WEDology by Dejanae Events: matron of honor

Showing posts with label matron of honor. Show all posts

Monday, June 9, 2014

Roles of Your Wedding Attendants

I spoke with one of my brides recently who eliminated a couple of women from her wedding party for "failure to act". Basically, she didn't feel they were doing what needed to be done, and although I know she's been open with the ladies she selected to be in her wedding, do all involved really understand the roles they are to play? Below is a sampling of the attendants duties. And please know, everyone doesn't have to stand up for you on wedding day. There are plenty of other things they can do on wedding day...but I'll save that conversation for another blog post :)

Maid of Honor (Single) or Matron of Honor (Married)

Attending bridal gown fittings
Keep bridesmaids on schedule prior to wedding day and especially on the BIG day
Take charge of planning the bridal shower with the other bridesmaids
Hold the bride's bouquet at the altar and fix her train and veil during the ceremony, and bustle her train at the reception

Bridesmaids

Play hostess at any of the pre-wedding parties the couple may be having
Order and pay for your own attire by order date
Arrive to the ceremony before time to assist bride

Best Man

Drive the groom to the ceremony
Hold the bride's ring during the ceremony
Give first toast at the reception
Distribute payments to vendors at the ceremony and/or reception

Groomsmen

Rent or purchase formalwear by requested date
Help with pre-wedding tasks such as transportation
Act as ushers if the couple does not have any on wedding day

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credits: Rush Event Photography and Video Productions | repost from 6/6/12)

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Avoiding Reception Toast Mishaps

At some point during the wedding reception, toasts are going to happen. The greatest piece of advice I could offer is keep them short, sweet and do not open the floor up for all your guests to start extending their well-wishes. And this happens to be the perfect opportunity for the bride and groom to say a few words of thanks to family and friends for celebrating the day with them. But before the guests of honor take the mic, the Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor should be the ones to welcome the guests and say a few sentimental words of remembrance, encouragement and love to the newlyweds.

I have witnessed on numerous occasions a Best Man or Maid of Honor unprepared to speak to the crowd and an awkward pause always occurs when they say "I thought I was going to have a little more time" or "I didn't write anything down" or "I'm unsure what to say". Have a skillfully planned wedding toast, in my opinion, is the only way to go when planning out your reception timeline. So below I've given a few suggestions on how to make this memorable moment happen as stress-free as possible:

First, before you take the mic, always have your glass of champagne or wine in hand before speaking. It is a toast, remember. And end the toast with, "Please raise your glass..."
The Best Man should lead the toasts with the Maid/Matron of Honor following.
Have a toast prepared in advance. You have known for months that you were going to be asked to give a toast when you accepted the position.
Speak from the heart and know that it's okay if your toast is written on paper or a note card so you don't forget.
Remember, it's not a speech and please keep it tactful. Speaking about negative past events and ex's is a total no-no.
Last, keep the toast less than 2 minutes. Toasts are typically going to happen after the bridal party has been announced in or before the entree, so keep it short and sweet so that guests can eat!

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credit - http://www.ksweddings.com/)

Monday, April 1, 2013

A Toast to the Happy Couple

At some point during the wedding reception, toasts are going to happen. The greatest piece of advice I could offer is keep them short, sweet and do not open the floor up for all your guests to start extending their well-wishes. And this happens to be the perfect opportunity for the happy couple to say a few words of thanks to family and friends for celebrating the day with them. But before the guests of honor take the mic, the Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor should be the ones to welcome the guests and say a few sentimental words of remembrance, encouragement and love to the newlyweds.

I have witnessed on numerous occasions a Best Man or Maid of Honor unprepared to speak to the crowd and an awkward pause always occurs when they say "I thought I was going to have a little more time" or "I didn't write anything down" or "I'm unsure what to say". Have a skillfully planned wedding toast, in my opinion, is the only way to go when planning out your reception timeline. So below I've given a few suggestions on how to make this memorable moment happen as stress-free as possible:

First, before you take the mic, always have your glass of champagne or wine in hand before speaking. It is a toast, remember. And end the toast with, "Please raise your glass..."
The Best Man should lead the toasts with the Maid/Matron of Honor following.
Have a toast prepared in advance. You have known for months that you were going to be asked to give a toast when you accepted the position.
Speak from the heart and know that it's okay if your toast is written on paper or a note card so you don't forget.
Remember, it's not a speech and please keep it tactful. Speaking about negative past events and ex's is a total no-no.
Last, keep the toast less than 2 minutes. Toasts are typically going to happen after the bridal party has been announced in or before the entree, so keep it short and sweet so that guests can eat!

Until next time...WEDologize!

(photo credit - Bridal Banter)

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The Role of Wedding VIPs