Being crowned as maid of honour is, well, a huge honour! However, it comes with a lot of responsibilities…including giving a toast at the wedding reception. The maid of honour speech is a relatively new addition to the wedding speech line up which can make it a real challenge! That’s why we’ve compiled the best tips and tricks to help you nail your maid of honour speech!
Who’s Who In The Zoo…
Something that often gets overlooked in wedding speeches is the speaker introducing themselves! While you may be super tight with the bride and groom, a lot of other guests at the wedding might not know who you are or what your relationship is to the newlyweds. So, take a brief moment at the beginning of your maid of honour speech to introduce yourself to the other guests so they can find out who you are!
A Toast To You…
If you’re the maid of honour at a wedding, chances are that you’re pretty tight with the bride. That makes you the perfect person to shed light on how the groom has changed your bestie for the better. Whether it’s her wittier sense of humour thanks to her partner’s natural hilarity or her new zest for life since meeting Mr. Right. Speak to the way the newlyweds have helped each other become the best version of themselves. Plus, this is a great chance to incorporate some touching anecdotes into your maid of honour speech because let’s be honest, everyone loves a good story!
Thank U, Next…
A golden rule for both maids of honour and best men to follow in their wedding speeches is DO NOT mention exes! Although you may have some hilarious stories about the bride’s dating history, the night of her wedding is not the time to recount those tales. While they might be fun to share when you’re having a slumber party, talking about the bride and groom’s exes on their wedding night is just embarrassing, so steer clear of that taboo topic.
Golden Timing…
We’ve all had to sit through a few too many speeches that felt like they went on and on forever. Make sure you don’t overstay your welcome in the spotlight by keeping your maid of honour speech short and sweet. We’re not talking a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speech but three to five minutes is the perfect amount of time for a wedding speech.
Joke’s On You…
We all love those funny wedding speeches that totally have you in stitches! It’s a good idea to include a few funny lines in your speech however, try and stay away from inside jokes that will only make sense to you and the bride. Reeling off your inside jokes will just make things awkward when you’re the only two people laughing. While we’re on the topics of jokes, it’s also a good idea to keep your funny lines lighthearted and well-intentioned. It’s all fun and games until you make jokes at other people’s expense so keep things upbeat!
Cheers To The Bride And Groom…
While your maid of honour speech can be an opportunity to share some fun insights into your relationship with the bride, remember that the newlyweds are still the stars of the show! If you’re incorporating stories into your speech, link them back to the bride and groom so that you don’t end up falling down a rabbit hole of memories. Round up your maid of honour speech with a positive sentiment about the happy couple and your best wishes for their marriage.
Key To Success…
Now, go forth and write your showstopping maid of honour speech! Remember to get plenty of practice before the big day so that you can deliver your speech confidently. You could even try recording your speech and listening to it back so that you have an idea of your pace and tone. After all, practice makes perfect!
Need some more insight into what to include in your maid of honour speech? Check out our essential list of dos and don’ts for your wedding speech here.
