On a bride’s wedding day, and all of the planning leading up to it, there’s always her number one lady by her side: her maid or matron of honor. This is a highly important role because she’ll be helping the bride from the day planning begins, all the way until the day of the wedding.

It can be a lot of work, but definitely an honor to be asked and most ladies view it as such. The maid or matron of honor is the bride’s closest female confidant. This can be a sibling, extended family member, childhood friend, or current best friend.

The roles of maid of honor and matron are integral to a smooth-functioning bridal party and wedding planning process. But what’s the difference between these two roles, or is there even one?

We’ll detail everything you need to know about having a maid of honor or matron of honor, the difference between a maid of honor and a matron of honor, and their duties so you know exactly what to expect on the big day!

What Does a Maid of Honor Do?

A maid of honor refers to the bride’s first attendant who isn’t yet married. Her duties really depend on what the bride needs, but typically you can expect a maid of honor to:

• Helping the bride plan the wedding
• Planning the bridal shower
• Planning the bachelorette party
• Helping the bride get ready on her wedding day
• Delegating other tasks to the bridal party
• Coordinating the bridal party on the day of the wedding

What Does a Matron of Honor Do?

A matron of honor typically shares the same duties as a maid of honor, however it’s a woman that is already married. Those same duties include:

• Helping the bride plan the wedding
• Planning the bridal shower
• Planning the bachelorette party
• Helping the bride get ready on her wedding day
• Delegating other tasks to the bridal party
• Coordinating the bridal party on the day of the wedding

What’s the Difference Between a Maid of Honor and a Matron of Honor?

The biggest difference between a maid of honor and matron of honor is the woman’s relationship status. A maid of honor is not yet married, and a matron of honor is a woman who is already married.

Can You Have a Maid and Matron of Honor?

There really aren’t any rules when it comes to your wedding! Traditionally, there is only one maid of honor or matron of honor, but on your special day, the choice is truly yours. Perhaps you have two special ladies that you just could never choose between and that’s totally okay, make them both maids or matrons of honor!

Having two helpers can also be amazing if you’re having a very large wedding with lots of moving parts, multiple wedding events that need planning and coordinating, or a large bridal party. That can be a lot to organize and handle for the bride and that’s where her maid and matron of honor come in.

Can You Have Two Matrons of Honor?

Again, you make the rules on your wedding day. If you have two ladies that are already married that you couldn’t possibly choose between for the role, have two matrons of honor! It’s all up to you on your big day.

Does Maid or Matron of Honor Go First?

There’s really no tradition as to whether the maid of honor or matron of honor walks down the aisle first, the choice is yours. You have a few options:

• If one of them is a sibling of the bride’s, then they would go first.
• If they are both siblings, perhaps let the oldest go first.
• Have them walk down the aisle together
• Have them walk down the aisle together, escorted by the best man