Bride Guide: Maid or Matron of Honour?

maid of honour wooden gift box with white ribbon and pink roses being handed between two women, one in a pink bridal robe and the other in a white robe

You’re getting ready to choose your Bride Tribe and your leading lady to stand up beside you on your big day. But does she earn the title of Maid of Honour or Matron of Honour? What’s the difference and does it matter?

Bride Tribe proposals are made extra sweet with our custom gift boxes. Photo by Elsa Campbell Photography

 Traditionally the title of “Matron” refers to the Bride’s honour attendant who is already married, whereas a “Maid” is unmarried. This role is often given to the Bride’s best friend or sister, though we’ve seen a bit of a shift from this norm to include the Bride’s mother or even a well-behaved, much-loved pet dog.

Can you have both a Maid and Matron of Honour? Absolutely! If you’re wondering how the bridal procession traditionally follows when both are in attendance – the Matron of Honour walks down the aisle first, followed by the Maid of Honour, who will stand closest to the Bride during the ceremony.

Our gorgeous Bride to Be with her closest girls. Photo by Poppy & Sage Photography. Flower crowns by Bumble & Bloom

These days, most Bride’s choose to simply use the title “Maid of Honour”, whether her attendant is married or not. If you wanted to avoid using the terms “Matron” or “Maid” altogether, you could simply opt for “Honour Attendant”. In times when the Bride’s honour role is given to a male, we’ve seen the clever introduction of “Man of Honour” given to him. Likewise for the Groom’s party, we’ve seen “Best Woman” instead of the traditional “Best Man”.

Of course, if your honour attendant has four legs, you might choose the title “Dog of Honour”. Just make sure they don’t steal the wedding cake!

Courtney & Aaron shared their big day with their furry family. Photo by Fig Tree Pictures

So what do you think? Will you stick to tradition when giving titles to your Maid or Matron of Honour? 

Whatever you decide, we have you covered! Our “Maid of Honour” gift boxes can be found HERE and you have the option to custom your title to suit whoever is beside you on the day… no matter how many legs they have!

Real Weddings: Katie & Tyler

Bridal Party in matching pjs

Katie and Tyler were married on the 17th of March at Tamburlaine Organic Wines in the gorgeous surrounds of the Hunter Valley Vineyards – a special place for the two of them, where they celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and other occasions. Katie had been dreaming and gathering inspiration for her wedding for as long as she could remember, so planning went into full swing after Tyler proposed! The theme was “Whimsical, Natural Beauty” – a crisp colour palette with greenery and nature featuring exceptionally. The white King Protea is Katie’s favourite flower, which featured in large floral pieces around the ceremony and reception and also in the bouquets, which appearances from white tulips and roses too.

The Dress

The wedding location was classic and romantic, so the wedding dress had to suit – with a little modern boho mixed in too! Katie found the perfect figure-hugging, lace wedding dress with all the detail she loved in a style by Maggie Sottero’s Sottero and Midgley collection. With stunning crochet lace and elegant detailing down the back, it was everything Katie could’ve wished for and more!

The Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids were dressed in a mix-n-match of styles from Shona Joy in ivory to complement the colour palette of the day. To add that boho touch, the bridesmaids were gifted darling tassel earrings to wear. These were gifted to the girls on the morning of the wedding in our very own custom gift boxes!

“The Bridal Box Co. created me some incredible personalised boxes to place all my bridesmaid’s gifts in. It was so special.”
The Reception

Katie and Tyler know how to throw a party! They had a four-piece band to keep each of their 150 guests on the dance floor and an amazing evening filled with love and joy. As the couple cut their cake by the deck with views across the dam, a magnificent fireworks display lit up the sky and had everyone in awe.

These fireworks almost shone as brightly as the love we can see shining from these two! Congratulations Katie & Tyler!

Photographer: Samuel Jacob Photography
Cinematographer: Amico Films
Styling: The Wedding Designer
Bride’s Dress: Sottero and Midgley
Bride’s Accessories: Belles and Beaux, Siren, Samantha Wills
Bridesmaid Dresses: Shona Joy
Pyjamas: Jasmine & Will
Groom & Groomsmen Attire: Tarocash
Hairstylist: Blanc Hair
Makeup Artist: Sophie Cate Makeup
Flowers: The Wedding Designer
Venue & Fireworks: Tamburlaine Organic Wines
Cake: Hello Naomi
Musicians: Elise Clare Music, Kylie Jane Music

Real Brides: Amanda & Carly

Our Story

Carly drums in a band, and we had a mutual friend who asked me to go with her to see this band that’s the day I met Carly. It was a slow start for us but eventually we ended up together and we thought we couldn’t of been happier. We got engaged three years ago after being together for only about 1.5 years. I always wanted one of those chocolate advent calendars for the countdown to Christmas. It was December 1st and we were having dinner in (stir fry, my favourite) Carly handed me this advent calendar, I was beaming with excitement cause I’m a chocoholic. She told me to open the box labelled one and there it was a beautiful engagement ring and that’s when our life together really started.

Planning

Our wedding planning experience was stressful and draining which is why in the end we decided to elope and surprise our guests at a party! The most important thing to us was that the day was about us and our life together not about anyone else and that our fur baby could be there to celebrate with us.

The Dresses

Our wedding dress search was rushed with 8 weeks to find something. We had no idea what “the one” was. We both went in with pictures of this and that and joined bits and pieces together, luckily for us Nancy knew exactly where our imaginations were going and created us both our dream dresses.

Special Touches

My (Amanda) dad passed away 8 years ago and we had a special button hole made for him that matches our hair pieces and it went out to his plaque the morning of our day so that he could be “wearing” it while he was with us. Archie our fur baby came with us to our ceremony and photos as well. 

Advice

Elope.

Only do what makes you and your partner happy.

You can’t please everyone. So take a deep breath and enjoy your day it goes crazy fast. 

Photography: Morgan Roberts Photography www.morganrobertsphotography.com

Videography: Julie Lowe www.julielowephotofilm.com
Ceremony Venue: Buderim Forest
Officiant: Josh Withers www.marriedbyjosh.com
Styling: Crown of Eden www.edentheflowershop.com.au
Flowers: The
 Elopement Collective www.elopementcollective.com

Wedding Dress: Nancy Khau boutique www.m.facebook.com/NancyKhauBoutique

Hair: Dollhouse Makeup Artistry www.dollhousemua.com.au
Makeup: Lilly (our beautiful friend)