What It Means To Be A Chief Bridesmaid- Duties And Responsibilities

What does a Chief Bridesmaid actually do? 

The Chief Bridesmaid,  is traditionally known as the Maid of Honour (if the girl is unmarried) or Matron of Honour (if the girl is married). 
Typically, the Chief Bridesmaid is the Bride’s elder sister or oldest friend. Her role and importance in the wedding party essentially mirrors that of the best man.

Without further ado, here are the duties trusted to the Chief Bridesmaid:

The Chief Bridesmaid’s role before the Wedding day

As Chief Bridesmaid, your responsibilities will begin long before the wedding day, you’ll be expected to carry out the following duties:

• Helping the Bride to choose the Bridesmaid dresses – remember though, it’s not the Chief Bridesmaid’s decision, the Bride always has the deciding vote on Bridesmaid’s outfits

• Helping the Bride choose her wedding dress – I recommend buying her a glass of sparkly afterwards to celebrate the occassion

• Attending the Wedding rehearsals (usually held the day before the wedding)

• Being a shoulder to cry on for the Bride during the wedding planning.

The Chief Bridesmaid’s duties on the Wedding day

The Chief Bridesmaid’s duties on the wedding day are divided into two parts – those things she needs to do on the morning of the wedding day before the ceremony takes place, and those tasks she needs to do once it kicks off.

Chief Bridesmaid’s Tasks Before The Wedding Ceremony

On the wedding day itself, the Chief Bride slave, lol…oh I meant, Bridesmaid, needs to be up early to start helping the Bride have a lovely – and stress-free – beginning to her big day. Her duties include:

• helping her into her dress and pinning on her veil if there’s no hairdresser to do this
• liaising with any wedding suppliers who have any questions for the bride on the day
• running any general errands
• ensuring the bride has had something to eat for breakfast and lunch
• making sure all Bridesmaids are ready on time with hair and make-up sorted and dresses in place
• looking after and helping to dress the little Bridesmaids and pageboys
• ensuring there is vodka/champagne on hand for the bride to have a quick swig of making that all important journey down the aisle
• helping the Bride out of the wedding car and assisting her with any final adjustments to her dress, hair and veil before she makes her grand entry
• making sure the Bride has given you any make-up she might want access to on the day, keep this in a bag with you for quick touch ups
• hiding some tissues in an easy to access place should the Bride need them during the ceremony.

The Chief Bridesmaid’s role During the Wedding ceremony

Once the wedding has started, it’s showtime! Time for you to ensure the Bride looks absolutely perfect for the groom, the guests and the all important wedding photographs!

• Pulling back her veil from over her face if necessary
• Plumping out the bride’s train to ensure it looks nice in any photos once she has reached the top of the aisle
• Linking arms with the Best Man as you walk back down the aisle when you leave the wedding ceremony

The Chief Bridesmaid’s role at the Wedding reception

After the wedding itself, it’s up to you to ensure that the Bride is having the day of her dreams! Whilst this responsibility can’t lie entirely with the Chief Bridesmaid, you can absolutely help by doing the following duties:

• Ensuring the Bride looks picture perfect for the wedding photographs – powdering her face and plumping her dress where necessary
• Checking with the Bride regularly to make sure everything is OK and she’s having a great time
• Making a toast to the Bride and Groom, or even making a little speech
• Hitting the dancefloor once the first dance is over, getting everyone else dancing too
• Circulating a guest book if she has one, and ensuring everyone signs it
• Decorating the bride and groom’s car or honeymoon suite – you could fill it with champagne, rose petals or money!

Not so simple now is it?