What Does A Maid of Honour Do? A Quick Guide

The maid of honor is one of the lesser spoken about roles at a wedding. Often, they're looked at as 'a a bridesmaid' that shows up and stands beside their friend, the bride-to-be, looking beautiful. Being a maid of honor goes much deeper than that - some may even argue a maid of honor is nearly as vital to a wedding as the bride or groom!

What Does A Maid of Honour Do?

First and foremost, a maid of honor is considered the 'head of the bridesmaids' - essentially coordinating the bridesmaids and keeping them organized ahead of the wedding. This traditionally includes organizing and planning a bridal shower and bachelorette party, among other things. Before the wedding ceremony, the maid of honor has the responsibility of helping the bride get into her wedding gown and any wedding day accessories. At the wedding reception, it's traditionally expected that the maid of honor will give a speech or make a toast to her BFF (the bride!) to celebrate the marriage. Sometimes a bridesmaid may even be asked to be a witness in signing the marriage license too. On the wedding day, the maid of honor is often looked to as the peacekeeper & calm bringer, among other things. The MOH traditionally finds herself responsible for keeping things on track from the bride's bride's side and ensuring that the bride is calm and everyone is getting along and staying on task on the big day.

Throughout the entire process of the engagement and eventual wedding day, the maid of honor essentially becomes the bride's right-hand woman. The MOH is there to help alleviate stress, make decisions, and often coordinate things for the bride where needed. There may also be additional duties a bride may ask of her MOH, including helping to pick out the wedding gown. Still, it depends on the individual bride's wants and needs surrounding the wedding day and the lead up to it. The maid of honor essentially becomes a support system for the bride throughout the wedding process and all things involved.

What's the difference between a maid of honor and a matron of honor?

In terms of duties and expectations, there is no difference. The only actual difference is that an unmarried woman is referred to as the maid of honor while a married woman is referred to as a matron of honor, kind of like Ms or Mrs in titles.

Who can be a maid of honor?

The traditional answer to this generally tends to be a bride's sister or closest friend, but it can be virtually anyone in today's world. It can be a family member, a friend, or anyone else. It doesn't necessarily need to be a woman anymore. Many brides have chosen a close male friend as the person next to them on their wedding day.

How Is A Maid of Honour Chosen?

The process behind choosing a maid of honor will be a massive decision for a bride at her wedding. The person chosen to be MOH is considered the person' closest to the bride' to be at her side on the wedding day. With all of the responsibilities that come with being a maid of honor and the time and effort that needs to be put in, most brides will lean towards a family member or friend. Someone who is incredibly trustworthy, reliable, and capable of working under pressure; wedding days tend to be quite hectic and take a lot of moving parts is planned out ahead of time to run smoothly. The maid of honor will play a significant role in that.

When it comes to the wedding day, the maid of honor tends to become a jack of all trades, an all-rounder who will have to help out in many ways, but it's always worth it; being the support system for their closest friend creates some beautiful memories on one of the best days of a bride's life!