Dos and Don’ts for the Maid of Honor
Do: Offer to help the bride. Planning a wedding is a huge job, and no one should have to do it all alone. Be a good maid of honor by offering to help your bride with jobs large and small. See if she needs someone to pick up her grandmother at the airport for her bridal shower or offer to help her address and stamp the wedding invitations. Talk to florists with her, go with her to shop for wedding jewelry and her bridal gown, and help her tie ribbons on favor boxes. It’s all part of the job of being a best friend or sister, let alone a maid of honor too.
Don’t: Push your opinions on her. If there is one piece of wedding advice all maids of honor need, it is not to overwhelm the bride with opinions. Sure, she values your input, but it is still her wedding, not yours. A good maid of honor will listen and help the bride plan her idea of the perfect wedding, not what the maid of honor thinks is perfect. If people start calling you a “maidzilla”, you know it is time to back off!
Do: Give suggestions for the bridesmaid dresses and jewelry. Picking a bridesmaid dress can be a very stressful job for a bride. She has a vision in mind, she wants your dresses to match her dresses, she wants you all to like it, and so forth. Finding one dress that meets all these requirements and is also flattering and affordable is a monumental task. Ask the bride what she is generally interested in seeing the bridesmaids wear, and then help her out by finding some samples for her to check out.
Don’t: Act like the final choice about the bridesmaid dresses is yours. Being made of honor does not give you the final say about what the bridesmaid dresses will be. That decision can only be made by the bride. Give her your input, but understand that in the end, being maid of honor means wearing whatever dress your friend the bride chooses. Being a great maid of honor means telling the bride you love the dress she chose, no matter what you privately may think of it!
Filed under Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: bridesmaid dresses, Bridesmaid Jewelry, maid of honor, wedding advice | Comment (0)Make Your Maid of Honor Special
The maid of honor is a very important part of a wedding. She is the top honor attendant, and as such is often dressed or accessorized in a way that sets her apart from the rest of the bridal party. These are some ways to make your honor extra special for your wedding.
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to distinguish your maid of honor is by selecting special attire for her. If the rest of your bridesmaids will be wearing the same dress, select one for your maid of honor which is similar, but not the same. For instance, your bridesmaids could wear an A-line dress and your maid of honor could wear the same style and color with a fuller skirt. Or keep the cut of the skirt the same, but choose a different neckline for your best girl. If the bridal party wears strapless gowns, your honor attendant can be clad in a beautiful portrait neckline dress to set her apart.
It is customary for the bride to give her wedding party sets of bridesmaid jewelry as their wedding gifts. Part of the tradition is to treat the maid of honor with a gift which is similar, but a bit more special. Let’s say that you have decided to give your attendants crystal earrings and necklaces for their bridesmaid jewelry sets; splurge on your maid of honor by treating her to the matching bracelet as well. The idea is something which is similar, but extra special, just as your head attendant is extra special.
Flowers can be another way to show the prominence of your chief bridesmaid. Typically, the bride’s bouquet will be larger and more costly than the ones she has made for her wedding party. As a way to distinguish your maid of honor, make her bouquet somewhere in between for size. You might also choose to have her flowers more similar to your own. Of course, whatever you opt to do for the ceremony, she will already be set apart in the way which matters the most: the honor of being asked to be your maid of honor.
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: bridesmaid jewelry sets, maid of honor | Comment (0)Should the Mother of the Bride Be Her Mom-of-Honor?
Without a doubt, being asked to be the maid or matron of honor in a wedding is a major compliment. After all, it is the bride’s way of saying that you are one of the most special and trusted people in her life. If the bride’s mom is the woman with whom she has the strongest bond, she may well wish to elevate her role in the wedding ceremony from simply mother of the bride to “mom-of-honor”.
Having a mom-of-honor tends to work very well when the wedding party is small. If the bride has only one person standing up with her, it is lovely for it to be her mom. In fact, while having one’s mother as the chief honor attendant is fairly rare, it is actually rather common for the groom to choose his father as the best man. When your mom is the only honor attendant, it makes things simple. She can select any dress she likes, pick out sophisticated bridesmaid jewelry, and choose between a bouquet and a corsage.
However, if you plan on having a large group of bridesmaids, it can be a little awkward to have your mother double as the maid of honor. This is not to say that you should not do it; just be sure to think through the logistics carefully beforehand. If your idea of the role of the wedding party is essentially to show up and look pretty for the ceremony, there should be no problem with having your mother in the group. On the other hand, brides who picture their engagement as including a bachelorette weekend in Vegas and a couple of last wild girls’ nights out might feel a bit funny about having their mothers along for the ride. Certainly, you could exclude her from events which are geared towards your contemporaries, but generally speaking, any wedding-related event should include your whole bridal party (well, except for the flower girl). Just be certain that you would be comfortable either omitting these types of events or having them without a maid of honor present.
When the bride’s mother is the matron of honor, she should coordinate with the other bridesmaids, but still dress appropriately for her age and important status. It actually is not so hard to pull this off gracefully, because even when all the bridesmaids wear the same dress, it is quite common to have the maid of honor dress in a way that distinguishes her key role. Select a dress for your mother in the same color and fabric as the younger ladies, but allow her to select a style that is comfortable for her. As for the bridesmaid jewelry gifts, it is customary to give the honor attendant something more elaborate than the rest of the group, so don’t worry about matching the gift for your mom to those of the other bridesmaids. Simply pick out something that you know she will like.
Filed under Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: Bridesmaid Jewelry, maid of honor, mother of the bride | Comment (0)Meaningful Maid of Honor Gifts
Your maid of honor is more than just another bridesmaid. She is your best friend, dear sister, or both. She is the one that holds your hand right before you walk down the aisle and helps you hold it together when the wedding planning is driving you crazy. Thank her for all that she does with a meaningful maid of honor gift.
Many brides will give their maid of honor a gift that is similar to what she has chosen for the rest of her bridesmaids. The idea is to give your best girl something that is in the same vein, but a cut above.
For instance, if you give your bridal party bridesmaid jewelry sets handcrafted with pearls and crystals in sterling silver, for your maid of honor you could look at sets of bridesmaid jewelry created in 14kt gold. Another idea is to give your bridesmaids a beautiful necklace and earring set to match their dress, and to add the matching bracelet to the gift for your maid of honor.
It is always best if you can inject a personal touch into the gift that you choose for your maid of honor. This will show her that you put a great deal of thought into her present, and will demonstrate how much you care for her.
Whatever you choose for your maid-of-honor, be sure that it is something that she will enjoy for years. Choose a gift with last value, like bridesmaid jewelry, instead of one like concert tickets that is a one-time thing. You want her to look at her gift and be reminded of the special times that you shared when she was the maid of honor at your wedding.
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry | Tags: Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, bridesmaid jewelry sets, maid of honor | Comment (0)Choosing Your Maid of Honor
Once you become engaged, it is time to start deciding the details of your wedding. The list of choices that must be made is practically endless. One of the first decisions that you should make is who will be your maid of honor. That way, you will have a friend to help you survive the wedding planning process.
Traditional jobs of the maid of honor include planning a bridal shower and coordinating with the other attendants, if there is to be a group gift, assisting the bride with the wedding planning, and making sure that the bride’s gown is safely returned to her home after the wedding. Unwritten, but equally important, responsibilities include helping the bride maintain her sanity and keeping the other bridesmaids organized.
Usually the bride will ask her sister to be her maid of honor, even if they are not especially close. It is much easier to explain to your best friend that you feel obligated to ask your sister to be your maid of honor than it is to tell your sister that you chose your best friend over her because you prefer your friend’s company.
After you have chosen your maid of honor, it is time to start the wedding planning. One of the aspects that will be of the most interest to her is the bridesmaid dresses. Take her shopping with you, and allow your maid of honor to be involved in the decision. That way, at least one of your attendants will like the dress, and will defend your choice to the other bridesmaids!
Your attendants will also need bridesmaid jewelry to complete their look. A wonderful idea is to give it to them as a gift before the wedding. You can have custom bridesmaid jewelry sets handmade to match their dresses.
Picking the right maid of honor will make your wedding run smoothly and be more enjoyable. It is a very special honor, and the woman that you ask will no doubt be delighted to know how important she is to you. Choose someone who knows you well and makes you laugh; her support will be invaluable in getting you to the altar felling happy and relaxed.
Filed under Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, Wedding Planning | Tags: Bridesmaid Gifts, Bridesmaid Jewelry, maid of honor, Wedding Planning | Comment (0)