Chief Bridesmaid

The Chief Bridesmaid is the second most important person of the Bridal Party, with the Bride being the the most important, obviously.

The Chief Bridesmaid is also known as the Maid of Honour in the USA, or Matron of Honour if they are already married. These American terms have found their way into the English language in the UK, however Chief Bridesmaid is still the correct term.

It is the responsibility of the Chief Bridesmaid to look after the Bride before and during the Wedding Day, and to act on the day as the Bride would, if she wasn't too busy getting married!

The Bridesmaids will report into the Chief Bridesmaid and thus there is one point of control for the Bridal Party, acting as the Bride wishes.

The Chief Bridesmaid is responsible for discussing the Hen Night with the Bride and getting together the list of Bridesmaids contact details, ready to plan, organise, and arrange the Hen Night.

The Chief Bridesmaid should ensure that she is available to assist the Bride with the choosing and trying on of the Wedding Dress although be aware that you may not be needed if the Bride chooses to do this with her mother.

The Chief Bridesmaid needs to look after the Bride at all times. This includes the night before the Wedding Day, making sure that the Bride and all the Bridesmaids get enough sleep! On the Wedding Day itself, the Chief Bridesmaid will need to keep the Bride calm, keep everyone on track for being ready on time, make sure that the Wedding Photographer has arrived at the house (if arranged), and, of course, make sure that the Chief Bridesmaid is ready herself!

For the Wedding Ceremony, the Chief Bridesmaid will follow or lead the Bride up the aisle, and when at the top, to ensure that the Bride's veil, train, and Wedding Dress are all arranged perfectly. The Chief Bridesmaid then needs to take the Wedding Bouquet from the Bride and to look after this for the duration of the Wedding Ceremony. The Wedding Bouquet will then be needed for the signing of the register, for the wedding photographs.

During the Wedding Reception, it is traditional for the Bride and Groom to have the First Dance, and at a time pre-arranged with the happy couple, the Chief Bridesmaid and the Best Man also take to the floor... so make sure you get a practice dance in with the Best man beforehand, if you get the chance.

The role of the Chief Bridesmaid/Maid of Honour/Matron of Honour is much greater than the few examples discussed in the article, so if you have any other points to add, please click on 'add comment' at the top of this article and you can share with our readers your ideas too!