Congratulations!
Your best friend in the whole wide world just got engaged, and you’re the maid of honor! It’s about to be LIT! You already know the first thing that came to your mind was the bachelorette (I know it was for me lol) Cancun, Vegas or Jamaica? As you start planning you realize the maid of honor is more than just planning the bachelorette. Along with the moral support, and making sure the wedding doesn’t get cancelled, you’re also planning an additional event: the bridal shower! It’s all fun and games until you’re thousands of dollars in and you haven’t even made it halfway to the wedding day, where you’ll be spending hundreds of more dollars on preparing for the actual day itself.
I know, right? Feeling stressed already? The excitement’s over real quick once those dollars start adding up. According to Bustle, the average cost to be a Maid of Honor is $2,062. Here are some tips to ensure its a fun experience without losing your mind.
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Communication Communication Communication
You’re all in this together. Have a conversation with the bride about her expectations. Discuss with the bridesmaids about what you all can and can’t afford. If you’re the maid of honor and you can’t commit to paying for the entire bridal shower,ask for some help. 9 times out of 10, everyone will gladly be able to split large expenses like the bridal shower. Talking about costs will also keep everyone on the same page. Let each other know about what you are all comfortable spending including other wedding party decisions. Here, I have the perfect way to make a budget so you know how much you have to spend towards maid of honor duties.
Have the bachelorette Nearby
Yeah, I know everyone wants to go to Vegas or some exotic tropical island for the bachelorette, but I guarantee you’ll still have the time of your lives in a city close to where you live. Let’s be honest you’re all gonna get wasted, party, eat and repeat. You probably won’t even know what time it is half of the time, never mind what city you’re in. Just bring your favorite girls and plan out some fun activities and fun restaurants and bars to visit. Trust me on this one. Some of my favorite memories are the drunken nights riding in the back of a trolly in Atlantic city singing at the top of our lungs lol.
Some of the things we did to cut costs included driving to Atlantic City and renting an Airbnb. For one of the lunches we made tacos, and for the night we arrived, one of our moms made lasagna for all of us to eat for dinner. Everyone also brought their favorite alcohol, and since the Bride was Dominican, you know we brought the Hookah ;). We also split the costs of the decorations, gifts, and games that I’ll be linking below. Here’s an example of what our expenses looked like per person when I was the maid of honor vs. what it could have been if we went to Cancun for the same amount of days.
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Plan Ahead
This is easily the most essential tip. Most likely you’ll have a year to prepare for all these expenses, so listen when I say use that time wisely. Map out an estimated budget for these expenses, when they will be due and where they will be done. Besides planning for upcoming costs, planning will come in handy when you’re coordinating hair, makeup, bridesmaids meetings, bridesmaids dress try on, etc. It’s a good idea to share your expense list and plans with your bridesmaids. Coming up with a payment plan could also be helpful for all of the bridesmaids. It’s way easier to pay something off slowly rather than all at once.It’s a big help to the bride and avoids problems later on.
Pitch in on gifts
On top of being the brides right-hand man, you’re still on the hook for an engagement, bridal shower, and wedding gift. You could all pitch in on the gifts that way it’s always thoughtful and within everyone’s budget. For example, you could all pitch in on some money for their honeymoon or something like a patio set for their new home if they purchased one. If you bought a patio set for $500 and split it amongst 6, it’s only about $84. If you bought a pan set off of the registry alone, it might cost you $150. You would be saving some money while getting a great gift.
Get Creative with the Bridal Shower
Looking for a venue to host a bridal shower isn’t as cheap as you’d want it to be. Most of the places I checked out were well over $1,000, and that didn’t include decorations or alcohol. Thankfully one of the bridesmaids knew someone with a restaurant. They were able to give us an excellent discount. Before that miracle came along, I had already started brainstorming. The plan was to rent out tables and chairs, and decorate the grooms’ parents beautiful backyard. We would have a taco bar themed shower with Tequila of course! If it rained, we were going to rent a tent so that it could still be outside. Some other ideas I looked into included renting an air BnB. They have one’s you could host events, or use a family member or friend’s house for free.
Moral of the story is being a Maid of Honor is a huge honor. Don’t let the amount of money involved scare you away! It’s an unforgettable experience with lots of memories and laughter along the way. Enjoy it while it lasts because before you know it, you’ll be holding the brides bouquet at the alter!
Maid of Honor Favorites