Small Things you can do to be a Better Maid of Honor

Even if, like most people, you're very busy with full social, work, family, and personal lives, there are still some small things you can do to be a better Maid of Honor. You have some major Maid of Honor responsibilities you will need to find time for. Besides that, however, there are a lot of ways to be a stellar Maid of Honor who makes the Bride as happy as can be without quitting your job and acting as Maid of Honor full time.

The following suggestions are designed to show the Bride you care and to make her wedding experience great while still leading a full non-Maid of Honor life. Busy Maids of Honor, read on!

The Maid of Honor should call the Bride, telephone the Bride, and call the Bride again. This is one of the simplest and best things you can do for the Bride. Listen to the Bride's triumphs and heartbreaks as she plans the wedding. The Maid of Honor's most important role is to be a sympathetic, caring ear. Call, call, call the Bride!

Another very smart trick is for the Maid of Honor to make friends with the Mother of the Bride early on and include her in the Bridal Shower and other planning (if the Mother of the Bride would like). This has two advantages for the Maid of Honor. First, the Mother of the Bride is usually delighted to be included (which should make her nag the Bride less). And second, the Bride will most likely be touched that the Maid of Honor went out of her way to befriend her mother.

If the Bride sounds particularly stressed out, why not make her day by sending her flowers? This can also be a great thing for the Maid of Honor to do a few weeks before the wedding with a card celebrating, "x days until the wedding."

The Maid of Honor should enlist the other Bridesmaids to help with everything from Bridesmaid dress shopping with the Bride to Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party planning. I can't say this one enough! You may have already seen this particular piece of advice elsewhere on this website, but that's because it's so vital to a successful (and less stressful and time-consuming) Maid of Honor experience.

If you're really strapped for time, there's always the time-friendly option of getting online help with your Maid of Honor speech. I personally recommend Instant Wedding Toasts because they will help make sure the speech is personalized for the Bride and Groom.

My final piece of advice for the busy Maids of Honor out there is to make sure you do continue to live your own lives. Don't let your Maid of Honor responsibilities force you to put your own life on hold for six to twelve months! The Bride would never want (or should never want!) the Maid of Honor to sacrifice her own life, just to contribute a piece of it.

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