A typical wedding includes several different people who have several different responsibilities to perform in the wedding. A groomsman is a person who is the attendant of the groom at the wedding.
The same is for the bride as well, however, they are of multiple types.
The Bridesmaid and the maid of honor are two such people associated with the bride. They might come under the same hierarchy, but they are two different people with different posts, responsibilities, and many such dissimilarities.
Key Takeaways
- Bridesmaids are members of the bridal party who support the bride during the wedding planning process and on the wedding day.
- The maid of honor is the bride’s closest female friend or relative, who holds a higher level of responsibility in the wedding and assists the bride with various tasks.
- While both bridesmaids and the maid of honor support the bride, the maid of honor holds a more significant role and has additional responsibilities.
Bridesmaid vs Maid of Honor
A bridesmaid is a female attendant chosen by the bride to accompany her on her wedding day, where the number of bridesmaids can vary and is determined by personal preference and the size of the wedding. A maid of honor Is a bridesmaid who is chosen to serve as the bride’s chief attendant.
A bridesmaid, as the name suggests, is a woman responsible for serving the bride. One can easily identify a bridesmaid in a wedding, as all the bridesmaids might wear the same dress and would be standing along with the bride.
A maid of honor is the chief of the group of bridesmaids, and someone married. If the chief of the group of bridesmaids is married, she is then known as a matron.
The maid of honor is the person who is closest to the bride among the rest of all the bridesmaids.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Bridesmaid | Maid of honor |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A bridesmaid is the attendant of the bride. | A maid of honor is the chief of all the bridesmaids. |
| Duties | The bridesmaid has lesser duties and responsibilities to perform at the wedding as compared to the maid of honor. | The maid of honor has more duties and responsibilities to perform at the wedding as compared to the bridesmaid. |
| Total number | There can be multiple bridesmaids at a wedding. | There can be only one maid of honor at the wedding. |
| Marital status | The bridesmaid in a wedding can be either unmarried or married. | The maid of honor is unmarried in the most general cases. |
| Dress | All bridesmaids wear the same dress on the wedding day. | The dress of the maid of honor is similar to the bride’s. |
Who is a Bridesmaid?
The group of bridesmaids includes the girls who are extremely close to the bride, such as close friends, sisters, cousins, and more.
Though one can have only one bridesmaid at a wedding, there can be more than one bridesmaid too. For a typical wedding, the total number of bridesmaids ranges from a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 7 on average.
The group of bridesmaids can have a chief, and many of their members are categorized as junior bridesmaids as well. The chief of the group of bridesmaids can be of two different types, that is, married chief and unmarried chief.
When the chief girl of the group of bridesmaids is unmarried, she is known as the maid of honor. On the other hand, when the chief girl of the group of bridesmaids is married, she is known as the matron.
The bridesmaid’s responsibility is to attend the wedding and help the bride primarily. However, in current times, the bridesmaids can also participate in the planning of weddings as well.
Moreover, they can attend bachelorette parties, rehearsals, bridal showers, and other such functions.
Who is a Maid of Honor?
A maid of honor is also known as the bride’s right hand at a wedding. One can easily identify the maid of honor in a wedding as she is dressed the same as the bride.
Since the bride of honor is the chief of all the bridesmaids, it is quite obvious that she would have more responsibilities as compared to the rest of the bridesmaids at the wedding.
Some of the general responsibilities of a maid of honor can include holding the bouquet for the bride while she is walking down the aisle and for the rest of the ceremony, bringing the ring of the groom to the bride during the ring exchange ceremony, participating in the wedding planning, helping the bride to get ready, going for the dress shopping for the bride and more.
Apart from all these responsibilities, one of the most crucial responsibilities for the maid of honor is to sign the wedding papers or also known as the marriage license, as the witness for the wedding from the bride’s side.
The maid of honor must also keep track of the rest of the bridesmaids, carry out rehearsals for them and make sure that they are well prepared for the wedding.
Main Differences Between Bridesmaid and Maid of Honor
- Bridesmaids have no one to work under them. On the other hand, the maid of honor has bridesmaids lower to them in the hierarchy.
- The bridesmaid can sign the marriage license as a witness in rare cases. On the contrary, the maid of honor signs the marriage license as a witness.
- Bridesmaids participate in wedding rehearsals. In contrast, the maid of honor is the one who carries out wedding rehearsals.
- A bridesmaid may or may not participate in the planning of the wedding. On the other hand, the maid of honor participates in the planning of the wedding.
- The bridesmaids might not be as close to the bride as compared to the maid of honor. On the contrary, the maid of honor is closest to the bride than the bridesmaids.
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1363460708096917
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-28700-001
Last Updated : 25 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
