The maid of honor role is vital to the bride. You’re a support system, second hand, party planner and soon a public speaker. We’re talking about your fabulous maid of honor speech! For people who are not fans of getting in front of an audience…the thought of a maid of honor speech is nerve racking BUT it doesn’t have to be this way. With our tips, tricks, dos (and don’ts) you can rest assure you will deliver a killer maid of honor speech!

Maid of Honor Speech 101

1. Give yourself time

Writing does not come as second nature for a majority of people. With this in mind, give yourselfplenty of time brainstorm exactlywhat you want to say andhow you want to say it!. You can’t rush perfection and you surely don’t want to rush writing your MOH speech.

2. Practice makes perfect

Okay this relates to giving yourself plenty of time to prepare and choose what you want to say...but you should also set aside a nice chunk of time to practice what you’re saying. Of course you are not going to remember word for word but having an idea of your key points is vital. This ensures you don’t skip anything important!

3. Don’t memorize word for word

This point needs reiteration. DO NOT. I repeat...DO NOT memorize the entire MOH speech. This kills any spontaneity or fitting to the mood of the evening. You don’t want to knoweach andevery sentence you plan to say. This makes the speech sound unnatural and not as genuine. Instead have a general idea of all the different “bullet points” you want to hit on.

How to start….

• Say “thank you”
• An easy approach to begin the maid of honor speech is with saying thank you
• Thank the parents and families of the bride and groom for the wedding and inviting everyone
• Make sure to (of course) thank the bride for selecting you as her maid of honor on this very special day
• Introduce yourself
• This could actually be the very first thing you hit on, or you can save for after the thank yous...you can pair your introduction with how you and bride know each other and maybe a sweet short story about your friendship
• Begin with a quote
• This is another great speech-starter or a great way to end it
• If you are more of the sentimental type, then you may love the idea of beginning your speech with a quote. It sets the mood and can help capture the audience’s attention

“Meat” of the speech...

• There are tons of options for the main body of the speech
• Think of telling a few short stories…
• Maybe one about your favorite memory of the bride. A story that really captures her as a person. Make sure the stories you choose to tell are ones that everyone can connect on. Avoid talking about an inside joke or something that people wouldn’t understand
• Considering sharing your favorite story of the bride and groom. Maybe how they met or a cute hobby they have
• Keep your audience in mind. There are parents, grandparents, young people, friends, coworkers, etc.

Talk about both the bride AND the groom

• Of course the bride is your best friend, but don’t forget the reason for this big day (she’s marrying the love of her life) make sure you include your friends new husband in your maid of honor speech
• You can get sentimental about how happy you are to see your friend so in love and starting a new chapter of her lifeor you can make this part of the speech funny. Choose whatever fits your personality and style best!

Finish with a BANG

• Have your speech end just as strongly as it began
• The end is what people remember most so don’t cut corners
• You can choose to end with a quote or simply propose a heartfelt toast to the newly married couple

Template for your Maid of Honor Speech

1. Introduction
2. Tell story of the first time the bride and groom met
1. Do you remember the bride gushing to you about the groom when they first started met/started dating?
2. Did you set them up?
3. Tell a couple more stories
1. If they’re short feel free to tell two!
4. Stay genuine and sentimental throughout the speech
1. If you’re a jokester this is cool too, just make sure the content of your speech fits the audience
5. Compliment the bride and groom
1. What a great lady she is and man he is...how perfect they are together...and things along this nature
6. Finish strong
1. Congratulate the new couple again and maybe give a toast! Bam!! Your survived your maid of honor speech. Now go dance the night away!

Good luck with your maid of honor speech! It can seem so overwhelming and difficult to begin. With these simple tips and tricks you are sure to have a fantastic speech EVERYONE will love!

And congrats again on getting selected as the Maid of Honor!