Being a maid of honor is a very crucial responsibility, and it comes with its slew of roles. You and your best friend have had your share of fun times, and this is the perfect time to let those memories run wild.
Maid of Honor Wedding Speech
The maid of honor is part of the bridal party, which means that some responsibilities fall on her.
When your friend asks you to be her maid of honor, you need to be well prepared to give a bomb maid of honor speech to make her day memorable.
If by any chance you aren’t a gifted orator, take some time to prepare to make the speech a breeze and to avoid panicking.
Why is the Maid of honor speech important?
As the maid of honor, it is assumed that you have deep insight into the bride’s life and also in her relationship. Everyone at the wedding will be looking to you to hear if you think she made the right choice to get married or not, so tread carefully.
The maid of honor speech is meant to show your support and love to the bride and to wish her well in the next chapter of her life.
The maid of honor speech should be short and sweet, so use short stories to get your points across if you can. The speech is used to bring some dimension to the bride and to show her best qualities and characteristics.
The maid of honor toast should include some anecdotes about your time and experiences with the bride, but don’t talk about things that can embarrass her in the name of being funny.
How long should the speech be?
Wedding speeches are a huge part of the event and very common at receptions. There is usually more than one person allocated time to give a speech at a wedding. When called upon to give your speech, ensure you stick to the time frame given.
All the speeches are designed to fit in with the meal courses, the dancing, and any other extra activities. As the maid of honor, it is assumed that you are the closest person to the bride, so everyone will be waiting to hear what you have to say about her.
The guests will be thrilled to hear your stories about the bride, so keep them short and sweet to avoid losing your audience’s interest.
If you have any inside jokes you want to share, keep them at a minimum because you are addressing the entire guest list, not just the bride.
When called upon to deliver the maid of honor speech, remember that the day is not about you so, do not make yourself the focal point of all stories. While focusing on the couple of the day, the maid of honor’s toast should celebrate her relationship with the bride and the bride’s with her new spouse.
Who should it focus on?
A great MOH speech requires a lot of preparation and thought, so take your time on it. When given the chance to be a maid of honor, you need to put yourself in the right headspace to write a speech worth the day.
Regardless if you are giving an emotional toast, a custom rap, or a funny speech, your bridesmaid speech should be about letting your love and support known to the newlyweds.
The speech should be authentic, so think about what you want to say before writing things down. When planning for a MOH speech, you should use your connection and relationship with the bride as a guide to share memories and silly stories.
The maid of honor speech focuses on the friendship between the bride and the selected MOH, but it can also incorporate the new spouse.
When delivering the speech, you can tell a few funny stories about your relationship with the bride from earlier years and tell them how much you have seen them change over time.
This speech is also a platform for you to talk about the first time you met her new husband and how much their relationship has impacted her life. You can take some time to incorporate her spouse in the speech, but only if you know them well, otherwise speak to how much he compliments your friend.
The maid of honor is the next important person in a wedding setting after the couple tying the knot, so you must bring your A-game. Writing a MOH speech can be overwhelming, especially if you are neither a prolific writer nor a good public speaker.
If you prepared well, you have less to worry about.
Is it okay to use notes when delivering the speech?
When you are asked to be a maid of honor, it is probably because you have been in the bride’s life for a substantial amount of time. Naturally, you will have a million things to say and stories to share about your friend, but the speech needs to be short, precise, and sweet.
You two have been together through a lot, but this is her moment so, make it worthwhile. The MOH speech is a key part of the ceremony, especially for the bride, so it is okay to feel nervous about it.
The speech should be written early, not the night before the wedding. You can use old photos to help you plan it out and make the speech more heartfelt and personal.
To avoid getting dumbfounded and saying too much on stage, it is important to prepare your speech beforehand and practice before the event. Assuming you get emotional, it will be easier to give your speech if you have notes to guide you on what to say instead of panicking.
The maid of honor speech is about celebrating the new couple not bringing up unwanted memories from their pasts. As such, keep off anything embarrassing or too personal and do not bring up old ex-partners in the speech, no matter how funny the story you are telling is.
Practice as many times as you can before the wedding, and don’t under any circumstances let the wedding day be the first time you are reading your toast out loud.
