Blog / Maid of Honor

Wedding “Essentials” that You Can Skip

Brides on a tight budget will sometimes have a hard time parting with “essential” things they normally associate with a wedding. But, honestly, if you end up married by the end of the day, you have achieved a successful wedding; everything else is just a bonus. If you’re worried about going over budget, consider skipping a few wedding “must-haves” that your day will survive without. You don’t absolutely “need”:   More than One Venue
Unless you’re invested in the idea of a church, far too many brides think that they need a space for their ceremony and a separate space for their reception. Bundling will save you a lot of green. I recommend finding a restaurant to host your nuptials – many spaces will cover décor and food, which will save you the hassle of finding a caterer and a rental company. If you’re pretty laid back, you may not even need to bring anything in as far as décor is concerned. Let them worry about it. Bushels of Fresh Flowers
Finding a venue that is naturally beautiful and full of shrubberies and wildflowers will save you a bundle on decorative, professional flowers. Flowers can eat up a huge amount of wedding cash, and they die – quickly. If I’m going to drop more than a thousand dollars on a detail of my wedding, I want it around for a while. If you love flowers and simply can’t live without them, ignore me. If you’re a bride who didn’t even know you could have a wedding without them, great alternatives are fabric or paper flowers. They’re fun crafts that you can make yourself and keep forever.

An Evening Itinerary
Breakfast, Lunch, and Brunch are undervalued wedding meals, and it’s about time we embrace them more in the wedding world. The advantages of a morning or early afternoon wedding far outnumber those events that take place in the evening: People tend to consume less alcohol earlier in the day, venues will have more availability (even on high-demand days), and I have it on the best authority that you have less time to have a bridal meltdown if your nuptials are before lunch.

An Expensive Officiant
While you can’t have a wedding without someone to perform the ceremony, there’s no reason to pay someone an arm and a leg for their services, unless you’re having a religious service. Find a friend or family member who’s willing, and $5 and ten minutes on the internet later you have an ordained clergy person. The advantage of having a close friend or family member officiate is their familiarity with your relationship; it’s always nice to have someone who knows you bonding you together for life.

Short Programs
Programs are helpful for long weddings that deal in services that some guests might not be familiar with, but if you’re having a simple summer wedding with a short, quick ceremony, programs can be kind of a waste. It’s a lot of paper that guests will simply throw away if you don’t think it’s entirely necessary. As for the names of the wedding party, just have them announced at your reception. No one will become belligerent because they didn’t catch the name of your maid of honor.

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A Wedding Must-Have: The Maid of Honor Emergency Kit

A Maid of Honor Emergency Kit as a Gift and Necessity

Maid of Honor Emergency Kit

A maid of honor emergency kit does not mean that you, the humble maid of honor, will be required to put out any literal fires or resuscitate a bride with a mighty case of the vapors, but it will prepare you for any other wedding-related emergencies on the big day. A maid of honor emergency kit is usually equipped with all of the wedding day essentials: safety pins, mouth wash, and (my personal favorite) earring backs. A maid of honor emergency kit will make it much easier for you to fly about the day-of putting out (metaphorical) fires and keeping everything and everyone in line.   If you are a bride looking for the right gift for your ever-present and ever-supportive maid of honor, look no further than the maid of honor emergency kit. A maid of honor emergency kit, though helpful on the day of the wedding, is great for any planner who loves to be prepared for anything. There are any number of things that can rip or fall apart or lose a button the morning of a wedding marathon, and a maid of honor emergency kit is a wonderful tool to have standing by. Designate someone to watch over the maid of honor emergency kit (minding that it doesn't have to be the maid of honor), and make sure you keep an eye on where it is throughout the day. You never know when you might pop a seam or need to prepare for a very special kiss - your maid of honor emergency kit will be ready to help!
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Etiquette for Pre-Wedding Parties

Sometimes a wedding can feel more like a mud marathon, especially with the weeks and months of pre-wedding parties to plan and attend. Sometimes these parties can be a weird etiquette gray-area, so how do you know who plans what? Who decides the guest list for the bridal shower? Who needs to be invited to the bachelorette party? Is it EVER okay to throw yourself an engagement party? If you’re lost, read on!   An Engagement Party
Who Will Host?: Typically, the engagement party is thrown by the parents of the couple, though no one is obligated to throw one. This isn’t one to plan for yourself; you really should wait for someone to volunteer.
Who Will Go?: An engagement party is often just family, though you should always be careful to try and invite only those who will be invited to the big event. The one hosting and funding the event is the one who decides the guest list, but you might want to be conservative in your recommendations if you’re asked.
Etiquette: An engagement party isn’t a very common pre-wedding shindig, so breaking etiquette isn’t a big concern. If you’re being thrown an engagement party before wedding plans have really started, you probably haven’t created a registry, so it’s unlikely that guests will ask for that info. A Bridal Shower
Who Will Host?: It’s possible that several people will volunteer to throw you a bridal shower, but you should try to accept only one or two.
Who Will Go?: Again, this is an event where only people invited to the wedding should be invited. You aren’t obligated to invite every female guest to the shower (cramming 50 women into a kitchen is logistically difficult).
Etiquette: Thank you cards are customary for bridal showers, just be sure that you aren’t having guests fill out their own addresses on envelopes as they watch you open gifts. Take the time to thank each of your guests with a lovely card, as this is an event where gifts will likely be “showered” upon you.   A Bachelorette Party
Who Will Host?: This is usually one for your bridal party, though your Maid of Honor doesn’t have to take the lead. Usually the maids split the bill, but that isn’t a requirement.
Who Will Go?: Bachelorette parties are often much smaller than showers, and many brides like to keep them for quality time with the bridal party before the big day. Again, make sure that everyone invited will also be invited to the wedding!
Etiquette: Try to keep your focus on your own party instead of checking on your fiancé all night via text. This is supposed to be a night for you and your girls – enjoy it! A Rehearsal Dinner
Who Will Host?: You and your fiancé do! The rehearsal dinner is your time to thank your wedding party for their participation in your wedding, and this is one event where the bride and groom usually foot the bill. Sometimes the parents will take the check, but don’t count on it – try to throw your own rehearsal dinner.
Who Will Go?: The people in your wedding party – that means ring bearers, those doing readings and prayers, the families, the bridesmaids – everybody.
Etiquette: No one is asking you to host a dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town; a backyard picnic is more than enough. This is your opportunity to gather everyone involved with your wedding together and thank them collectively. If you’ve prepared gifts (or some members of the wedding party want to give a speech, and there isn’t enough time during the reception), this is the perfect time.
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Thoughts about Wedding Party Gifts

A wedding party will vary in size and composition depending on a couple’s preferences, but one thing doesn't change: they deserve a thank-you. For most brides, the bridal party is an important support system during the planning process, attending fittings and tastings, holding your hand as you try to hold on to your self esteem and sanity, and standing up for you on your big day. They are there for you as you take your vows and pledge the rest of your life to your partner. I think that deserves some bath wash. So who counts as the wedding party? Certainly your bridesmaids and your maid of honor, but also your groomsmen and best man. Don’t forget about junior bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearers, and parents, too. You aren’t breaking any major etiquette rules if you get something for your usher but not your flower girl, but thank-yous are always appreciated, even if they’re only a bath kit or a coloring book.   So, here are some ideas for bridal party gifts: Groomsmen: Think practical. Muted colors; leather, silver. Engraved flasks, personalized cuff links, martini glass set Bridesmaids: Something that they can wear during the ceremony; wedding keepsakes. A spa morning, matching earrings, clutches Mother: Wedding keepsakes Handkerchief (for the ceremony); wedding antiques; matching earrings Father: Similar to groomsmen gifts counterbalance wine holder, money clip Flower Girl: Try to include the flower girl with bridesmaid gifts. If she’s too young, less expensive jewelry for the ceremony. Ring Bearer: Something to keep his hands busy and his mind active. Backpack with small games and toys; crayons and coloring books
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Maid of Honor Expectations

If you’re a bride, it’s understandable for you to want to share some wedding responsibility. After you’ve selected your wedding party, it’s easy to start handing out tasks to your Maid of Honor, and she probably wants to help, but keep these things in mind before you clutter her inbox with weekly wedding update emails:  m
    1. 1. A Maid of Honor Only Has One Set-In-Stone Duty

The role of Maid of Honor only has one responsibility: showing up and standing beside you on your wedding day. You didn’t pick her because you want a free wedding planner; you picked her because she’s the best friend you’ve got (aside from your fiancé). Don’t think that she HAS to sit up every night the month leading up to the wedding designing dessert tables and addressing invitations. It’s not a crime to ask for her help, but don’t expect it as a part of the Maid of Honor contract. Talk to her as soon as you can about how much responsibility she wants – NOT how much you expect.  
    1. 2. Don’t Ask Her for Parties

Bachelorette parties and bridal showers aren’t part of the deal either. It isn’t the responsibility of your Maid of Honor to plan and pay for all of your pre-wedding events, and you should probably hold off on asking for them. If someone (such as an aunt or bridesmaid) wants to host a shower for you, your level of involvement should be providing a short list of people you would like at the event (making sure that they’re all also invited to the big day); It’s up to the hostess to figure out the budget and how many people she’ll be able to afford. Pushing a large guest list or taking the initiative to assign parties to your Maid of Honor will cause undue stress and some unintended resentment. Take it easy – this is one part of the wedding process you don’t need to fret over!  
    1. 3. Your Maid of Honor has other Responsibilities

In the final weeks leading up to your wedding, you will probably be very focused on your impending nuptials – and that is completely understandable. Your Maid of Honor, however, probably has other duties that she’s trying to juggle in addition to her responsibilities as your right-hand woman. She probably has a job, a family, a cat, and an infinite number of other things weighing on her mind. Is she still in school? Working on her master’s thesis? None of these things will pause for her. Try to understand if she has to slip out of a Mani/Margi/Pedi Party a little early or can’t make it to your place for invitation addressing during lunch on a weekday. She would do the same for you!   Remember, your Maid of Honor will probably want to be there for you as you make your journey down the aisle. If you make a point to discuss expectations and responsibilities before things get crazy, your friendship will come out the other side even stronger than before.
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Dab Your Eyes with Wedding Handkerchiefs

Finding the Right Gift: Wedding Handkerchiefs

Wedding Handkerchiefs

Sometimes it can be difficult to think of the right gift for a special person in your life during the hectic hustle and bustle of wedding planning. Consider humble wedding handkerchiefs. What words could possibly express your feelings of appreciation and gratitude for your mother, your future husband, future wife, your bridesmaids, and/or the dozens of others who compose your solid support system? It can be near impossible to find something that meaningful, simple, and useful all wrapped up in one gift that won't break the bank. Ah! What will you do!?! The answer is, of course, wedding handkerchiefs. Wedding handkerchiefs offer a unique gift opportunity as something you can present to someone before the wedding ceremony. They work as a personalized tool for eye-drying and nose-blowing (luckily, they're washable) during the heart-wrenching ceremony, and wedding handkerchiefs work perfectly as a gift from anyone to anyone (father to bride, groom to mother, bride to bridesmaids). With the miracle of embroidery and personalization, wedding handkerchiefs make a perfect one-size-fits-all gift. Wedding handkerchiefs become even more special if they are accompanied by a heartfelt poem that expresses the feelings that you have, but might not be able to find the words for. Wedding handkerchiefs are available with or sans poem, but all are meaningful and beautiful. Wedding handkerchiefs are the perfect way to show someone special that their presence is both meaningful and appreciated.
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How does a complete collectibles resource help impart a unique touch to your wedding?

The objective of a wedding collectibles avenue online, for your pre- or post-wedding ceremony, as you would discover here, is to impart an innovative and unique touch to the occasion. 
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Which accessory lets you express your feelings to the most precious persons in your life?

A sentimental note along with an elegant wedding party handkerchief is for those close to you. 
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How can you convey your feelings to wedding day guests in a unique manner?

A captivating custom crystal tank or tee lets you the freedom of creating the wedding accessory exactly the way you want.
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Some of the finest and the most exclusive bridal jewelry pieces picked specially for you

Wedding memorabilia is something special that you can relish looking at and also proudly present to your relatives and friends as a lasting memory. We recommend to you some of the finest and the most exclusive bridal jewelry pieces that will add glitter and glamour to the occasion.   One of our special picks for you is this impressive jewelry set that has remained one of the most popular items in its category for years. This is because the jewelry set is simply stunning and immediately draws your attention. The jewelry set is set apart by its traditional elegance truly personified through its deft design. It has classic white glass pearls that are elegantly embellished with a superb ravishing rhinestone chevron in a fabulous sterling silver-plated setting. The whole combination is absolutely stunning! The jewelry set comprises pierced earrings as well as a matching necklace to add to its luster. Also, why not go for the 3 piece bridal pearl captivating jewelry collection. This lovely collection will help complete your wedding day look with class. This is indeed a timeless combination of stunning appeal and soft style. It is ideal for those joining the wedding party—from the flower girl to the maid of honor and bridesmaids and even beautiful bride herself. The fabulous necklace, pearl earrings, and bracelet set are fashioned from wonderful white glass pearls and superb sterling silver settings. Each pearl that measures 8 mm is available in white only. The set comprises pierced adjustable necklace, stretch bracelet and earrings. The combination is simply superb!
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Maid of Honor

The maid of honor is the chief attendant of the bride. She is majorly responsible for the success of the wedding. She should be always around to help the bride. The bride usually chooses her closest friend or relative to be the maid of honor. She helps the bride in her decision about the dress and accessories. She also helps her to decide the venue of the wedding and reception. The maid of honor also gets to decide the theme of the wedding along with the bride. She helps out with the invitations. She oversees the bridesmaids. She makes sure that everything is in order and all of them look good on the D day. The maid of honor organizes the wedding shower and the bachelorette party. In fact, she is the one who signs the marriage license after the wedding. She is the one who raises the toast to the couple and gives a speech on the wedding day. In short, the success of the wedding is highly dependent on the maid of honor.
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Planning your Wedding Speech

Public speaking can make you nervous any time. So if you have been asked to be the maid of honor or best man, then do not run. This is nothing earth shattering. You will just need to relax and then speak about your best friend who is the groom or the bride. You will just need to start and the flow will come on it own. If you speak from the heart, then holding on to the audience will not be too difficult. Just take some time to figure out what you want to speak. You would need to keep in mind about how much you want to reveal in front of a packed audience. You might even want to check with the groom or the bride to make sure that you do not annoy them. Before you actually speak, you need to sit down and write the speech so that you are sure that you have included all the points. You must also practice it in front of people more than once if you want to be doubly sure that you do not stutter on the D day. Keep the speech short and make sure that you put in some emotions.
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