Being a maid of honor (MoH) is one of the most important personal honors you can have bestowed upon you. However, as the popular saying goes, ‘with great power comes great responsibility.
At first, being a maid of honor will seem like a lot of fun and it is. Once you started learning about the duties of a maid of honor, it might become less fun.
Duties of a maid of honor such as planning the bachelorette party, organizing the bridal party, being the point person for guests and hosting the bridal party should be taken seriously.
The following is how you should prepare for these duties:
Fix Your Mindset
If you have been chosen to be the maid of honor, then you should accept the responsibility and whatever comes with it. It might not seem like it but you might need some time to accept the responsibility of the role.
It might take a significant change in mindset for you to fully accept being chosen as the maid of honor. It is especially so if you have been chosen as a maid of honor for the first time.
Fixing your mindset will work much like sharpening an axe before you start chopping down a tree. Once you are in a maid of honor mindset, the rest should easily fall in place.
Learn About MoH Duties
You should learn about all the duties that a maid of honor should do. They are too many to list here but there are many resources from which you can learn.
You should appreciate the position you have begun and understand that the bride has chosen you for a special reason. Once you comprehend the importance of the MoH role, then you will happily accept the responsibility.
Not all maid of honor duties will apply to you so find out which ones do. You should make a comprehensive maid of honor duties checklist in preparation of the day. However, you can always go above and beyond to make the bride happy and the wedding even more special.
You should not let the duties overwhelm you and if you need help feel free to ask for help. Everyone needs help from time to time, especially the maid of honor.
Consult Other Maids of Honor
There is no substitute for experience and being a maid of honor is an experience that might come only once in your lifetime. Therefore, you should consult women who have been maids of honor before. They will have a lot of advice for you.
Better yet, find someone who has been a maid of honor several times in their life. It is a special group but they do exist and the insight they will have on how to be a good MoH will definitely be helpful.
You should speak to as many maids of honor as you can, especially your friends and family. Don’t take anything for granted because even a minute detail can make a large difference on the big day.
Write and Practice Your Speech
It is customary for the best man and the maid of honor to give a speech during the wedding. It is an honor that you should take very seriously especially if you are not good at giving speeches or toasts.
Therefore, you should write your speech as early as you can. Waiting for the last minute will leave you with a half-baked speech that will not impress anyone.
Read other maid of honor speeches and find out what you can learn from them. Get some help if you need it from someone who is a better writer but you will always be better suited to write from the heart.
You should also practice your speech as often as you can. The mirror will be the best tool in this regard.
Attend a Wedding
If you have been invited to be the maid of honor at a wedding, then you should attend another wedding beforehand. You should do it to watch another maid of honor in action.
Nothing helps you learn such as seeing someone else do it. Whether they are a success or a failure as a MoH, you will learn something from attending a wedding. You might have to crash a wedding if you are not invited to one.
Take notes and study them to see what made the maid of honor a good or bad one. You should use the lessons you learn to become the best maid of honor you can be.
Being a maid of honor is a great pleasure that might happen only once in your lifetime. You want to get it exactly right. There is a lot of preparation to do if you are chosen to be the maid of honor at a wedding. The above points should get you nice and ready for the big day.