I’m having a destination wedding and my maid of honour can’t sign the marriage certificate because she is a family member. My close friend, a bridesmaid, will be signing the certificate. Does that mean her title should be maid of honour as well?
There are circumstances in every wedding where things don’t always go as planned. As in your case, your bridesmaid is really the only one who can sign the marriage certificate. It may be best to keep the existing titles as is.
To prevent any misunderstandings, do let everyone in the wedding party know that because it is a destination wedding and blood relatives cannot sign the marriage certificate, your trusty gal pal will also assume the role of ‘witness’ in conjunction with her ‘bridesmaid’ role. Using the appropriate terminology in advance will help to clarify matters and keep everyone up to date on events.
To thank your bridesmaid for assuming two roles, you could modify her thank you gift accordingly.