Help bride and groom scout out wedding and reception sites and ask friends and family for vendor recommendations.



Serve as the main contact for wedding vendors. This can be especially helpful if the wedding is taking place in your town and the bride lives elsewhere.



Help the bride choose her wedding dress and accessories.



Compile and submit names and contact information of your family and friends to be included on the master guest list. This is key in the planning process, it is very important to compile this list EARLY!



Talk to the groom's family about whom they want to include on the guest list and manage the difficult task of limiting the number of guests, if necessary.



Determine what the bride wants you to wear on the big day and find a gorgeous dress. Then, consult with the groom's mom on what you two will be wearing. You'll both feel more comfortable if your elegance is in sync.



Start looking for the perfect dress.



Attend the bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. Offer help to the hostesses of these events, if necessary.



Escort the bride down the aisle if the bride's father isn't planning on it. In a Jewish wedding both parents accompany the bride.



In a Christian wedding, be seated in the first pew directly before the ceremony begins and leave the chapel first after the ceremony ends.



Stand in the receiving line to greet guests; traditionally, as reception hostess, the mother of the bride (MOB) heads up the line. 



Sit at the parents' table (if there is one).



Dance with the father of the bride (or other escort) and the groom during the first formal-dance sequence.



Remind the bride (often) how special she is and that she'll be the most beautiful bride in history.