The mother of the bride has a variety of responsibilities during the wedding planning process and on the wedding day. From helping the bride find her wedding dress and working with vendors to playing hostess on the wedding day, mom needs her own wedding planner and checklist of things to do. To help mom check everything off her to-do list, here's our list of mother of the bride responsibilities.
- Help bride and groom scout out wedding and reception sites and ask friends/family for vendor recommendations
- Serve as the main contact for wedding pros (especially if the wedding is taking place in your town and the bride lives elsewhere)
- Help bride choose her wedding dress, trousseau, and wedding-night peignoir
- Compile and submit names and addresses of your family and friends to be included on the master guest list
- Talk to the groom's family about whom they want to include on the guest list and manage the difficult task of limiting the number of guests, if necessary
- Help research family or ethnic traditions and heirlooms to incorporate into the ceremony or reception
- Determine what the bride wants you to wear on the big day and find a gorgeous dress. Then, consult with the groom's mom on what you two will be wearing. You'll both feel more comfortable if your elegance is in sync
- Attend (and possibly help organize) the shower and the rehearsal dinner
- Escort the bride down the aisle if the bride's father isn't planning on it. (In a Jewish wedding both parents accompany the bride.)
- In a Christian wedding, be seated in the first pew directly before the ceremony and leave the chapel first afterward
- Stand in the receiving line to greet guests; traditionally, as reception hostess, the mother of the bride heads up the line
- Sit at the parents' table (if there is one)
- Dance with the father of the bride (or other escort) and the groom during the formal first-dance sequence
- Remind the bride often how special she is and that she'll be the most beautiful bride in history
- Let the bride cry on your shoulder anytime, day or night (you know, be a mom).
- The Knot
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