cues from the bride on how much or little she should become involved before, during and after the ceremony.

Maid of honor duties tend to fall into three major classes: before the wedding, at the wedding and after the wedding. The different duties of the maid of honor during each stage can include:

Before: Maid of honor duties prior to the wedding might include helping round up attendants for dress fittings, assisting the bride in picking out the gowns and even hosting a shower, bachelorette party or more. It’s up to the maid of honor to figure how much or little a bride might want her involvement. It can be a delicate road to hoe, but one the bride will appreciate greatly. Examples of pre-wedding things a maid of honor might take on to help out include such things as booking hair and nail appointments for the wedding day morning, ensuring everyone has their gowns and even assisting in other parts of the planning.

During: Maid of honor responsibilities at the wedding include standing as witness to the ceremony and also holding the bouquet during the exchange of vows. Beyond that, the maid of honor responsibilities might also include helping to ensure everyone is lined up and ready to go at the appointed time. A maid of honor might also be asked to recite a poem, sing a song or something similar depending on the ceremony type and the bride’s personal requests.

After: After the wedding, maid of honors duties to the bride to be might include signing the marriage certificate as a witness, posing for photographs and perhaps even giving a speech or toast at the reception. She, too, along with the rest of the bridal party might be expected to dance a special dance.

Duties of a maid of honor can range, but in general they include anything that might help make the planning and the actual day go more smoothly for the bride. It is important for the maid of honor to wait for cues from the bride before getting too involved. Some brides do it all themselves, others would like their maid of honor with them every step of the way. It’s the maid of honors duty to determine how much or little she’s needed before, during and after the ceremony.