The ManicaPost
Ann Ruthenburg Fashion Diva
Hello there Mutare, how are you all doing this week.
Finally I have the chance to answer a question many people have asked me about. Is there a difference between the Chief Bridesmaid, Maid of Honour and Matron of Honour?
My answer is! Their roles are the same; the difference lies purely in semantics. A maid of honour is an unmarried woman, while a matron of honour has already had a wedding of her own. Simple, right?
Now the Matron of honour or Maid of Honour does have specific duties and here they are.
Directing the other bridesmaids through their duties, making sure everyone gets their dresses, going to fittings and providing them with the details for all pre-wedding parties.
Of course, your other bridesmaids will have their fair share of things to do and should certainly assist her (she’ll probably need lots of help planning your bachelorette party, after all), but your maid of honour should be the “director” at the end of the day.
This doesn’t stop when the wedding weekend begins, either.
She should also be responsible for seeing that all bridesmaids get to the rehearsal; coordinating transportation and lodging (if necessary); and making sure all the bridesmaids have the correct bouquet and get their hair and makeup done on time.
This may shock many, but your maid of honour might not be able to make every pre-wedding event, as hard as she may try.
But one thing she should definitely do? Host or co-host one of your bridal showers. She should also take it upon herself to play hostess a little bit during your actual reception (since you’ll be busy mingling with guests)—whether that includes showing guests where to sit, directing them to restrooms, telling them where to put presents or inviting them to sign the guest book. You’ll be happy to have those tasks taken off your plate.
During the ceremony, the maid of honour is responsible for holding your bouquet while you and your spouse exchange vows, and holding the groom’s ring during the ceremony. (Pro tip: The safest spot is on her thumb!) And she should think ahead and wrap a few tissues around the stem of her bouquet too, in case the bride or bridesmaids shed a few happy tears too.
Both the maid of honour and the best man should sign the marriage license as witnesses.
She should be there for You emotionally (and Make You Laugh!)
You should always feel comfortable talking to your maid of honour about wedding things, and most likely, she’ll be more than happy to lend an ear. Whether it’s about planning or the registry china pattern, you should always feel assured you have someone to share your thoughts with.
If you have an emotional crisis, your maid of honour should hopefully know how to navigate and troubleshoot (sometimes all it takes is tissues and hugs).
In my opinion, laughter is the best medicine for the stressed-out bride—and hopefully your maid of honour knows how to effectively get you there.
In other words to be more specific, your maid of honour is your right hand woman—not to be confused with a personal assistant—so she should feel comfortable helping you with seemingly menial tasks like addressing invites to choosing wedding colours.
Leading up to the wedding, she can help spread the news about your bridal registry as well as keep a record of all the gifts received at various parties and showers.
During the actual wedding weekend, she’s your go-to person for bustling your gown and arranging your veil at the altar; collecting gift envelopes brought to the reception and keeping them in a safe place; and helping you get ready for your honeymoon by arranging storage for your gown after the all the festivities are said and done (if applicable).
Your maid of honour is clearly someone who’s important in your life, and she’s putting in a ton of hard work for you.
That means making sure she still has the time of her life during your wedding because she deserves to (and yes, this is possible while still upholding her duties).
She should feel encouraged to make a fun toast at your reception (it is tradition, after all) and, of course, dance the night away.
Hope this answers your question. Until next week, God bless!
FASHION DIVA Ann Ruthenburg
Ann can be messaged only on 0772933845, or emailed on [email protected] or found in Meikles Department Store Hair and Beauty Salon Mutare.
