You’ve been asked to be Maid of Honor. Now what?

First off, congratulations! Being Maid of Honor is a huge honor and extremely exciting; but at the same time, can also be a bit overwhelming. Once you’ve been asked and cried all of your happy tears, there’s a lot of work to be done.

My cousin married the love of her life this past June and when she asked me to be MOH, I was completely over-the-moon. At that point, I wasn’t engaged yet, so being able to help plan someone else’s wedding was super exciting for me. However, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was never in a wedding before (well, I was a flower girl when I was 2 years old), let alone Maid of Honor, so I really didn’t know where to begin. *CUE EXTENSIVE PINTEREST RESEARCH*

My hope with this 4-part blog post is to share some of the things I wish I knew before being MOH, my experience as MOH, and tips to help guide you through this exciting time.

Pinterest, as always, was super helpful and gave me the gist of what I needed to know -- help plan the bridal shower, go to dress fittings, gather contact information from the bridesmaids, plan the bachelorette party, be a big help the day of the wedding, I can go on and on. However, I knew my MOH duties would be so much greater than that, mainly because my cousin trusted me enough to be my first big customer. I was given the honor to make the invitations for the shower and the wedding; help with the centerpieces and other details for the shower; and so much more.

The first thing I did was buy her every bride gift I could possibly find, including the “Mrs. new last name (in her case, Frost)” hanger so she could use it for her wedding dress. Honestly, I think it was my favorite part of the gift (and may be a new Champaperie custom item, so stay tuned).

Next, the engagement party. Ariana (my cousin) already knew from the beginning that she wanted an “I Do BBQ”, so it was clear that everything was going to be rustic and fun. The venue was her parents’ backyard. Everything consisted of rustic wood, burlap and sunflowers. The invitation contained twinkle lights & wood planks and gave guests an idea of what to expect as far as the theme went.

A note to any brides reading this, this next section is for you: if you have the space to have an engagement party at your home, know that it is totally possible! In some cases, hosting a party at home has major cost saving benefits, despite the amount of work that goes into it. In other cases, doing it out in a restaurant or catering hall, though it may cost more, saves you a lot of sanity. Despite which way you decide to go, having an engagement party is a great way to kick-off wedding planning and will be a beautiful party no matter where it’s held. For Ariana & John’s “I Do BBQ” (a party for well over 150 people), there was a lot to do and as MOH I was ready to help however I could.

Rentals: Because the party was in the backyard at the end of summer, tents were rented in case of inclement weather; along with tables (dinner and high-top) and chairs to make sure there was enough surface space and seating for the guests attending. There are tons of companies out there that can help you with all of your rental needs. Some companies I’ve worked with include Broadway Party Rentals and Party Rental Ltd. Find one that’s close to home and that fits within your budget.

Catering: Since this was an “I Do BBQ”, all of the food served was bbq themed and from a caterer our family uses for many occasions -- my personal favorites were the chicken and mac & cheese. Because the party was so large, a catering staff was hired to help ease the craziness of set-up and clean-up. This isn’t something that needs to be done but if the party is large and there’s room in the budget, I highly recommend it. Sometimes you can hire staff directly through the caterers themselves.

Decor: Ariana envisioned the decor to incorporate sunflowers, burlap, mason jars and anything that screamed rustic. The centerpieces were sunflowers and mason jars with twinkle lights. Around the party you can find photos of Ariana & John and their closest family and friends. Ariana and I hung the photos on shipping pallets with twine and clothespins. Her sister-in-law created a beautiful welcome sign out of wood. There were haystacks welcoming you and burlap on the tables. Everything was simple and came together so beautifully. Your decor doesn’t need to be over the top. There’s something to be said about simplicity. No matter how big or how small your budget may be, Champaperie is here to help bring your visions to life.

Extras: For a few extra touches to add to the party (you know how much Champaperie loves those extra little details), Ariana had custom beer koozies made to use during the party, which guests were able to take home with them. There was a refreshing sangria & spiked lemonade bar. Ariana and I even made watermelon shaped rice krispies treats to add to the dessert table and for guests to take home (high fives for being somewhat domesticated). And finally, her mother-in-law made s’more kits to give out as favors.

As MOH, where do you fit in with all of this? My best advice to you is to be readily available for anything that needs to be done. Offer a helping hand throughout the entire process. Luckily for me, I was already off of work the day before the party so I headed down to my aunt and uncle’s house to help anyway I could. Together with the bride, I helped create the centerpieces and strung the photos. We made the rice krispies treats from scratch and packaged them for guests. We even helped our dads (they’re brothers) clean off the tables & chairs and set them up throughout the yard. The day of the party, I helped set-up the centerpieces and any other decor. During the party, I helped clean where I could, directed guests to the bathroom, and of course, just enjoyed the company of my family. After the party was over, I stayed to help fold the tables and chairs, clean, and do whatever I could to expedite the breakdown process. Remember, hosting your own party, especially for a large number of people, is not an easy thing to do; so as MOH, being an extra set of hands before, during and after the party will be a huge help to the hosts!

Next up: The Bridal Shower

Stay Tuned!

xoxo,
Alissa

Being a Maid of Honor 101 Part I: The Engagement Party

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