Can You Have Two Maids of Honor?

 

Photo: Bella Bridesmaids | Presley Grace

For some brides, deciding who to choose as their maid of honor (or man of honor) can be a tough decision.

Should you choose your sister? Your best friend from college? The friend who just had you as the MOH in their wedding?

Remember, just asking someone to be a bridesmaid is a huge honor. There’s no need to feel guilty for singling out one maid as your numero uno.

But if making the decision seems like an impossible feat, there is a way around it:

Have two maids of honor instead of one!

Not sure how to make it work?

Here’s our wedding etiquette guide for how to have two maids of honor:

Should You Have Two Maids of Honor?

 

Photo: Bella Bridesmaids Scottsdale | Joy and Ben Photography

Having two maids of honor is perfectly fine, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. This is YOUR wedding day. You make the rules and can plan your day as you see fit.

If you want to have 20 bridesmaids, go for it. If you only want one, that’s fine too!

And if you’re extremely close to two people and can’t choose between them, then consider making both of them a MOH.

Just let them both know up front that they’ll be sharing the spotlight. Make it clear to them that they are both super important to you and that you couldn’t choose one over the other. Chances are, they’ll love the idea of both being by your side on your special day.

If you’re having a large bridal party, it can actually be really helpful to have two maids of honor to help out with the wedding planning.

Related: Can You Have Two Best Men?

Make One a Matron of Honor

 

Is one of your MOHs married? You can make a distinction by calling the single one your maid of honor and the married one your matron of honor. Brides have been doing this for decades.

If neither is married, then they’ll both share the same “maid of honor” title. And if both happen to be married, then technically you’ll have two matrons of honor. Either way works for a modern wedding!

As soon as you ask them to be in your wedding party, let them know that they can share all of the maid of honor role’s responsibilities. They can even give a maid of honor speech together at your wedding reception (if they feel comfortable doing so).

Get Them Acquainted

 

Photo: Bella Bridesmaids | Blayke Zimdars

Do your two MOHs know each other?

If so, great! This is going to be a whole lot easier (and you skip to our next tip).

But what if they aren’t already friends?

If your maids of honor don’t know each other (or know each other well), it’s up to you to get them acquainted months before the big day.

Let’s say one is your sister and the other is your BFF from college. You know them both inside and out. Consider some things they have in common and spend time helping them bond over shared interests.

Take them out for dinner and drinks. Start conversations about things that you know they both love (besides you!).

Do whatever you have to do to help them get along and learn how to work together. After all, the better they get along, the easier it’ll be for you.

Let Them Both Plan Important Pre-Wedding Events

 

The maid of honor is usually responsible for planning the bachelorette party and the bridal shower. Since you have two, you can let them decide for themselves who’ll plan what.

It’s best to encourage them to work together and plan your events as a team. But if they’re very different people, it might be best to have each plan a different event.

Is one a mini Martha Stewart with a knack for party planning? Let her handle the shower.

Is one a tequila-loving party girl? Of course, she should plan your bachelorette.

If they’re already friends who can work well together, they’ll probably want to plan your pre-wedding events as a team. If they’re not as close, they may prefer to divvy up certain tasks.

On the day of the wedding, there may be a lot of maid of honor duties. Having two close friends to help you out can keep the wedding running smoothly and on schedule!

What is a maid of honor supposed to do for the bride? Find out in our full guide of Maid of Honor Duties!

Make Them Both Stand Out

 

As the bride with two MOHs by her side, it’s your job to make sure that both of them feel special and that both stand out from the rest of the bridal party.

One way to do this is to have them wear different dresses from the other bridesmaids. They can wear the same dresses — or each wear a different one.

Personally, we love the idea of having each MOH wear a different dress. That way, even if the rest of your bridesmaids wear the same gown, your bridal party can still have that cool, mixed-and-matched look.

Prefer to have everyone in your bridal party wear the same dress?

Help your MOHs stand out by carrying different bouquets or adding a glitzy belt to their dress. Even the littlest details will make it obvious that these are your go-to girls.

Let Them Walk Down the Aisle Together

 

Photo: Bella Bridesmaids | Brittany Driver Anderson

The maid of honor is the last person to walk down the aisle before the bride. If you have two, let them walk down together. That way, they’ll know that they are truly equals in your heart.

Only having one best man?

No problem!

When the bridal party makes their exit after the wedding ceremony, your best man can escort both of your lovely ladies down the aisle at the same time.

But who should stand closest to you while you’re saying your vows? Here’s where it sometimes gets tricky.

The maid of honor usually stands closest to the bride and holds the bride’s bouquet. If one of your besties is a matron of honor, you can ask her to stand in the second spot. But if they’re both equal MOHs, you’ll have to decide who stands where.

A great way to make them both feel equal (regardless of where they stand) is to give them different duties during the ceremony.

Have one responsible for the groom’s wedding ring and the other hold your bouquet. This is a great way to honor both of them without putting too much focus on who stands where!

Some Dresses We Love for Co-Maids of Honor

 

Ready to start bridesmaid dress shopping?

These gorgeous gowns are the perfect way to make your co-maids of honor stand out from the rest of your wedding party:

Jenny Yoo Kenna Dress

 

Jenny Yoo Kenna Dress

In a jacquard sweetbriar print, the Jenny Yoo Kenna Dress features an elegant column silhouette with a strapless bodice and a high leg slit. With an all-over floral print pattern, this gown makes it easy to coordinate maids of honor in patterns while dressing bridesmaids in solid shades of blue, taupe, and green.

Amsale Kenley Bridesmaid Dress

 

Amsale Kenley Bridesmaid Dress

A bow embellishment at the bust adds an extra-special touch to the Amsale Kenley Bridesmaid Dress. In rich faille fabric, this formal dress features a strapless bodice and a full dirndl skirt, coordinating beautifully with Amsale’s Marina, Thayer, and Kiki silhouettes.

Alfred Sung D885 Bridesmaid Dress

 

Alfred Sung D885 Bridesmaid Dress

Puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves add drama and volume to the Alfred Sung D885 Bridesmaid Dress. Featuring a flared silhouette crafted in satin twill, this MOH dress coordinates beautifully with a variety of other satin Alfred Sung looks, like this spectacular strapless trumpet gown.

After Six 6911 Dress

 

After Six 6911 Dress

Set your multiple maids of honor apart from the rest of the wedding party with the After Six 6911 Dress. Easy to coordinate with other After Six gowns in stretch charmeuse, this chic design features a pleated one-shoulder bodice with a dramatic scarf that drapes down the back.

 

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Deciding who to include in your bridal party is a big decision, but it’s a fun one to make. And if you can’t pick one maid of honor to stand out from the rest, then go ahead and choose two.

Remember, this is YOUR day, and you and your fiancé can plan it however you want!

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