What is your relationship with your Maid of Honor?

Friends make the best Maids of Honour

The maid of honour has an important role in any wedding. As well as providing practical and emotional support to the bride, she is often a witness at the ceremony itself, so it’s worth putting some thought into your choice. An Easy Weddings poll has revealed that a friend is the most popular option for a maid of honour.

Of the 2,100 people that took part in the poll, 39% reported that they were choosing a friend as their maid of honour. At 28% fewer brides said they were choosing their sister, but then not all brides would have had a sister to choose. 25% reported that their maid of honour would be another relative, while 6% chose their sister-in-law and just 2% chose their mother.

A maid of honour should be someone that is well organised as well as someone the bride gets on with very well and who can be honest with her. The maid of honour’s duties are very varied. Before the wedding she is responsible for arranging the bridal shower, kitchen tea, or hen party, and for assisting with elements of wedding planning such as sending out invites or shopping for the wedding dress. The maid of honour should also manage any bridesmaids and make sure they are present at the dress fittings and any pre-wedding events.

On the wedding day the maid of honour will be there to assist the bride in getting ready and will help her into her dress. She will lead or follow her down the aisle and will hold the bouquet during the ceremony. She may also sign the register and certificate as a witness. Her duties become more fun during the reception where tradition states that she should dance with the best man.  Some modern maids also make a speech and toast the happy couple.