Ultimate Guide How To Write A Maid Of Honour Speech

Don't forget the hilariously cringeworthy 'duel' between Annie Walker and Helen Harris in their maid of honour speeches in the hit movie Bridesmaids. Despite being a lot of fun to see, it was essentially the perfect illustration of how not to proceed. Despite the seeming simplicity of this statement, many maids of honour find themselves at a loss for words when it comes to addressing the bride-to-be. The maid of honour's speech is a newcomer to the wedding speech lineup, thus she has the task of not covering the same ground as earlier speakers. When it comes to the maid of honour's speech, the beauty lies in its adaptability, according to Anita Stevens, founder of Write It For Me, a company that specialises in crafting personalised wedding speeches for members of the bridal party.

You can put your own spin on it, she says, but your speech should highlight your friendship with the bride and the joy of her marriage. A tear-jerking, gushing explanation of how wonderful your friend is not required. It's not uncommon for the maid of honour's speech to be more memorable and amusing than the best man's. We think it's great if women can aspire to be just as funny as the finest men and even surpass them. Looking for the ultimate Wedding Reception Venue in Melbourne? Look no further, Vogue Ballroom is here. 

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Rules And Etiquette

There are several etiquette matters to settle before you begin creating your cue cards.

Keep It Clean

Keeping things clean when we have so much funny dirt on our best daughter prompted us to place this one first (especially after a few drinks at the open bar). If you can help it, though, please don't. Both sets of parents are present, and there may be other relatives around who can overhear your conversations. If word got out about what went down at the bachelorette party, it might get really awkward. Allow the best man to make that gaffe; he probably will.

Do Your Research.

While you're likely familiar with most of the invited attendees, you might not be as well-versed with their plus ones. Try to learn as much as you can about the unknown guests. Don't risk offending or unsettling others by talking about any of these four sensitive areas. To learn more about those, keep on reading!

Watch Out For Sensitive Topics.

Avoid discussing money unless it's to the couple's benefit. Avoiding political discussions is strongly recommended. And please, please, bury the bones of your ancestors. Nothing causes more social awkwardness than having to blame someone in the family for a fight when it wasn't their fault. Her dad's new wife caused a ruckus over Thanksgiving, which is probably old news to everyone there. Keep quiet about it for now. Regardless of how humorous it might have been.

Let's say the couple tied the knot in a religious ceremony and their relatives also share their faith. So, that's something to think about bringing up if it applies to you. To sum up, just be considerate and open-minded.

Five Steps To Writing A Maid Of Honour Speech

You probably won't learn how to write wedding speeches in class, and being named maid of honour does not come with a user's guide. It could look like you're just supposed to make it up as you go along. It's difficult to resist the temptation. Not many impromptu wedding speeches go viral for all the right reasons. Preparation will help you succeed and keep your cool under pressure. The following are some examples of maid of honour speeches, as well as a simple five-step method to help you write your own.

Introduce Yourself.

One can assume that even at a modest wedding, there will be at least one guest who is unfamiliar with you. In addition, telling the bride and groom how you met is a terrific way to set the stage for a delicious tale. Always make sure to circle back to the bride, no matter how fascinating your own life has been. They've all made the trip to visit her.

Choose which stories to tell.

If you are the maid of honour, it means you know the bride very well to have a lot of anecdotes to tell, but not all of them are suitable for this occasion. Elderly relatives, children, coworkers, and religious leaders are common attendees at weddings. Perhaps this is not the time to bring up the time you and the bride make out in her brother's car on New Year's Eve while both of you were quite inebriated. Stories should be appropriate for all ages and work environments.

  • Consider The Tone

The tone of the speech is something else you should give some thought to. There are humorous maid of honour speeches, heartfelt ones, and even some that delve into spiritual matters. Who you are, how you know the bride and groom, and who else will be there are all factors. If the family of the bride and groom are the joking type, feel free to share some humorous anecdotes at the reception. On the other hand, if the mood is more solemn, you should fit in.

  • Make The Connections

Assuming you have plenty of anecdotes left to select from, focus on those that are most relevant to the nuptials and the bride's connection with the groom. As a child, did she ever mention a potential husband? If it was someone like the person she is marrying now, it would be even better. Vogue Ballroom is your ultimate Wedding Reception Venue to create your dream wedding.  You likely still have a tonne of anecdotes to choose from, so narrow down to the ones that have the strongest relevance to the nuptials.

The tale of the two people who would become husband and wife is another safe bet. Did she talk about them nonstop for a week? Did she give you a call to fill you in on the details of their first date? Maybe she wasn't sure at first, but they won her over nevertheless.

  • Show Her Love to Her Partner

Stories about "how they met" might flow naturally into anecdotes about how you first met the groom. Perhaps you've gone on some great double dates with them, or maybe they're just the kind of folks that treat you like the most important third wheel ever. Or have you found that getting to know your best friend's new husband has been a lot of fun and very rewarding? No matter what it is, work it into the speech so that it once again focuses on the two of them together.

Best Wishes For The Coming Years.

Once you've finished rehashing the past, you may go on to discussing the prospects for the future. After all, the focus of most weddings should be on the beginning of the newlyweds' lives as a married couple. Include a section of your speech in which you express all the best wishes you have for the audience.

  • If You’ve Been There

As the traditional word for a married maid of honour, you may have some insight to offer the newlyweds. Feel ahead to include it if you think the couple would enjoy it and you can frame it in a lighthearted and humorous way.

Organise your thoughts.

After you have settled on your topic and the points you wish to make, organise your thoughts into a coherent structure. Even though it brings back memories of English class, an outline is a useful first step. Write up your introduction, including the main points you want to make, the tale you want to tell, and how that narrative will set up the following one.

  • Don’t Forget the Conclusion.

Most maid of honour speeches take the form of a toast, so a simple request for everyone to raise their glasses is a safe bet. References to earlier in the speech, such as provide an extra layer of satisfaction. You might also end on a statement that either relates to the pair in some way or is something you know they enjoy. If you like, your quote can also serve as a transition within the toast. Saying "the end" is optional, so long as you do so in your own unique way.

Practice

Make sure that your speech reads as well as it does on paper. In the end, that's how the target audience will be processing it.

  • Get Some Feedback.

If possible, practise reading your speech out to others, or record yourself reading it and review the recording later. Most likely, there will be anything you feel needs improving or expanding upon. Be sure to find out where your shipment is. Is it understandable? Do you have energy without becoming excessive?

  • Time Yourself

Always use a timer when practising your speech. You need to shorten it if it lasts longer than five minutes. A wedding has a lot of moving parts, and you don't want to be the one who slows things down. Aim for a length of three to four minutes, giving you time to pause for applause, a laugh, or the bride's mother to locate a box of tissues. 

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Advice For The Maid Of Honor's Speech

The Best Man, make way for the Maid of Honour! More and more Maids of Honour are coming up to the mic and stealing the show from the Best Man, with no pressure from the audience or any prior expectations. Let Vogue Ballroom Wedding Venue help you create the most magical day of your life. So if your Maid of Honour wants to give a toast at your wedding, here are some tips to help her deliver an excellent speech: 

Express Your Appreciation

Looking for a simple starting point? Express gratitude to the parents of the bride and groom for hosting the event, and to the bride herself for choosing you to serve as her Maid of Honour. Even in a small wedding, not everyone will know who you are or how you know the bride. This is not acceptable, therefore you should take the opportunity to identify yourself at the beginning of your speech.

Story Time

It is time to move on to the meat of your speech at this point. The most work will go into this section, which should include some relevant experiences and stories. We recommend beginning with a narrative about how you met the bride; this can be anything from a humorous anecdote to a heartfelt reflection on the two of you. Remember to keep this tasteful and up-to-date; no one wants to hear a laundry list of inside jokes that only the bride and groom get. Now is the time to share your most interesting anecdotes.

Back It Up

Instead of listing all the wonderful traits the bride possesses (there are, of course, many), you should pick a few and illustrate them with stories and anecdotes to make your speech more real and entertaining.

Make It All About Them Both.

Having introduced the audience to the bride's life before she met the groom, you can move on to detailing their romance. Two of the most popular topics at wedding receptions are the couple's first date and the Maid of Honor's revelation that the groom is truly "The One" for the bride. Just as you can highlight the positive changes in the couple's lives as a result of their marriage, you can also highlight the lessons they've learned from one another. Again, the tone is up to you and your sense of humour if you want to make it lighthearted or touching. If you want to go for the humorous approach, take care that your speech doesn't devolve into a roasting. There may be old people there.

Also, Show Some Affection To The Groom.

Make sure the groom feels appreciated by including him in your remarks. If you've become excellent friends, you may even be able to mock or compliment him on his admirable traits. If you aren't particularly close to the couple, you can simply gush about how happy he has made the bride and how perfect they are for each other. Finish your speech with some hilarious or beneficial advice to the newlyweds and salute them.

Conclusion

The speech given by the maid of honour is relatively new to the tradition of wedding speeches. According to Anita Stevens, creator of the writing service Write It For Me, the beauty is in the system's malleability. If you want to avoid upsetting or offending someone, avoid talking about the following four topics. Unless it's mutually beneficial, couples should avoid talking about money. Everyone in the office, regardless of age, should be able to enjoy the stories.

Unplanned wedding speeches seldom go viral for the right reasons. The maid of honour speech examples and five-step process shown below will help you craft an unforgettable speech. An further aspect of the speech that needs consideration is the tone. Some maid of honour speeches are amusing, while others are full of emotion and even touch on spiritual themes. You should dedicate some of your speech to conveying your warmest sentiments to the listeners.

During the wedding ceremony or reception, the Maid of Honor always gives a speech. Aim for three to four minutes to allow for laughter and applause. They're making the Best Man look bad, those Maids of Honor. Here are some suggestions that should help her give a fantastic speech. Thanks must be shown to the parents of the bride and groom for hosting the reception.

Give examples and personal tales to back up your points and keep the audience engaged. It's appropriate to focus on the positive ways in which the couple's marriage has altered their life. The lessons they've taught one another can also be highlighted. You can simply rave over how happy he has made the bride if you aren't especially close to the couple.

Content Summary

  1. Recall the 'duel' between Annie Walker and Helen Harris, played out in their maid of honour speeches, and how deliciously cringeworthy it was.
  2. Since the maid of honor's speech comes last in the wedding speech lineup, she must avoid repeating the same information that was already presented.
  3. According to Anita Stevens, owner of Write It For Me, a service that specialises in writing custom wedding speeches for members of the bridal party, the beauty of the maid of honor's speech resides in its adaptability.
  4. She advises that, while you are free to put your own spin on the speech, it is important to emphasise your friendship with the bride and the happiness of her marriage.
  5. The maid of honor's speech often outshines the best man's in terms of audience recall and laughs.
  6. In search of Melbourne's finest Wedding Reception Location?
  7. Standards of Conduct
  8. Before you start making your cue cards, there are some etiquette issues to iron out.
  9. Unless it's mutually beneficial, couples should avoid talking about money.
  10. Blaming a family member for an argument that wasn't their fault is one of the most socially awkward situations imaginable.
  11. Don't talk about it just yet.
  12. In a nutshell, try to treat others with respect and tolerance.
  13. Here Are The Five Easy Steps You Can Take To Craft The Perfect Maid Of Honor Speech
  14. Being named maid of honour is not typically taught in schools, and neither is the art of writing a wedding speech.
  15. Here are a few speeches delivered by maids of honour and a straightforward five-step process for creating your own.
  16. Pick and choose which tales to share.
  17. Because of your close relationship with the bride, as maid of honour, you likely have many entertaining stories about her to share, but only certain of them are appropriate at this event.
  18. An further aspect of the speech that needs consideration is the tone.
  19. It all depends on your connections to the bride and groom and the other guests.
  20. At the reception, feel free to tell jokes about the bride and groom or their families if you know they enjoy a good laugh.
  21. Establish Ties
  22. Assuming you have a large pool of anecdotes from which to choose, zero in on those that pertain most to the wedding itself and the bride's relationship with the groom.
  23. Make sure that whatever it is, it is woven into the speech so that the attention returns to the two of them.
  24. After you're done going over old ground, you can go on to the topic of future expectations.
  25. Your experience as a "maid of honour," the traditional term for a married woman, may provide you valuable perspective to share with the happy couple.
  26. Collect your thoughts and put them in order.
  27. Following the selection of a topic and the development of supporting arguments, arrange your ideas into a logical framework.
  28. Compose your introduction, noting the key points you wish to make, the story you wish to tell, and how that story will build up the next one.
  29. An additional element of fulfilment is added by allusions to earlier in the speech, such as.
  30. The quality of your speaking should match the quality of your written work.
  31. Locate your package as soon as possible.
  32. Your toast should last no more than four minutes to allow time for clapping, laughter, or the bride's mother to find a box of tissues.
  33. Get out of the way, Best Man; here comes the Maid of Honor!
  34. Thank the bride and groom's parents for hosting the wedding and the bride for selecting you as her Maid of Honor.
  35. This is inappropriate; please introduce yourself at the outset of your remarks.
  36. Time to get into the substance of your talk now.
  37. Tell us the most fascinating stories you can think of right now.
  38. After you've given the audience a taste of the bride's history prior to meeting the groom, you may move on to describing the beginnings of her and the groom's love story.
  39. You can highlight the positive ways in which the couple's life have changed since being married, or you can focus on the positive ways in which they have changed because of the lessons they have learned from one another.
  40. Once more, you get to decide whether or not to go for a humorous or heartfelt tone.
  41. Be sure to include the groom in your comments so he knows he is valued.
  42. Finish your toast to the newlyweds with some humorous or helpful advise, then give them a hearty handshake.

FAQs About Wedding Speech

Wedding Speech Template

  • Open with a startling statement or question. Don't lead with a joke or a reference to how nervous you are. 
  • Address your audience. 
  • Zero in one to three points. 
  • Rehearse. 
  • Record yourself practising. 
  • Lay off the booze. 
  • Let nerves work to your advantage. 
  • Be yourself.

Generic. Dear friends and family of the Bride and Groom, we welcome and thank you for being part of this important occasion. We are gathered together on this day to witness and celebrate the marriage of Name Of Bride and Name Of Groom. Every one of us has a deep desire to love and to be loved.

Wedding Toast Template

  1. Congratulate the couple. Express how happy you are that the two of them are getting married and what it means to you to witness it.
  2. Introduce yourself. 
  3. Tell a (curated) story. 
  4. Address both partners. 
  5. Go for the crowd-pleasers. 
  6. Raise your glass for a toast.
Bride and/or Groom Speech. The bride and groom too can take the mic and give a speech. As the bride or groom, you can keep your speech short and just thank everyone for being there to celebrate your special day or deliver a full speech complete with a sweet story.

Dependent on your tolerance, one or two drinks is good, but don't let it snowball. The mood of the celebration is quickly dampened if the maid of honour flubs her speech, goes on a rambling tangent, makes inappropriate comments, or throws up from a combination of anxiety and drink.

A maid of honour speech doesn't have to be a comedy act if humour isn't your strong suit. Be as emotional, sweet, or nostalgic as you like, but don't get intoxicated with it. It would help if you held off on drinking until after the maid of honour's toast.

 

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