My Experience as a Maid of Honor

I will start by saying weddings are not for the weak, and being a member of the wedding party especially is not for the weak. Weddings are so beautiful, but they are an insane amount of work, and it's true: no wedding will ever be perfect.

My experience consists of going to a couple family weddings as a baby and one wedding in their backyard; all as a guest. So when I was asked by my best friend a year ago to be her maid of honor, I was honored of course. However, I had no idea what was in store of me. It has been a whirlwind of fun, chaos, and lots of stress pimples.

I have always loved planning events. It's so much fun to me and I love all the little details. So planning her bachelorette party was so fulfilling for me and, best of all, the bride loved it. Another family friend planned her bridal shower, so I was fortunate enough to be able to focus on making this event the best it could be. My bride, Gracie, loves arts and crafts and wanted to steer away from the wild bachelorette stereotype. So with the help of my mom, I created a very laidback bachelorette with a bartending class and wine glass etching. The drink making was so interactive and enjoyable; everyone loved it. The wine glass etching was very relaxing and we got to enjoy the drinks we just made.

I was fortunate enough to have a wedding party that was willing to help where they could. We all split payment for the bachelorette party evenly to cover ourselves and the bride. Not to mention, everyone's help on the day of the wedding was unbelievable and I'm eternally grateful for the girls that helped me make the bride's day run as smoothly as possible, despite the inevitable.

The wedding was on Sunday, September 15. Gracie and I got to the venue at 10 A.M. to take a look around, make sure we were acquainted with all the staff and get ready to get ready for her big day. The venue was already almost completely decorated and we were so excited. Her hairdresser and the other bridesmaids rolled in around noon and that's when it got down to business. While Gracie was getting her hair done, we were getting ourselves completely ready, shower steaming our dresses, bumping good music, and making sure the bride was fed and watered.

At 1 P.M., it was my turn to do Gracie's makeup. It took me a little less than an hour and she looked absolutely stunning. Seeing her with her full updo and face of makeup was already amazing, let alone once I helped her into her dress. She truly looked like a bride and, more importantly, she felt like one.

Once it hit 2 P.M., it was crunch time. One of the bridesmaids was late and having makeup issues, so it was me and three other girls working hard to make sure Gracie was ready, flowers were in hand, heels were on, and she was ready for her first look, private vows and pictures.

The first look was so pure and precious. The private vows were done on a bridge and was videoed. The family and wedding party was allowed to attend, but they were so far away we couldn't hear anything. However, reading their facial expressions told the story well enough.

The pictures went well also, it was just so hot outside. Luckily, I equipped myself with mini fans and shared them amongst the wedding party and family. My job was just to make sure everyone looked good, the boys took pictures with and without sunglasses, and Gracie's train is fluffed.

We had a little downtime to get some drinks and relax a bit before the ceremony. I pounded a couple mimosas to prepare myself, and it's a good thing I did. When 3:55 P.M. rolled around, the guests went to their seats outside and we lined up.

Then, it started raining.

It was a perfectly clear day with little to no rain in the forecast, but it happened. Everyone ran inside and we planned to wait it out for a bit because Arizona monsoons come and go very quickly.

Gracie's dad told her that "Rain on your wedding day is good luck." I kept those words in my head and I hope they stayed in Gracie's as well.

All of a sudden, one of the bridesmaids come up to me and informs me that the bride is hot, hungry, and "ready to marry her man." She wanted to move the wedding inside. I hurried to inform the DJ, who then made an announcement to everyone. Very quickly, friends and family worked together to put chairs out on the dance floor. I had a second to take a step back and watch everyone help and it was beautiful to see how well everyone adjusted and made it happen for Gracie.

Finally, we're ready and we walk to our places. I had two things on my mind: hold the bouquet and fluff the dress. But then I had another worry, as Gracie's veil is slipping out from under her beautiful updo before my eyes. I snuck in to push it back up into her head, but it wasn't long before it started slipping again. At this point, we were getting into the good stuff where they say "I do," so I couldn't cut in to push it in again. I just stayed and prayed to the wedding gods that that veil would stay until they finished. By the graces of the gods, it stayed even after the groom dipped and kissed her at the end of the aisle.

Remember how I said every wedding is imperfect? I had one job. I was keeping the groom's ring and when it came time to give it to Gracie, I dropped it. The ring box didn't fit the ring in the little slot, so it was just sitting on top of the silk pillow which caused it to slip right off and onto the bride's train. She picked it up quickly like nothing happened, but I felt so bad.

Now the ceremony's over and I only have one more big deed: the speech. Me, being a writer, I was so worried and just wanted to sound coherent. I kept it on the short end, which I was worried about but it turned out to be perfect. I really wanted to tug on the heart strings so I kept stories out of my speech. It worked out well, since the best man spoke before me and played on humor and storytelling. It was a good balance between the two of us. I almost cried before I even started my speech, but managed to hold it together for a while. I did make the bride cry, and that's all I could ask for.

The first dance was beautiful. The bridesmaids were sobbing on both sides of me. I just loved soaking it all up, the fruitions of all the work we did to pull this day off. I finally broke when Gracie had her dance with her father. It was so pure. Gracie dug her head into her dad's chest and I lost it. I know how close they are and it reminded me a lot of me and my dad.

The reception was so fun-filled. It was a night of dirty Shirley Temples and dance circles. Every time I looked over at Gracie she was smiling, and this is the most I've seen her husband smile ever.

When everyone was saying their goodbyes, a few family members and friends thanked me for everything I'd done that day to make it happen. I hadn't really realized my significance until that moment.

I couldn't have done it without the other bridesmaids and I'm still so honored to have played this part in my best friend's wedding.