You were asked to be maid-of-honor (MOH) and feel privileged that you were given this distinction. Now what? It sounds great at first until you try to figure out what’s expected of you. Every MOH is different and a lot will depend on the needs and personality of both the bride and MOH. To simplify the expectations, I present the MOH by the expected role, duties, and knowledge.

Expected Role

A bride has many needs when planning her wedding and will depend on close family and friends to help. A MOH is no different and will be expected to be helpful. Throughout the whole process, she may provide emotional support for bride, lead the other bridesmaids to carry out tasks, and help the bride to make decisions during wedding planning. On the wedding day, she may tend to the physiological needs of the bride (nibbles of food during reception so she doesn’t pass out, holding her dress so she can pee, etc.)

Expected Duties

• fix the veil and train during the ceremony and during transportation
• hold the bridal bouquet during the ring exchange
• hold the groom’s ring (if the best man is not holding both rings)
• bustle the train for the reception
• toast at the reception (only if the brides asks and usually after the best man’s speech)
• organize a bachelorette party or bridal shower with the help of other bridesmaids

Expected Knowledge

• wedding registries – guests may ask you where the couple is registered and what the preferred gifts are. For instance, even though the wedding couple has a registry, they may appreciate cash gifts more.
• Bride’s bra and panty size – friends who want to give gifts at the bachelorette party may ask you for bra & panty size.

In the end, all that you need to do, is be a great friend or sister. You won’t be graded for your performance so just do the best you can and try to enjoy yourself and have a great time!

Source: community.theknot.com

Wedding favors can be a fun gift to give your guests when it speaks personal to the couple. It’s fun to receive a wedding favor that characterizes the couple. Scott and I gave away USB drive wedding favors personalized with our wedding info because we’re tech nerds and went to Carnegie Mellon. It was an expensive add-on but it was something we really wanted to do. A couple chose to do donut wedding favors because their first conversation was about the Simpsons. So funny. Personally, I would have put Krispy Kreme in there but it’s still a cute idea.

Friends from the audience have shared their wedding favor ideas which were inspiring to read. I’m sad to see that more couples have opted out of wedding favors but it’s understandable given the current financial climate. Have you seen any cool wedding favors lately?

We are three days away from the BIG DAY. The great thing about being so close is that most costs are finalized, and there are no more big surprises. I know, I’m cheap, but even the most loose-spenders can appreciate that.

That said, I have a question for you ladies. My woman is having a make-up person come on-site. I’ve read in various places that if someone comes on-site, then you don’t have to tip them. The rationale is that these vendors charge an on-site fee, so that pretty much covers that.

What say you? Are we supposed to tip, even if the on-site fee the make-up artist is charging makes up nearly 25% of the day-of cost?

Source: buy.com

I shake my fist in the air when I see things that we could have bought at cheaper prices. It’s nice to say that you’re wearing a platinum ring but titanium is cheaper and doesn’t scratch as much. A reader from the audience came across 5mm titanium wedding bands on buy.com and immediately sent a link to me.  Buy.com of course, is a reputable website and we’ve purchased items from them without any issues.  The groom will have to get fitted for size before purchasing something online. I know Scott doesn’t regret getting the ring he did, but if we were to do it over, I would lobby for a titanium ring.

What do you think? Platinum or titanium for the groom’s wedding ring? Got your reasons?

You need to act fast and leave a comment on Pink Orchid Weddings’ blog by 5PM today (Tuesday, March 16) if you want a chance to win a Le Creuset baking dish! Anyone from US and Canada is eligible. Good luck!

presents

Creative Photo Walls

by Amanda

Source: community.theknot.com

Source: community.theknot.com

Share your most cherished photos with your guests at your reception.  There are so many options of photos to display.  The photos can be of you and your groom from a young age to present, of you together as a couple, or of your favorite family photos.  We love these creative ways to share your favorite pictures.  The first is a photographic family tree.  The second celebrates family and friend wedding photos and also includes those who engaged, noted by a placard that says “Coming Soon!”  Another very creative idea are silhouette cut outs of your family.

About Our Guest Blogger

Amanda, co-owner of Fresh Events Company, is a talented wedding planner from the Los Angeles area. She delights in wow-ing her clients with her design talents and creating memorable weddings.

Source: missnowmrs.com

I was driving home from work yesterday, and heard an advertisement on the radio about a website called MissNowMrs.com. I checked it out and it seems pretty legit and could potentially save you a lot of headaches! For around $30 MissNowMrs.com takes you through all the necessary steps of changing your name. The site asks you a number of questions, pulls up the appropriate forms and then provides information on how to print and file them.  There’s even gift certificates you can purchase for the bride to be!

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Nicole from Nik’s Naks would like to offer a 10% discount to our Big Fat Cake readers! We asked her about  monogrammed gifts that are good to give and she gave us many great ideas. Thanks, Nicole!