Maid of Honor Speeches
If the thought of standing in front of a large group of people sends you into fight-or-flight mode, or if you just have no idea what to say in your maid of honor speech, the most important thing to remember with your maid of honor speech is that it comes from the heart and it clearly depicts the love and the happiness that you have for your friend and her groom. After that, it’s all details. But those details are still key and could be your stepping stone to the perfect maid of honor speech!
Do it Early
Prepare your speech at least 3 weeks in advance of the wedding so you can have lots of time to collect your thoughts, put it all out on paper, and have someone proofread it to make sure that it all makes sense! And don’t forget the dry runs – you’ll want to have plenty of those so when the time comes you’re not staring at a piece of paper but you’ll be familiar with the speech and really will speak more from the heart.
Your Ice-Breakers
There are many ways that you may want to warm up the room and start in on your speech but the best ways are to keep the focus on the bride, your friendship, and the times you remember sharing with her. You can tell a favorite childhood story or joke about how the groom better watch out because the bride has a certain habit, such as constantly reorganizing the fridge. Just be sure that the stories you tell are warm and friendly and from the heart and that you don’t divulge anything too, too embarrassing!
The Basics
Once you’ve set everyone at ease, it’s important that you take a moment to get serious. Thank the bride and groom for allowing you to be such a huge part of their day and tell them how happy you are for them. Speak of the love that the bride has for the groom and how happy the groom makes her. You can use words of wisdom to give them advice from the future, whether it’s from your own marriage, or your parent’s marriage, or you can use a verse or a quote to get your idea across. At the end, raise your glass and make your toast to them…and don’t forget to drink to your own toast!
Be Yourself
All that anybody asks of you during the speech is that you are yourself and that you offer a congratulatory word to the happy couple. Although personal anecdotes and stories are funny or sentimental and important to the speech, the main thing is that you really are yourself and talk about your relationship with the couple and their new relationship with each other. Don’t use words you normally wouldn’t and don’t think that you need to be a comedian or entertainer. Your there to support your friend and as long as that shines through, nothing else matters!
