Maid of Honor’s Ceremony Responsibilities

The maid of honor has a distinguished role in the wedding ceremony. Some of her duties are more formal and even legal in nature, whereas others, such as adjusting the bride’s dress, are more commonplace.

For a wedding to be legally binding, there must be a contract; this is known as the marriage license. The maid of honor may be asked to be one of the witnesses who signs that contract. In a Jewish wedding, there may also be a ketubah, a religious contract. There is usually a place on the ketubah for the bride, groom, rabbi, and two witnesses to sign. In a Jewish ceremony, people may choose to sign their Hebrew names instead of their English names.

The maid of honor is an important part of the processional that marches down the aisle. She often helps the wedding party and family members march in the right order.

The order in which the bridal party walks into the ceremony varies, usually according to religion. Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish processionals differ in several ways.

Once everyone has walked down the aisle and has taken his or her place at the altar (in a Christian ceremony) or under the chuppah (in a Jewish ceremony), the maid of honor typically stands next to the bride.

Before the ceremony begins, the maid of honor may want to smooth out the bride’s train— a flowing extension of the dress that sometimes trails behind the bride as she walks—and the back of her dress.

Though there may be a ring bearer, he usually doesn’t hold the actual ring—the real one is safe on the maid of honor’s thumb. At the appropriate time in the ceremony, she takes it off and passes it to the bride so she can place it on the groom’s hand.

During the ceremony, when rings are exchanged, or if candles need to be lit, the bride will need both of her hands, so she’ll pass her bouquet to the maid of honor for safekeeping.

At some weddings, the bride and groom, their mothers, and sometimes the maid of honor and bridesmaids all form a receiving line after the ceremony. This is an opportunity for them to greet their guests. According to traditional etiquette, this line is formed at the reception where guests will walk in. The wedding you’re in may or may not follow this rule; sometimes the receiving line is formed in the church, synagogue, or other venue immediately following the ceremony. There is usually a standard order in which everyone stands. It’s helpful for the maid of honor to know this order ahead of time so she can help everyone take his or her place. The traditional order of the receiving line is: