#WeddingWednesday: Ultimate Maid of Honor Guide

First off, happy #weddingwednesday to all of my brides out there! It has been a little while since my last #ww post, but good news! it's back in full swing! I teamed up with WeddingWire to bring you this blog post. Choosing a MOH is a big deal, you have to pick one of your lucky bffs who have always been there for you and one you can trust to not make your Bachelorette party or Bridal shower so... you know what I mean. So this weeks post is something all of my brides can benefit from. There are always lots of questions as to who does what when planning a wedding and how much should the MOH or bridesmaids help out. Honestly, it is TOTALLY up to you how much you want them to be involved and really comes down to how much help you actually need.Below are a few duties every MOH (congrats!) should go ahead and prepare to be in charge of:

Pre-Wedding:

• Attend all of the big shopping trips! 
  • Your MOH should be there for all of the major trips like wedding dress shopping! I value my MOH's opinion, especially in a fashionable way, so I definitely wanted her there with me when I found THE ONE. I also had my mom and 6/8 bridesmaids there too.
• Always be willing to listen and offer suggestions.
  • I know I probably annoy the heck out of my MOH because every day I am texting her with something new about my wedding. She could say "all you talk about is wedding stuff", "not again" or "it's not even my wedding", but she doesn't. She understands and that is an important part of choosing a MOH. I try not to ask a lot of my MOH because she has a lot on her plate with the Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party but sometimes you need a couple suggestions from other people in order to make the right decision!
• Help pick out the bridesmaids dresses!
  • This is a big must! You want everyone to love the dress and feel amazing in it, just like you feel in your wedding dress. This should be the first major task of your MOH since you typically buy the bridesmaids dresses early in the game.
• Be the point of contact for your bridesmaids.
  • If your bridesmaids have simple questions throughout the wedding planning process, turn them to your MOH. Make sure she has all of the answers to all of the basic questions so you (as the bride) are not bombarded with texts every other day. My bridal party and I are all in a group chat and I promise it helps tremendously because I stay up-to-date and so is everyone else!
• Plan the Bachelorette Party!
  • Now to the fun part! Something all of the bridal party should work together on and the bride should have no clue about (unless you're like me because you are a control freak!). They have full reign of planning how amazing your last hoooo-raaa will be! Whether they plan a trip to Vegas or you are sitting beachside all weekend, the party should reflect your personality and what better way than the people closest to you planning it!
• Help Co-Host the Bridal Shower!
  • Your MOH should be helping whoever is in charge of hosting your bridal shower. In my case, my mom is in charge and my MOH/some of my bridesmaids are helping out with the details. Just like the Bachelorette party, the shower should reflect the brides personality and the bride should not have any part of planning.

Day Of:

• Bring an emergency kit for the bride. 
  • This is a must! Every bride is emotional on their wedding day from the time they wake up until the end of the night. An emergency kit prepared by the MOH is essential with items from bandaids to bobby pins, and of course we can't forget tissues.
• KEEP THE BRIDE CALM!
  • This is most likely the biggest day of her life and with that comes nerves and anxiety. It's the bridal parties responsibility to keep the mood light and relaxed!
• Walk down the aisle.
  • This is your debut as MOH, so strut. it. out. making your way down the aisle. All your hard work and commitment has paid off and you can finally relax and chug have a few cocktails.
• Help with the bouquet, train, veil. Hold the Grooms ring.
  • Make sure everything looks great from behind especially for photos being taken. The MOH is also responsible for holding the bouquet and grooms ring while the ceremony is in progress.
• Sign as witness!
  • Woo hoo! They're married, and you thought your job was done! Not yet... now you get to sign the marriage license as a witness.
• Help the Bride use the restroom.
  • Ha! I had to put this one in here because we all know the struggle!
• Make a Toast! 
  • Typically, the best man and MOH make a toast to the bride and groom congratulating them, telling funny stories from the past, and giving well wishes.
• Dance it out! 
  • Everyone had such a great (and stress-free day!) and now it's time to part-eeeeeeey with the new Mr. and Mrs.

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To read the whole list of Ultimate Maid of Honor Duties Checklist from WeddingWire, click here. I added in my own personal experiences as of now in my planning process. For me, this has been such a smooth ride planning my wedding with the help of my Mom (v thankful!) and Maid of Honor/bridal party. They have been such a HUGE help with certain tasks and I am very thankful for each and every one of you. Even though we have less than three months to go with a lot of items to still check-off the list,  I know I have a great support team.I hope everyone has a great rest of their week!