A sister, friend, or someone else that’s very close has just gotten engaged and, as exciting as it is already, they’ve asked you to be their bridesmaid and, what’s more, their chief bridesmaid (or maid of honour, in some circles.) It’s such an honour that it’s all too easy to jump in and say ‘yes’ but, after that, you have to realise that the title comes with some real responsibilities and expectations, too. Here, we’re going to look at what the main ones are.
Helping with the wedding plans
There’s a very good chance, as is traditional with most weddings, it seems, that the bride is going to be doing the brunt of the wedding planning. You should be there to help her in whatever way she needs. This might mean going to wedding fairs with her, checking up on vendors, picking up deliveries, and leaving messages for her. Sound advice is always a good idea but you want to make sure that you’re there to facilitate the bride’s plans and wants, not to inject your own style in there too much.
Keeping the other bridesmaids organised
As the chief bridesmaid, you are not just the bride’s chief helper, but you are also quite literally chief amongst the bridesmaids. That means that you should take on the work of things like organising them for dress fittings and making sure they all get ready and make it to the wedding a-okay so that the bride doesn’t have to worry too much about keeping them all in line. This means getting them together for things that shouldn’t involve the bride’s consent or knowledge, such as throwing a bridal shower. If the bridesmaids have any issues or questions, they should be going to you first, rather than the bride-to-be.
Putting together the hen-do
Of course, the most exciting and clandestine duty of all is to plan the hen-do party. It’s a good idea to make sure that you pick one that matches the bride’s personality and what she would really want, and to avoid letting your own perfect hen-do get in the way of that. Choosing the right accommodation like hen party houses, getting the money together from all of the bridesmaids and attendees chipping in, putting together the invite list (with some help from the bride, of course), and planning the itinerary all fall down to you. Of course, most of all, you want the bride-to-be to have fun.
Be there on the big day
When the wedding day arrives, you’re going to be the right-hand lady of the bride-to-be. This means being there if she needs support, practical, emotional, or otherwise. You should also be there to help her with her dress and with things like getting in and out of vehicles. An emergency brides kit with things like makeup and dress fixes will be essential as well.
Being a chief bridesmaid is exciting! Just don’t forget, amongst all of that, you have a real role to play. In doing so, you can be an invaluable friend to the bride, which she will appreciate forever.
This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links