Happy Monday! As promised, I'm going to talk about all there is to know about being a Maid of Honor. I started this post months ago, and I am finally just now getting around to posting it. Sorry it is such a long post! I hope it is helpful! This post is going to be about showers and bachelorette parties. I will talk more about speeches, dresses, and more in my next MOH post (Part 2). It is such an honor to be such a big part of someone's special day and it can sometimes be overwhelming at the same time. The first time I was a MOH it was for my sister. This was helpful because my mom helped me a lot with the shower planning and such. For my best friend's wedding I was one of two MOHs, which is also helpful to have someone else to do the planning with. I threw one of my sister's showers with my mom and then my aunts also threw her another one (a tea) and her in-laws threw her another one. For my friend's shower, I did not help with any of the planning, so as a MOH it is important to be aware of whether you are involved in the shower or not.
My sister's shower that I helped with was at our house, which made it a little easier. I did all the baking which was easy to figure out also. We had a brunch so we planned a mimosa bar and ordered other brunch foods to serve. I also made most of the decorations you see in the pictures, which was so much fun! It is important to remember that if you love doing all the creative stuff (decorations and such) then definitely do it all your self. If you don't love it, don't do it! There are so many great decorations out there that you can buy and one of the best places to find them is on Etsy. The next thing you need to think about is what games you want to play. I think one or two games are perfect for a shower. One game I chose for my sister's shower was a little more time consuming, but you can find other games on Pinterest or online if you want it to be a little less work. I asked her fiance quite a few questions and I asked my sister the same questions. I put together a page that said "He said, She said". Guests would read the answer to a question and had to guess if the bride said it or the groom. For example it might say "I want to have four kids" or "My favorite thing about him/her is his/her sense of humor". Once everyone completed it individually I read each one aloud and people voted. They held up the lips or the mustache based on how they answered. It was a fun way for everyone to get to know the groom a little better. You can buy pre-made gift baskets for prizes if you want, or get a little more creative and put one together yourself. As a MOH it is also important to make sure that you write down all the gifts and who they are from when the bride-to-be is opening her gifts. This makes it easy for her to write thank you notes afterwards. Depending on the size of the shower, you can also help do some of the opening to speed the process along. That way the bride-to-be just has to hold up the gift and thank the person.
Now for the bachelorette party! This is traditionally one of the MOH's main jobs. Once again, if you like doing the creative parts, then do them yourself! If not, there are plenty of invitations and decorations available online for you to buy! The most important thing is to make sure the bachelorette party is exactly what the bride-to-be wants. If she wants a big trip somewhere, then do it. If she wants it to be a little more low key, then do that. Try to think less about all the other guests and more about making it just the way the bride-to-be would want it (after all it is her party!). Below are some pictures of decorations and things we did for the two bachelorette parties I planned. One was more low key, a night out, while the other was a trip to Chicago (that I planned with the other MOH). It is also important to consider the wedding colors when making decorations and invitations. You can also choose if you want to do games at the bachelorette party or weekend. For my friend's party we had a lingerie shower one of the days and we had a few games. Once again I asked the groom-to-be a few questions ahead of time. I then created a scrapbook with the questions and answers inside. We passed around the book and had the bride guess his answers (drinks can also be involved in this game if you want). If it is going to be a trip it is important to consider all the details. We sent out an itinerary for the weekend with the invitation (that was kept secret from the bride) so everyone knew what to expect and plan for the weekend. Also make sure to let the guests know if they need to wear something specific. For example some girls like to have all the girls wear black and the bride wear white, or to have the guests stick to a certain color scheme. Whatever you decide just make sure to let your guests know so they can plan accordingly! Although the pre-planning requires extra work ahead of time, it helps you to relax during the party/weekend and enjoy celebrating with the bride-to-be! Remember to have fun, this is such an exciting time! Look for MOH Guide part 2 coming soon!
XO,
SJR
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