For many people, choosing the maid of honor can be complicated. Sometimes the choice is between a best friend and sibling; in this situation, what do you do? Do you pick (a) your best friend you’ve known since childhood, or (b) your older sister? While playing favorites seems childish – it’s a necessary decision that must be determined during the initial stages of wedding planning. 

Giving the Role to Family
Typically, if you only have one sister, proper etiquette says that you should give the honor to her. Difficulties arise when you have multiple sisters and friends to choose from. Keep in mind that you want someone that is going to be excited and eager to plan out the bridal shower, bachelorette party, and take on certain aspects of the big event. Although choosing your sixteen-year old sister is a sweet gesture, her abilities on planning fantastic parties will be somewhat limited. If you’re looking for a good time (alcohol please!) it may be best to leave the underage sibling to a junior bridesmaid position. 

Picking Between Friends
Sometimes it’s easier to have a sister to take the role as maid of honor – this keeps you from having to choose between friends. However, if you were one of the unfortunate girls with only a brother in tow, word of advice: try to choose a friend that is highly organized. This may seem like a strange characteristic to look for, but trust us, you’ll be happy you did. She’ll be addressing envelopes, booking rooms and plane tickets, fanning out your train, and spreading the word on your bridal registry. If you end up with a friend who is dragging her feet, you may end up planning all of the get-togethers on your own. 

Two For the Price of One
If you can’t decide between two dear friends, consider having them both be a maid of honor. At the end of the day, it’s just a title that goes into the wedding program. Plus, this will leave you with 4 helping hands instead of two. Put one on the task of making the party favors while the other puts the invitations together. Before you know it, the wedding will be completely taken care of and you’ll still have a few weeks to relax!
Maid of Honor Long Distance
Although it may be hard, do not choose someone who lives on the other side of the country! As much as you may want her to have an important role in the celebration, she’s not going to be of much use to you thousands of miles away. If she’s a good friend, she’ll only stress out trying to help you as best as she can despite the distance. Do her and you a favor and choose someone local. 

Friends to Avoid
Avoid giving the honor to friends and relatives who are dealing with complicated matters of their own. Some examples are: expecting mothers, friends dealing with divorce, or illness. Although they may insist that being Maid of Honor would lift their spirits and give them something to do, the fact of the matter is they have more important things to take care of.