It is a great honor to be asked to be someone’s bridesmaid, or their maid of honor. When you ask someone to be your bridesmaid or maid of honor, you are singling them out as someone extremely close to you, and showing them just how important they are to you. In addition to this, your friends should be excited about the possibility of being able to be such an integral part of your special day, and many can remember the day that their best friend asks them to be a part of their bridal party. So why not ask them in a way that will make them laugh, cry, or really remember the fun and unique way that you asked them to be a part of your wedding. Personally, nearly all of my bridesmaids lived far away from me. Three of my bridesmaids were my husbands sisters, one was my sister, and then a dear friend that I had in church. I simply called each of them on the phone to ask, and got all kinds of responses from disbelief to cheers and shouting. But, if you are looking for more unique ways to ask your friends to be a part of your wedding, then here are some great ideas to get you started.

Ask Your Friends to be in Your Wedding All at Once

One great way to ask your friends to be a part of your wedding is to do it all at once, so that everybody can be be surprised and get excited together. You can just come out and ask them all at one time, or find a more fun way to do it. Make homemade cards and pass them around, or maybe simply a small piece of paper rolled up like a scroll that they have to open. Pass one out to everyone and have them open it, reading a small statement about how much each of them mean to you, and if they will do you the honor of taking part in your special day. If you are going to use this method, it may be best to ask your maid of honor first so that there aren’t any hard feelings between the other girls you want to have as bridesmaids.

Ask Your Friends to be in Your Wedding with a Gift

Another great idea for asking friends to be in your wedding is to present them with some kind of gift. Maybe give them a flower with the message tied onto the stem. Your friends will love the flower, and it will remind them of what they will be carrying in your wedding. Another great gift idea is to buy them all Bridesmaid’s Shirts off of the Internet. The shirts are relatively inexpensive, and the girls should get the idea once they open the package.

However you choose to ask your bridesmaids to have a part in your wedding, don’t feel bad if one of your friends turns you down. I had a dear friend from high school turn me down due to a prior engagement, and while it was a little sad, I understood that she had a life going on in another town, and knew that she still wanted to be there. So, don’t be brokenhearted if you get a no answer, just tell her you love her and wish she could, regroup and find another bridesmaid to take her spot. If you have a favorite way that you were asked to be a bridesmaid, or way you are planning on asking your friends to be in your wedding, then please write in and let me know.

Tags: asking friends to be bridesmaids, bridesmaids, maid of honor

I had someone write in a few weeks ago with a very interesting question, that I’m sure many brides face when choosing their maid of honor or bridesmaids. This young lady had just gotten engaged, and wanted to ask a very good friend of hers to be her maid of honor, but the girl lived several hours away, and didn’t know if this would work or not. She did not want to make things difficult on her friend with a lot of traveling, and I believe she really wanted someone nearby to help her out with her wedding planning if she needed it. It was an interesting question. So the question being, should you choose a maid of honor that lives far away even though they are your best friend? I believe yes. There are plenty of things a maid of honor can do over a distance to help you out in your wedding planning, and here are just a few of them to think about.

Choosing a Wedding or Bridesmaid Dress

One of the tasks that the maid of honor is typically given is to help the bride choose the dresses that the bridesmaids will wear, as well as be with the bride when she is picking out her wedding dress. This can be done from a distance, though it may be a little difficult. For the bridesmaid dresses, ask your maid of honor to look on the Internet and/or try some dresses on to come up with some favorites for bridesmaid dresses. Then, you can easily email pictures back and forth. If you really want your maid of honor to be there when you are looking at wedding dresses, and the distance between you isn’t too far away, then plan a weekend when ya’ll can get together, and run and look and bridesmaid dresses and reception venues, and anything else you want to do with her.

Planning Bridal Showers or a Bachelorette Party

The Internet is a beautiful thing. If your maid of honor wants to throw a bridal shower or bachelorette party for you, it can still easily be done from a distance. Find a location you want (like a friend’s home or a restaurant), and then via the Internet she can easily make her reservations, buy any decorations she needs, and even send invitations to invited guests without living in the same town as you.

Being the Brides Right Hand “Man”

The basic duty of the maid of honor is to be there for the bride in whatever she may need. Your maid of honor can still do this for you if she lives farther away. By means of telephone calls you need her to make, some projects your maid of honor can do on her own out of town, and much more. Plus, she should be with you a few days before the wedding so you can get some help and friend time before the wedding as well.

When my husband and I got married, his best friend lived in Alaska at the time, and we live in Texas. There was no question in his mind that he still wanted his best friend to be his best man, and they just made it work. But if you think about it, the best man really doesn’t have as many duties as the maid of honor does, and it kind of got me to thinking a little bit. Hopefully this article has been a help to you, and if you have any more questions or examples about how this has worked out for you in the past, don’t hesitate to write and ask.

Tags: Bridal Party, duties of the maid of honor, maid of honor

Choosing your maid of honor should be one of the easiest decisions of your wedding. If you are told to think of the girl closest to you, who would be there for you in an instant, who has been with you through thick and thin, who would do anything for you, and vice versa, there is typically someone who always springs to mind. But, perhaps due to conflicting schedules, money issues, lack of real girlfriends, or just plain unwillingness on the part of your best girlfriend, you may be stuck having to ask yourself, “Who should be my maid of honor?” If you find yourself in this uncomfortable situation, and are wondering how to choose, here are some great ideas to help get you started.

Keep it in the Family

If you are lucky enough to have a sister, consider asking her. Choosing my maid of honor was simple, as I am a twin, and my sister and I are pretty close. If you have a sister you are close to then it should be a simple choice. Now, if they are too young, like 7 or 8 years old, you may be out of luck, but consider making them a junior bridesmaid or flower girl instead. But be sure to look at other possibilities such as a cousin or even a sister-in-law.

Your Best Friend from School

Another possibility is to turn to the best friend you had in either high school or college. You’ve both got memories of each other that go way back, perhaps of the first time you met your future husband, or just giggling about dreams of getting married. Your best friend from either high school or college is usually a great choice, and the ones that most brides turn to when planning their big day.

Untraditional Choices

You may find yourself with the position of having no sister, and no best girlfriends, but a great guy friend who has been there for you through it all. In this case, it may be advisable to have him stand in that place as your man of honor or some other title you wish to bestow. Some brides also choose their mother, if they are very close. If you have a good friend from work or church that you don’t know from school, but who is very supportive of you and will be there for you, then you may want to consider asking her as well.

When your maid of honor accepts the position, she is taking on a host of responsibilities. The duties of the maid of honor are extensive, and you need to make sure that the lady accepting the title is aware of these duties and ready to take them on. But choosing your maid of honor should be a relatively easy decision. If you need more advise, then please comment back and let me know.

Tags: choosing your maid of honor, maid of honor, who should be my maid of honor

Your maid of honor is typically a sister or best friend from ages past. She is there to help you throughout your wedding planning process, throwing bridal showers, bachelorette parties, writing a maid of honor speech, along with a host of other responsibilities she will be put through during the time before, during, and even after the wedding takes place. Check out the full detail of the duties of the maid of honor. It is only fitting, that with all you will be putting your maid of honor through, that she should stand out a bit from the rest of your wedding party. There are several ways to accomplish this, and you can use any one of them to help set your maid of honor out from the pack.

Change Up the Dress

If you’ve read my article about All Different Bridesmaid Dresses, then you already know that while many brides today are choosing to let their bridesmaids choose their own style of dress, many brides are still opting to have all of their bridesmaids look the same. If you are choosing to have your bridesmaids all the same, then add something to the maid of honor’s dress to help set her apart from the others. For example, if your colors are pink and brown, and you want to have brown bridesmaid dresses (a beautiful choice by the way), then add a pink sash to the maid of honor’s dress. Giving her a completely different style of dress when all the other bridesmaids have the same dress will be distracting, your guests will wonder why she is the only different one there.

Add to the Bouquet

When I was a maid of honor for my best friend in college, she gave me a larger bouquet than the other bridesmaids. It’s a great way to set apart your maid of honor. Either give her a slightly larger bouquet, or add some different types of flowers than what the rest of the girls have in theirs. Be careful with this one though, to make sure that all of the bouquets will still match in the end.

Other Ideas

One thing my sister did for her maid of honor was to let her wear flowers in her hair. It wasn’t something done for the rest of the bridesmaids, and it really helped set her apart. You could also give her something different to hold her bouquet with. For example, if you have ribbons tying off the bouquets for your bridesmaids, then design one especially for her that is perhaps a little longer, or done with a different type of ribbon.

 Whatever you do, treat your maid of honor well. She is taking extra time away from her own busy life to be with you and help you out, typically much more time than your other bridesmaids will be. Be sure to give her the honor due, not only as a thank you for all the hard work that she has helped you with in planning your wedding, but also to make sure that you will be as close of friends as you were before the wedding once all your wedding stuff is complete.

Tags: Best Friend, bouquet, Bouquets, Bridal Showers, Brides, bridesmaid dresses, bridesmaids, Colors, Different Style, Different Types Of Flowers, duties of the maid of honor, Full Detail, Girls, maid of honor, maid of honor speech, Sash, Several Ways, Types Of Flowers, Wedding Party, Wedding Planning

Believe it or not, the best man does actually have duties, duties for which he is socially responsible. Granted, the list of responsibilities are nothing like the list for the maid of honor, but nevertheless you should make sure that your groom and best man for the ceremony are aware of what they are responsible for. Now, as I’m sure you know, every wedding is different and therefore your best man’s duties may be more or less complicated than this list depending on the circumstances. But here is a list of responsibilities in which the best man is in charge of handling. To help make it easier, I’ve identified three major weddings where the best man needs to step it up and get the job done: before, during and after the wedding ceremony and reception.

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Tags: best man, maid of honor, wedding, Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Reception

Believe it or not, choosing your Maid of Honor and bridesmaids can be more complicated and difficult than you might think. Asking a dear friend or family member is a special honor, and it comes with a certain amount of responsibility, one that some may not be able to handle. The maid of honor is the head, chief, and main personal attendant of the bride for her wedding and wedding day. Therefore the maid of honor dress is typically slightly different from the rest of the wedding party, as is the maid of honor bouquet. Specifically, she is the primary attendant with the most honors and duties of the bridal party, and is considered the equivalent of the groom’s best man. They also have many responsibilities in this role that they may or may not realize. While each wedding and bride are different, the tasks will vary from wedding to wedding, but the basic tasks of the maid of honor are listed below.

Assistance with General Decision Making

While the bride and groom are responsible for making the majority of the important decisions regarding the wedding, the maid of honor is there to give opinions, offer support, and lend a hand wherever and whenever needed. This does not mean that she should stay glued to your hip from engagement to wedding! Phone conversations, email, and brainstorming girl’s nights are a great way to get another viewpoint without ruling your maid of honor’s life.

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Tags: best man, Brainstorming, Bridal Party, bridal shower ideas, Bridal Showers, Bride And Groom, bridesmaids, Dear Friend, duties of the maid of honor, Guest Lists, Important Decisions, maid of honor, maid of honor bouquet, maid of honor dress, Mail, Opening Gifts, Organizing Parties, Personal Attendant, Phone Conversations, Wedding Invitations, Wedding Party