Global photographer on the unique wedding shots she takes for couples to look back on for a lifetime
Kristin Piteo, a global photographer who has shot in the United States, Europe and South Africa, among other locations, describes to Fox News Digital how capturing the small moments of a wedding day can make for unique shots.
You've been asked to be a maid of honor at someone's wedding, and you might be wondering what exactly you're expected to do now.
Every bride is going to handle wedding-related responsibilities differently, but generally, the bride-to-be does rely heavily on their maid of honor for support and to assist with the planning and day of wedding events.
As a maid of honor, you will likely be a large part of the planning process and be a point of contact for wedding-related questions.
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As a maid of honor, here are some of the tasks that may be designated for you before and on the wedding day.
See these 10 tasks.
A maid of honor is someone the bride can't picture her big day without. The person should be a huge supporter of the bride when it comes to planning and the wedding day itself to run smoothly. (iStock)
- Wedding dress shopping
- Point of contact for guests, and even between the bride and groom
- Planning of the bachelorette party and bridal shower
- Speech, speech, speech
- iPhone photographer
- Keeping tabs on important tasks
- Being the mediator
- Handling ring security
- Holding the bride's flowers during the ceremony
- Aiding and supporting
1. Wedding dress shopping
One of the biggest days for a bride leading up to her wedding is choosing a dress. This is an event that the maid of honor, along with others very close to the bride, are usually a part of.
Be supportive of the bride and provide your honest input when asked.
Remember, this can be a challenging decision (and possibly a long day), so do your best to remain as excited and supportive as possible.
2. Point of contact for guests, and even between the bride and groom
The bride has much of the planning in her hands. One responsibility typically handed off to the maid of honor is outputting communications to others.
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If the couple getting married has a wedding website, there may be a contact person listed for guests to contact in the event of questions. The bride and groom may ask you to be that person.
The maid of honor is typically a point of contact between the wedding party, guests and even between the bride and groom on the wedding day if they wish not to see each other before walking down the aisle. (iStock)
Familiarize yourself with the answers to questions that could be asked time and time again, like whether a guest can bring their child to the wedding or if there's going to be an open bar.
If you don't know the answer to something, make sure to ask the bride or groom before providing one.
You may also be a point of contact between the bride and groom on their wedding day.
Many couples make the decision not to see each other until they walk down the aisle.
However, they may want to send small gifts or notes to each other on the morning of their wedding.
3. Planning of the bachelorette party and bridal shower
The maid of honor is usually the one who plans the bachelorette party and bridal shower.
When organizing the events, keep the interests of the bride at the front of your mind. You may have a dream for your own bachelorette party, but it's not your time to shine.
Also, don't bear the burden of planning all on your own. If you need help, don't hesitate to lean on other members of the bridal party for assistance.
Reach out to other bridesmaids to help you put the bachelorette party together. They may have great ideas to offer. (iStock)
4. Speech, speech, speech
If there are going to be speeches at the wedding, as the maid of honor, you're probably on the list of people to write one.
Writing a speech, and then getting up in front of a group of people isn't always an easy task.
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When it comes to the actual writing of the speech, give yourself plenty of time to put it together. Go through old pictures and videos to pull inspiration from.
Don't make it too long, as short and sweet tends to capture people's attention more. If you need tissues to get you through your speech, don't forget to grab one before taking hold of the mic.
5. iPhone photographer
In many modern weddings, a member of the bridal party is often given the role of "iPhone photographer." This person could be you.
Many brides like to have a person, in addition to their photographer, capturing behind the scenes moments of the day on their phone.
These photos will be available to them immediately, unlike the photos from a photographer.
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You don't have to be a professional photographer by any means to take on this job. Just make sure you're capturing moments that the bride will enjoy looking through later.
6. Keeping tabs on important tasks
On the actual wedding day, another important task of a maid of honor is keeping tabs on important the itinerary throughout the day.
Make sure that tasks are completed, and you are ready to help the bride otherwise, so the day runs as smoothly as possible.
Throughout the wedding, a maid of honor should help the day run smoothly and assist the bride with any tasks that need to be done leading up to and after the "I do." (iStock)
7. Being the mediator
Unfortunately, even an event as happy as a wedding can bring tension. Planning a wedding is exciting, but also stressful. When there's so many people involved in one event with different thoughts and opinions, tensions can quickly run high.
As a maid of honor, do your best to assist in working out any problems that may arise. The bride and groom should be as focused on their love for each other as possible, not worried about missteps.
8. Handling ring security
The maid of honor is usually in charge of keeping the wedding rings safe.
Make sure to keep the rings on you at all times throughout the day.
9. Holding the bride's flowers during the ceremony
Since the maid of honor stands the closest to the bride, they usually hold their bouquet during the ceremony.
Also, make sure to straighten out their veil and dress when they are at the altar, so they aren't in disarray for the ceremony photos.
10. Aiding and supporting
The most important role of the maid of honor is to be a support system and an aid to the bride.
Cold feet or nerves are common at a wedding. Be prepared to deal with this should it come.
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Do whatever you can to make the planning and the day easier for the bride. Be careful not to overstep, and always show your unwavering support.
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