So, you’re the maid of honor. Congratulations!
The bride thinks enough of you to put you at her side on this special day and to ask you to give a speech about her that will become an indelible part of the wedding experience.
Here’s a guide to help make that duty more a joy than a stress.
1. Introduce yourself. Chances are as many as half the guests (the groom’s side) may not know you. The rest of your speech will make more sense if people know who you are.
2. Thank whoever is hosting the celebration. This has traditionally been the parents of the bride. These days, it may be the bride and groom. Speak on behalf of the guests to thank them for making you all part of the special day.
3. Mention how beautiful the bride looks and how good she and the groom look together. The trick to making this work is being specific. Mention something about her dress or compare this occasion to another, and your compliment won’t seem perfunctory.
4. Take a poke at the groom. Something very brief, gentle, and not mean spirited.
5. Tell a brief story about the bride and groom. The more it’s from your perspective the better. Make it something other people don’t know if possible. You’ll likely be involved but keep the focus on them. And if you can make it a story that redeems the groom (after your poke) that’s even better. Rehearse this a bit to keep it crisp and to make sure you don’t get lost in the story when you’re feeling nervous or filled with adrenaline on stage.
6. Make a redeeming statement about the groom if you didn’t have one in your story.
7. Include a positive spiritual message if the bride and groom are spiritual people.
8. Offer a nice toast to send the couple off. You can make this unique by finding a quote with character, possibly even one that doesn’t directly deal with love or marriage.
Now pay attention to this part:
There’s absolutely no reason that you can’t create a wedding speech with little preparation or stress that will leave the guest moved and wistful.
There’s a kit available that helps you create maid of honor wedding speeches in no time at all. It’s really inexpensive (and if you follow the link above, you can get a discount) and covers everything from speeches, to jokes, to wedding etiquette.
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