Speech Writing 101 for the Maid of Honor

Writing A Maid of Honor Speech – All the Do’s and Don’ts

You’ve just said YES to be the maid of honor at your friend’s wedding and you just realized that means you’ll have to give a speech. But don’t worry because we’re here to help. Since you’ll be giving a heartfelt speech at your friend’s wedding, it’s crucial that you get everything right. 

For years, we were convinced that you needed certain skills or characteristics in order for your speech not to be an overall bust. But now that we’ve seen countless examples from other friends’ maids of honor speeches it turns out there’s not much magic you need at all!

A few pointers to kick things off – 

1. Don’t worry too much about what other people think
2. Practice before delivering it in person if possible

When you’ve been asked to be the maid-of-honor, it’s important that your speech is from the heart and are true words you want to relay to your good friend and the couple.

Here are our top 7 tips for what to do:

1. Tell the audience who you are and briefly describe your relationship with the bride and the newly married couple.
   Thank whomever else you feel is important to mention – this can be a number of different people depending on the circumstances.
2. Tell a story about you and the bride.
   Get personal and consider telling a story of how you met the bride, how long you’ve known each other. Here is your opportunity to get creative, sentimental and personal.
3. Tell a story about her new spouse.
   Now’s a good time to talk about her partner and how you first met her spouse. Since you previously talked about the bride, it’s a nice transition to talk about your support of the couple and remind all the guests that they’re all gathered to celebrate the happy couple.
4. Share stories about the couple.
   After telling the story about how you met the bride’s new spouse, share heartfelt stories and reminisce about the couple. This can be a great opportunity for you to go back in history and let the audience in on the journey to their wedding day.
5. K-I-S-S (keep it short and sweet)
   Remember that your speech should be no longer than 2 to 3 minutes. That’s just enough time to tell a few stories and end with a toast to their forever happiness.
6. Don’t skimp on practicing.
   Practice, practice, practice a ton in advance! Not only will your delivery be smoother, but you’ll be familiar with the material and it’ll come across as genuine and authentic.
7. End with a sincere, heartfelt toast.
   Wrap up your maid of honor speech with a toast to the happy couple! Raise your glass and set the tone for the rest of the speeches. It can be as simple as “Please join me in raising glass to the newlyweds!” or something similar.

And here are the top 3 tips of what NOT to do:

1. Bring up stories about the bride’s exes.
   You might think it’s funny but the couple won’t and the audience will cringe. A wedding is a family event so spare all the details about the bad exes and drunken nights when she was single. Don’t share stories that you wouldn’t want grandma to hear.
2. Make reference or say anything that could be awkward.
   Picture yourself in the audience as a wedding guest. If anything is remotely cringy, cut it out. Don’t even consider joking about awkward topics, it never lands well.
3. Don’t be anything but your true self.
   If you’re not naturally funny, then don’t attempt to use humor in your speech. Maid of honor speeches can take a number of different tones – you can be sentimental, sweet, nostalgic, or very matter of fact. The only thing to keep in mind is that your words should be from the heart. And talk to the couple, not to the crowd.

Final Thoughts

Someone you care about very much is getting married. As long as you speak from the heart and do a bit of preparation there is no way you won’t nail the speech. Remember it’s about letting your friend (or family member) know how much you love them and this new journey they are about to embark on.