Wait, when reviewing your list of maid of honour duties, preparing and making a speech wasn’t a part of the deal! Yet many maids of honour are forgoing wedding tradition and taking to the stage to toast their bride, after all, why should the men have all the fun?
The maid of honour speech is quickly becoming a rite of passage at UK weddings, and for good reason. A maid of honour speech is a beautiful way to pay homage to your bride, the groom and their relationship so far, as well as a great opportunity to share those special moments and, of course, hilarious stories.
Whether you’ve been asked to do a maid of honour speech and are a little reluctant or you’re raring to go, the following maid of honour speech writing tips are must-reads.
Set the tone
Start as you mean to go on with an introduction that is just as friendly and heart-warming as the rest of your speech. Make yourself familiar to everyone in the room, and don’t be afraid to skip the formalities of mentioning how beautiful the day has been or how well-decorated the venue is.
The average wedding speech lasts 3 to 5 minutes (before it becomes a rambling mess!) so every word counts. Keep your introduction short and sweet so you can take your time with the rest of your perfectly written speech.
Tell a story
When writing a speech, think of it as a story to ensure you entertain and enthuse your fellow guests. Following the simplistic format of beginning, middle and end, and throwing in a couple of anecdotes and meaningful tributes along the way will ensure a varied speech that’s engaging and interesting.
Turning storyteller will not only make your speech memorable for the bride, groom and guests. It’ll make it easier to memorise, which means no awkward shuffling of cue cards on the big day itself.
Play it safe
The golden rule of best man speech writing extends to maids of honour too. Whilst including risqué stories may get a few laughs, avoiding controversial topics is recommended as One Fab Day explains:
“You and the bride are likely to have a back catalogue of risqué stories. However, it might not be appropriate to share them on this particular occasion, especially if there are little, or parental, ears in the room. That doesn’t mean you should shy away from humour altogether, but it’s better to keep it PG. Also, avoid discussing ex-partners, it’s a surefire way to kill the mood. Likewise veer away from money, sex, politics, or religion.”
When deciding whether to include a risqué story in your speech, it is important to remember this: “if in doubt, leave it out!”.
Celebrate the couple
Whilst a maid of honour speech is about sharing exactly why the bride is your bestie, this should only form part of the dialogue.
Make sure you celebrate the couple appropriately during your speech, giving both the bride and the groom their own special moments. You could do this by sharing their love story, explaining why the groom is great for your friend or sharing the many reasons why the bride and groom are so good for each other.
Finish with a flourish
Stick to tradition by ending your maid of honour speech with a toast and a wish for the happy couple. Keep your toast personal, and don’t be afraid to throw a cheesy gag in there if the occasion calls for it!
