MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING

I can’t believe in two days time my best friend will be married. After 26 years of friendship, the day has come for me to play my role as Maid of Honour.

On the 2nd April 2015, James popped the question to Becky over a champagne picnic in the lakes. I was at work when my phone started ringing… and I know that when Becs calls me during the day its a call I need to answer!

Becs: “I’M ENGAGED”

Me: “OH MY GOD! WAHHHH, how did he propose? whats the ring like? where are you? OH MY GOD. I knew it. I’m so excited!!! I’ll call you after work and tell me ALL!!!”

We always knew between us that we’d be each others Maid of Honours due to our long standing friendship. The countless sleepovers we’ve had growing up are good memories of dreaming up our ‘dream man‘…

… he needs to be tall, dark hair, nice eyes, nice teeth, slim, funny, romantic, caring, loving, faithful, good dress sense, sporty… (the list went on…)

But now, I can faithfully say that we have both found our ‘dream’ men and I can’t wait to be by her side on her big day.

It’s thanks to Becky and James that I have found my other half Scott and also found new wonderful friendships. It’s such a lovely thought to think that between us both, things have worked out so perfectly and we have such an amazing friendship group. I know that our friendship will never ever fade.

I haven’t attended many weddings and so being MOH was a bit of a daunting thought at first but with my passion to organise I’ve enjoyed every minute! Planning Becky’s hen party in London was like a dream come true and I wish we could do it all over again!

The way I see the role of MOH is just to be there every step of the way. Be a sounding board, be available, be honest and be a true friend. In my eyes it’s nothing you would do different from just being a best friend. When Becky asked me to be Maid of Honour, I stopped to think, do I actually know what I need to do?? And so google came into hand and so here is my advice…

Listening to the bride, making her laugh, and offering emotional and logistical support are all part of your MOH package. Here’s what’s expected:

Plan the hen party
Help the bride find her dress and attend all the dress shopping trips
Help select the bridesmaid dresses
Attend the fittings
Help the bride choose her accessories
Be the bride’s right-hand woman throughout the wedding planning and on the day
Be a sounding board for whenever the bride needs you to listen
Be honest and provide help and support
Coordinate the bridesmaids on the day
Ensure the bride has the most stress-free morning
Help arrange her something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue

Wedding planning up until the big day can be stressful. There’s so much to organise and so its important not to forget that the morning of the wedding is probably going to be when everything comes to a head. So its the MOH’s role to make sure the bride has a stress free morning and soaks in the moment. Add these to your wedding morning to do list:

Keep everyone on track – the MOH should receive a copy of the timeline and familiarise herself with the morning protocol, including hair and makeup appointments. That way, she can keep everyone on schedule and get them to the ceremony on time.
Act as the point of contact – The MOH should give out her phone number to all of the key individuals in advance so she can help field any questions for the bride that morning. This will ensure that the bride remains relaxed and stress-free on her big day and that everything goes smoothly.
Feed the bride (okay, not literally) – The morning of the wedding can be a fast and frantic experience and some brides simply forget to eat, the day has to start with good health and nutrition, as blood sugar levels can run low, resulting in irritability and the bride feeling tired.
Be on drunk patrol – If you plan on enjoying some bubbly with the girls while you get glam, it’s your duty to try and keep the bride and bridesmaids to a one to two glass. It’s never a good idea to let the champagne flow without a good amount of getting ready munchies around.
Help her get dressed – Getting a nervous woman into possibly the most expensive, elaborate dress she’ll wear in her life is no small task. You’ll want to be certain everything is laid out in advance, from undergarments to shoes to jewelry, so there’s no last minute scrambling.
Be at her beck and call – While your BFF sits for hours getting gorgeous, she’ll need your help fetching things, dealing with her phone and generally calming her nerves the whole time
Act as a gatekeeper – If there are family members or friends that are known to seriously stress out the bride, it’s your job to keep them away from her, as best you can.
Make sure the bridal suite is spick and span – Technically, this will happen later on in the afternoon. Once all of the bridesmaids are done getting ready though, it’s the maid of honor’s job to make sure they clear their stuff out of the bridal suite so that the bride and groom don’t return to a messy room at the end of the night.
Carry her essentials – The bride doesn’t usually carry a handbag so make sure she has a bag on hand that has any essentials she’ll need throughout the day such as make up, tissues, her mobile phone (and in Becky’s case, a supply of mini eggs).

If you’ve been asked to be Maid of Honour, you’re considered as one of her closest friends and so you’ll know her inside out. You’ll know how to be there for her in the best way you can.

Becky to me is the most kind hearted person and the most wonderful friend I could ever wish for. I’m glad I met the girl in the red polka dot dress in nursery and we’ll continue to have years and years of friendship between us. I can’t wait for the day we grow old together and our children become BBF’s!

I’m so happy she has found her perfect match and I am so incredibly excited to see them become husband and wife.