The Complete Maid of Honour Checklist for Australia (2025–2026)

Maid of Honour Guide · Australia

She asked you. You said yes. And now you’re wondering exactly what you signed up for.

Being a Maid of Honour is one of the greatest honours a friendship can offer — and one of the most genuinely demanding jobs you’ll ever take on for someone you love.

This checklist covers everything: from the moment she gets engaged to the night after the wedding. It’s written specifically for Australia, where timelines, venues, and supplier expectations are different from what you’ll read on American wedding blogs.

Bookmark this page. You’ll come back to it.

The role of a Maid of Honour — what it actually means

The MOH is not just a bridesmaid with a fancier title. You are the bride’s personal project manager, emotional support system, logistics coordinator, and chief problem-solver for a 12–18 month period.

The things no one tells you:

• You will know more about her wedding than she does at certain points
• You will be the person she calls when she’s overwhelmed at 11pm
• Your job starts the moment she says yes, not when the invitations go out
• The best MOH work happens behind the scenes, invisibly

Immediately after the engagement

✓ Celebrate properly — then get organised
Give her at least a week of pure joy before any planning talk. But when she’s ready:

✓ Have the conversation about expectations
Every bride is different. Before you assume anything, ask:

• “How involved do you want me to be in the planning?”
• “Do you want me to handle the hen’s entirely, or do you want input?”
• “Is there a budget I should be working within?”
• “Who else is in the bridal party and what are their roles?”

This conversation prevents 90% of the conflicts that happen later.

✓ Get access to what you’ll need

• Her Pinterest board or wedding inspo folder
• The rough date and location (if decided)
• The names and contacts of other bridesmaids

12+ months before the wedding

✓ Help shortlist the venue (if asked)
Some MOHs attend venue tours. Your practical eye for things like “where do people go to the bathroom” and “is there a good spot for photos” is genuinely useful.

✓ Start a shared notes document or folder
You’ll accumulate supplier contacts, ideas, dress options, and to-do lists. Google Drive, Notion, or a dedicated WhatsApp folder all work.

✓ Introduce yourself to the other bridesmaids
A quick group chat message from you — not from the bride — sets the tone. You’re the lead. Establish that early, warmly.

9–12 months before the wedding

✓ Bridesmaid dress shopping

• Organise a date that works for most (not all — you’ll never get all of them)
• Have a budget range ready before you go
• The bride picks. Your job is to make everyone feel good about it.

✓ Start researching the hen’s party
This is one of your biggest responsibilities. Start now, not six weeks out. Figure out: guest list, budget per person, date, style, and location. Ask her — don’t assume.

✓ Begin planning the bridal shower (if having one)
Not all Australian weddings include one. If yes, this typically happens 2–3 months before the wedding and is more intimate than the hen’s.

6–9 months before the wedding

✓ Lock in the hen’s party

• Book venues, accommodation, and activities
• Collect deposits from attendees before you’ve spent anything
• Send a formal invitation — not just a WhatsApp message
• Create a shared expense tracker (Splitwise is free and works well)

✓ Order the gift
This is where most MOHs leave it too late. If you’re organising a group gift: start this conversation with the bridal party now. Collecting money from people is harder and slower than you expect.

If you’re considering Printed Letters — this is the right time to order. You need a minimum of 14 days before the gifting date, but starting earlier means guests have more time to write and you have less to chase. The letters are collected online via a private link — guests can submit from anywhere, any device. You review everything before it goes to print. And she gets something she’ll still have in 40 years.

✓ Confirm dress fittings
At least 2–3 fittings are standard. Alterations take longer than people expect — coordinate the bridal party schedule early.

3–6 months before the wedding

✓ Plan the hen’s party in full detail

• Guest list confirmed and payments collected
• Venue and accommodation booked and paid
• Activities booked with confirmation emails saved
• Dietary requirements collected from all guests
• Run sheet drafted — who’s arriving when, what’s happening at what time

✓ Write your speech
Start earlier than you think. A good MOH speech takes 3–4 drafts over several weeks, not a panicked night before.

Structure:

1. Who you are and how you know her (30 seconds)
2. A story that captures who she is (2 minutes — specific, not generic)
3. What you know about their relationship (1 minute)
4. The toast (30 seconds)

Total: 4–5 minutes. Not more. The crowd will love you for keeping it tight.

Things to avoid: embarrassing stories she hasn’t approved, mentioning exes, inside jokes that 80% of the room won’t get, crying through the whole thing.

✓ Coordinate with the wedding planner or venue coordinator
If the wedding has a planner, introduce yourself and establish how you’ll communicate on the day. If there’s no planner, you may become the de facto coordinator — understand this early.

✓ Know the vendor list
Have names and numbers for: photographer, caterer, florist, hair and makeup, DJ/band. You won’t need them until you do — and on the day, you will.

1–3 months before the wedding

✓ Final hen’s party execution
Run it, manage it, don’t stress about it. Your job is to make her feel celebrated. Nothing has to be perfect — she just needs to know she’s loved.

✓ Chase the letter submissions
If you ordered Printed Letters, send a reminder to anyone who hasn’t submitted yet. The guest link closes automatically on the deadline date — latecomers won’t be included.

Message to send: “Hey! Just a reminder that the link to write a letter for [Bride’s name] closes on [DATE]. Takes 5 minutes and she’ll treasure it forever. Here it is: [LINK]”

✓ Finalise your speech
Read it out loud. Time it. Edit ruthlessly. Practice in front of someone honest.

✓ Organise the bridal party for the morning
Who’s arriving when. Who’s getting hair and makeup first (usually bride last). What everyone is eating. Transportation to the venue. Have a run sheet.

✓ Confirm all fittings are done and dresses are collected. Chase this. Don’t assume.

The week before

✓ Be available. This week she will feel more overwhelmed than she’s admitted. Be the calm one.

✓ Attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Know where to stand, when to walk, what the officiant is going to say.

✓ Prepare an emergency kit. Bring to the wedding morning:

• Sewing kit and safety pins
• Double-sided tape
• Blotting papers
• Pain relief and antacids
• Breath mints
• Stain remover pen
• Spare tights
• Her favourite lipstick (ask her in advance)
• Phone charger
• Snacks
• Your speech — printed, not just on your phone

✓ Collect the Printed Letters parcel. Keep it somewhere safe — don’t let her see it early. The wedding morning or the night before is the perfect moment.

The wedding morning

✓ Arrive first. You should be there before everyone else in the bridal party. Set the tone.

✓ Make sure she eats. She won’t remember to. You remember for her.

✓ Give her the letters. Do it somewhere private. Give her a moment before the chaos. This is the gift that makes her cry before she walks down the aisle — have tissues ready.

✓ Keep the morning on schedule. Hair and makeup always runs long. Know the buffer time and enforce it gently.

✓ Be the last person she sees before she walks out. Tell her she looks extraordinary. Mean it.

The ceremony

• Hold her bouquet during the vows — pass it back smoothly after
• Hold the rings (if asked) — know where they are, don’t lose them
• Stay composed — you’re allowed to cry, just not so much that you become the story
• Sign the marriage certificate if asked to witness — have your ID and full legal name ready

The reception

• Help with the receiving line — keep people moving
• Deliver your speech — you’ve practised this, take a breath, make eye contact with her for the toast
• Be the logistics contact point — if something goes wrong, you handle it so she doesn’t have to
• Keep an eye on her — make sure she’s eating, not stuck with a demanding relative, actually enjoying her wedding

After the wedding

• Write her a card — not a text, a handwritten card within the week after
• Return any borrowed items
• Leave her a review if she uses any suppliers you’d recommend
• Check in a month later — not just the week after. The post-wedding period can be unexpectedly flat.

The one gift above all others

If there’s one thing on this entire list that most MOHs wish they’d done — it’s organising something that lasts beyond the day.

The photos will be beautiful. The flowers will be long gone. The dress will be in a box.

But a letter from her best friend, her mum, her dad, her grandmother — every person who loved her before she walked down the aisle — those she’ll read again and again.

Printed Letters by Letters to the Bride collects every letter through a private online link, prints them beautifully on premium cardstock, bundles them with a satin ribbon in your chosen colour, and ships them before the big day. Order at least 14 days before the gifting date.

Being someone’s Maid of Honour is a privilege. The fact that you’re reading a checklist this long means you already understand that. She chose the right person.