A couple of my bridesmaids took it upon themselves to make little baskets to put in the bathrooms. Stuff like deodorant, mints, stain remover stick, Tylenol. Super nice to have at a large wedding.

One of my bridesmaids surprised me and bought and redid a large old window for my guests to sign. She lugged that bad boy cross country for me.

My maid of honor (my little sister) really stepped up on the day of. Helped corral everyone, helped me get dressed, go to the bathroom. She’s also not the most eloquent person, especially when speaking in front of a crowd, but she gave the most amazing speech. I cried partially because her words were so sweet but mostly because I was so proud of her for giving such a beautiful speech in front of 300 people! Now I’m her MOH!

— pax_et_veritas

This is still so fresh in my mind since it was only just about four months ago!

My little sister was my MOH and I did not expect much and I wasn't going to ask for much. She was in school for nursing. I knew she was really stressed and was really focusing on her school work so I did not want to take time from that away from her. Her getting her degree was more important then my wedding.

Well anyway, she really stepped up to the plate, and she really went above and beyond helping with the wedding. She planned the bachelorette party and helped with the bridal shower. My sister was really into it. She got my a bride shirt for when we had the bachelorette and she had flannels made for all the wedding party members for when we were getting ready the morning of the wedding. She would also get annoyed when I wouldn't include her in the wedding planning or when I found vendors and didn't ask for her opinion. I did after she got annoyed. And when there were days she just could not help with the planning, she would tell me and that would be it.

My sister was amazing. Really the whole wedding party was. They all made sure the dresses that we picked for them it what I wanted and envisioned for the day of. There was no drama between the whole bridal party. It was great and I can never thank my sister and the other two girls in the bridal party enough for all that they did during the process!

— Miss_mustache

My maid of honor was just super chill about everything. When I wanted to leave my bachelorette party because some friends of friends showed up and were acting crazy stupid, she got the Uber and basically snuck me out. When we had a crazy freak snowstorm the day before my outdoor wedding, she just stayed calm and kept saying we'd have a wedding ,even if there were only 10 people there. She filtered problems with other bridesmaids, like when the one who had weasled her way into the wedding refused to fix her hair the way she wanted, my super non-confrontational MOH looked at her and calmly said, 'Either you fix your hair, or I hold you down and do it.' I was stressed enough, so she made sure nothing else got to me.

— SunBun93

We eloped and weren't planning on asking anyone to come with us, since it would be a big expense and we didn't want to put our friends in an awkward position of having to decline. My best friend insisted that she and her then-boyfriend-now-husband tag along, saying, 'But you'll need witnesses!!!' They brought two DSLR cameras and took amazing photos and then had a photo book made for us.

When it was my friend's turn to get married, I vowed to be the best MOH I could be, but honestly she might never know how much it meant to me that she made a big deal out of my elopement and made it feel so much more like a real wedding.

— heart_of_blue

My MOH was the best. Even though she lived states away, she was immensely helpful in planning. She was more than happy to bounce ideas off of [me] and would help me research something if I was having trouble with it. She was incredibly helpful when it came to things like hair and makeup too, especially since I'm not too into that. She also took me to look at wedding dresses and really encouraged me to choose something that I liked, not something that my family would like.

Beyond pre-wedding planning, because I was very carefree and relaxed throughout our actual wedding weekend, she took on making sure things were on schedule, that our wedding planner knew what decorations went where, keeping crappy family members away from us, touching up my makeup if she thought I needed it, making sure I had water or champagne at all times, etc. She also hid a ton of food in our upstairs rooms so that if we got hungry, my husband and I wouldn't have to go hunting for food. It would just be there.

— andandandetc

My MOH and two bridesmaids were just the best! We've all been friends since college 10+ years ago. My MOH was living on a different continent from me and still was amazing. She did everything from planning the bachelorette weekend in NYC (midpoint of all the wedding party ladies) to picking up fresh flowers from the farmers market the morning of the wedding (which my fabulous bridesmaids made into bouquets for us). She gave a sweet, touching speech. While we were waiting on the guests to get seated before things started, we had two of those little bottles of champagne and we were drinking (just enough to relax) and she was just being goofy, singing and dancing and making me laugh so I wasn't anxious. One of my bridesmaids also had emergency chocolate in her purse and she fed me bites so I wouldn't get any on my dress. Overall, all three of them were just so loving and happy and supportive and fun; I'm tearing up just thinking about how happy they make me and how grateful I am that they're my friends.

— sunshine606

Honestly, she was all over everything I couldn't think [about]. I was so busy being nervous and excited (mostly nervous at the start) and she was confidently managing all the bridesmaids and chatting with hair and makeup about what to do for each girl so it suited them and all of that. She just gave me my space and made herself useful and it was an absolute godsend.

— AnonLions

We had a low-key DIY wedding. Having done everything ourselves, I didn't really need or want anyone else taking over coordination or logistics — I knew how things were supposed to go, and preferred to take the lead.

But my out-of-state sister/MOH was a champ at the things I did want help with. We planned my small bachelorette jointly, but she did all the buying/booking/RSVPs, and while there she surprised us with lovely gift bags of matching shirts and mini-champagne and stuff. Then on the wedding weekend, she was supremely lovely at just going with the flow, coming along with me to any errand or task I wanted her company/help with, and helping a ton with setup and breakdown.

— hobbesnblue

I didn’t have a maid of honor because I didn’t have a bridal party, but I did have a few friends step up and help without asking, so this is what I really appreciated:

My friend who was doing my hair brought me a tiny bottle of sparkling apple cider. She said she didn’t know if I would want alcohol before the ceremony but she wanted to help me start the celebration. It was so sweet and such a happy memory.

Another friend planned a bridal shower under the guise of having a regular party at my place. My house is great for events and we usually host, so I didn’t find anything strange when she asked to have a cookout on a particular day and offered to clean/cook for it. I was hanging out having a good time when all of a sudden I was like, 'Wait why is there a banner with my name on it? Why is my aunt here? Why are there presents?' It was so sweet and such a surprise without totally blindsiding me with a party.

Same friend planned a bachelorette party without me asking. Super low-key again — she got a ton of cheese, chocolates, and wine, and we just got drunk and had a great time.

— Jilltro

Sure, bringing together a pack of women from all different parts of your life can potentially be a disaster, but if these stories prove anything, it's that the best bridesmaids make the difference between a good wedding day and an unforgettable one.