How Good or Bad was Your Wedding Speech ?
Getting prepared and ultimately presenting a wedding speech is quite an experience. You like it or you don’t like it, if you agree to be a best man or maid of honor you know you have to deliver a wedding speech at the wedding ceremony. The groom, the father of the bride and sometimes the bride don’t even have that luxury. A groom is a groom by default and so are the other two. They have to give their respective wedding speeches. No escaping from that.
But, not necessarily, things should be as bad as you expect it to be if you are afraid of public speaking. After all it’s a great honor to be selected as a best man or maid of honor. And if you follow a few simple guidelines you too can deliver a wedding speech that would be remembered for long. That’s for those who are not that comfortable while speaking in front of a crowed. But many of you out there are really good speakers and can handle the job with confidence. But in spite of being a good speaker, you should plan your speech before hand and actually put your thoughts on paper. You can thus make your wedding speech even better than your expectations.
This Wedding Speech Blog is a place where we would share tips, ideas and experiences related to wedding speeches. Be it a best man speech, a groom speech, father of the bride speech or maid of honor speech, if you have to say, you are welcome to post your thoughts here. so, go ahead and share with us your wedding speech experience.
A Comprehensive Guide To Maid of Honor Speeches
Once the chaos of the wedding day is over, and the bride and groom are happily wed, the final duty of the maid of honor arises – the speech. The maid of honor speech is crucial; it sums up your feelings for the new husband and wife and shows the wedding guests how apparent the new couple’s love is for each other. From beginning to end, maid of honor speeches should be short and succinct, touching on all of the reasons why you are positive the newlyweds are perfect for each other.
It’s critical to not embarrass the bride or groom too much. They do not want to look back on their special day and think about you informing their grandmothers about how they met at a strip club in Las Vegas. Anything you wouldn’t tell your own parents is probably best left out of the maid of honor speech entirely.
While you are usually the bride’s best friend/sister/cousin, the maid of honor speech is about the couple now. Focusing solely on childhood or high school events between the bride and you can wind up leaving the groom and his family feeling left out or uncomfortable, so it’s best if the speech encompasses both the husband and wife. There’s plenty of time for reminiscing, but this maid of honor speech isn’t one of them. A quick emphasis of your bond with the bride is usually sufficient.
From there, think about what you want out of a marriage. Generally every woman wants the same thing from her husband: comfort, companionship, friendship, trust, etc. Include ways you’ve seen these traits displayed in your friends and share them with the guests. Let the groom know you’ve seen and appreciate his devotion to your best friend. Let the bride relish in the glow of knowing her new husband is just as wonderful to everyone else as he is to her.
Wish the bride and groom well in your maid of honor speech. You should have an idea about what their goals are together. Do they want to move to another city or country? Do they want children? Do they want to buy a vacation home? Throw in some well-wishes for their future goals together.
Historically, the best man’s speech is usually droll and full of dry humor and wit, along with embarrassing stories of the groom. Oftentimes maid of honor speeches can be witty, too! Think about your style and your personality: are you emotional? Funny? Serious? Wise? Include your personality in your speech to personalize it.
Try to know ahead of time when the bride and groom want the toasts done. The last thing you want is for the timing of your maid of honor speech to be sprung on you and you have spinach stuck in your teeth or you have to fumble your way out from behind the table and rush to the DJ station to grab the microphone. Ask the bride during the meal when they want the toasts, and if they don’t have a preference, make sure to get together with the best man to coordinate your maid of honor speech with his best man speech.
Make sure you have notes. They should be well-written and clear, not scrawled on a napkin or the palm of your hand. Keep them with you and not with your date. Depending on your comfort level, your notes can be bulleted and short or you can write out the entirety of your speech, word for word. Just make sure when you’re giving your actual maid of honor speech, you aren’t staring at the piece of paper like you’re a 7th grader giving a speech on ecosystems. Making eye contact with the bride and groom will give your speech extra sparkle.
Be sure to practice your maid of honor speech! You want it to roll off your tongue, not to be halting and posed. Practice in front of the mirror, in front of bridesmaids, or in front of the bride’s mother, even. Ask for honest feedback. And don’t be surprised if you’re dry eyed during your rehearsal but a mess of tears during the actual toast. Everyone will tear up right along with you.
Try to remain relaxed while giving wedding speeches, but don’t seek that relaxation using alcohol. Your maid of honor speech is going to be recorded on video; slurring your words and giggling for no reason are not things you want capture on camera for all of eternity.
Crafting a memorable maid of honor speech is surprisingly easy. Keeping it simple and from the heart will ensure success. Once your speech is written, the rest of the job is merely logistics during the reception itself. Don’t set too many expectations (making the crowd roar with laughter, for example) and your speech is sure to melt the hearts of the bride and groom. They are, after all, the only two who really matter that day.
Let me know what you think about this article on maid of honor speeches ? And if you are looking for a few sample speeches or templates that you can use instantly, simply click this link here.
What Makes Maid of Honor Speeches Memorable
Recently I come across a comment from one of our readers which I want you to share with you, especially if you are chosen by a best friend or sister to be her maid of honor and consequently has to make a maid of honor speech at her wedding reception. Though the comment is made about maid of honor speeches, many believe it is true for all other wedding speeches as well. Now, let’s check the comment first. So, here it is -
The sad truth of maid of honor speeches is that as much as the the speaker wants it to be original and memorable, it’s hard to compete with the moment. Very few speakers have the raw charisma and natural turn-of-phrase talent to make such a speech truly unique and memorable. The maid of honor is chosen, usually as because she is the best-friend of the bride, not because she is gifted in speaking. This natural hindrance brings us back to the inherent problem with a maid of honor speech: it is choreographed. Aside from possibly a joke or story, you know the the elements: congratulations and good luck. That is all that it is. How does a maid of honor turn something that has likely been done billions of times into something unique. Maid of honor speeches are like the news, you know what’s coming, and unless the person is truly gifted, it is not going to be very memorable.
Would you agree to the reader’s comment ? I can’t totally agree to her view point. Though I agree that most maid of honors, in fact most wedding speakers for that matter, are not professional level orators and may not be able to deliver stunning speeches, it doesn’t mean that the speeches have to be forgotten. If the speech is expressive made from heart, at least the person who matters most is going to remember for a long time. I still remember my younger brother’s best man speech and it wasn’t a masterpiece, in fact it was quite simple. But I still remember it because he was genuine and I was so moved by his words.
And moreover who knows, if you are determined and take the necessary actions (like planning the speech, writing it down, reviewing it and then practicing it) you can actually impress with your maid of honor speech even if it is simple (but honest). At least your friend or sister is going to remember it for a long time, if not several others from the rest of the audience.
By the way, recently I watched a video on YouTube where the maid of honor was so sentimental that she could hardly utter a word. She cried and kept crying and then left without saying a word. It was embarrassing but then the bride and almost her entire family was crying too. And I was amazed to see the comments under the video, several people feel that it is quite understandable. She touched the heart of several people including the ones who matter most.
Wait a minute, I don’t want your wedding speeches to be anything like the one I just mentioned (being overly sentimental). So, if you happen to be a maid of honor and want your speech to stick out – it’s time to take some action. And don’t forget to leave your opinion below.
Pippa Middleton is The Best Example of A Perfect Maid of Honor
As far as the subject of being a maid of honor goes, you could say Pippa Middleton was exceptional. She performed her duties so well the whole Internet and news media are talking about her. Did she really steal the show from her sister, the new Duchess of Cambridge? No, she performed her duties as they should be done and with elegance.
It couldn’t have been easy for Pippa to be in the spotlight at the wedding. Normally, she’s in the background making sure all the arrangements go as they were planned. Being a party planner herself, Pippa made it look easy being the maid of honor.
Although we have heard about Prince Harry’s best man speech and Prince Charles father of the groom speech, we haven’t heard if Pippa Middleton made a maid of honor speech. Did she give a toast to the royal couple? As far as maid of honor goes you could say Pippa was exceptional.
For the reception, the formal reception for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, she worn a dress designed by Alice Temperley. It was sleeveless in emerald with silver shoes by Aruna Seth. She also carried a small clutch bag. Were her note cards in it for her maid of honor speech?
Although not as famous as best man speeches, the maid of honor usually does give a speech, which is of course the maid of honor speech. There are no solid rules that say a maid of honor has to give a speech, however, it is becoming more popular today. When you accept the responsibilities as maid of honor remember you might have to give a speech at the reception.
The choice will be up to the bride and groom on whether they want you to give a speech or not. That shouldn’t stop you from making a toast to them sometime during the wedding reception.
Since most grooms require their best man to give a speech it would be rude not to include the maid of honor speech. Being the maid of honor is one of the most important roles in the bride’s party. If you want to give a toast and haven’t been asked to give a speech you could ask the toastmaster, which is usually the best man, to give you a few minutes to wish the newlywed the best. Sometime the DJ or the father of the bride will be the toastmaster. Just ask them to give you a few minutes, even if you’re not a public speaker, wishing the bride and groom well is part of your responsibilities as maid of honor.
Some wedding couples these days have both their best man and maid of honor serve as co-toastmasters. You would share the role of master of ceremonies, speeches, and toasts to the happy couple. Maybe the press could let us know if Pippa gave a maid of honor speech or a toast instead of talking about her derrière. Pippa Middleton’s maid of honor speech would be much more interesting than all the talk about how she might have outshined the bride (in my opinion she made sure that she doesn’t and that’s what made her so special as a maid of honor). If  your time is coming up to be maid of honor for your sister or best friend you can use Pippa Middleton as an example of how a maid of honor performs her duties.
Recipe For Making The Best of The Best Maid of Honor Speeches
If this is your first time having to prepare a maid of honor speech. My advice to you, would be to ‘cheat’. Maid of honor speeches can be a very intimidating task. Do research on the subject, until you get a feel to the techniques. Don’t expect to be an expert, when you’re just starting out. There are many things to consider if you intend to prepare for one of the best maid of honor speeches, and I will give you all the tips I can.
One of the most important things to remember is. Do not wait until the last minute to prepare your maid of honor speech. Chances are, you will rewrite your speech several times, before you’re satisfied with it, and you don’t want to be rushed for time, while doing so. The wedding ceremony, will be an emotional event, and you do not want to choke, when called to deliver your maid of honor speech. You do not want to be responsible for messing up your sister’s or best friend wedding. Therefore, early preparation is the key to delivering the best maid of honor speeches.
Now that you have started writing your maid of honor speech. Have mutual friends, that will also be attending the wedding, read your work. Perhaps, you would like to read it to them, and get their feedback on it, before you deliver it in front of all the guests. Practice is definitely another key to delivering the best maid of honor speech. Read your speech out loud to either, yourself or others. This will enable you to perfect it, before the big day arrives, and may boost your confidence before stepping up to the plate.
Keep in mind, that you will be delivering your maid of honor speech, after the best man has delivered his speech. The best man speech is also an important part of the ceremony, and although your first instinct may be to outdo him. I would advise against that. This is not your time to shine. This day is for the bride and groom. Keep your maid of honor speech short and sweet, but heartfelt as well.
Another key while preparing maid of honor speeches, is the time concept. You want to avoid making your speech too long. The guests have to sit through many speeches during the ceremony, and you don’t want to risk boring them, while delivering your maid of honor speech.
Once the big day has arrived, and your stomach is doing flips, with anticipation. Remember to keep it respectful but touching. Try not to drink too much, if you have to. You don’t want to deliver your maid of honor speech, with slurred words. Draw the guests in, and give them a personal feel to yours and the bride’s relationship. Make a good first impression, and tackle this obligation with poise and elegance. Keep all these key points in mind, and I am confident that you will pull off the best maid of honor speech you possibly can.
What You Need To Remember While Writing A Maid of Honor Speech
Being a maid of honor, is exactly that, honorable. Regardless, if the bride is your sister, childhood friend, or just a friend who means the world to you. It can be a little intimidating, having to deliver a maid of honor speech in front of all that are present. Thus, writing the maid of honor speech, should be the easy part.
One of the most important things to consider while writing a maid of honor speech, should be, to take it seriously. Maid of honor speeches, are one of the most memorable events, that take place at a wedding ceremony. The bride bestowed this obligation on you, because you are someone who means a lot to her, and your maid of honor speech should bring her great joy. After all, you are the one she chose to be her maid of honor. Therefore, you should take advantage of this opportunity, and really showcase your emotion.
Another thing to keep in mind, is not to procrastinate. You definitely want to start writing your maid of honor speech early. Chances are you will end up writing it several times, before you get it the way you want it. It is also a good idea, to have some mutual friends, that will also be attending the wedding read your work, and get their idea on it. Having your maid of honor speech written early, will prevent indecipherable impressions and yawning faces when the time comes.
The majority of maid of honor speeches are innovative and personal. Try to cover all the bases while writing a maid of honor speech. Express your gratitude. Thank the bride and groom, along with their parents, for inviting everyone to be part of this joyous occasion. Share a personal memory you have shared with the bride. This will be sensitively important to everyone who is present. Offer some encouraging and moving words of advice to the bride and groom, and their future. Give them your best wishes for their long happy and prosperous future together. Conclude your maid of honor speech, by raising your glass high in the air, and gives best wishes with a toast to the bride and groom.
Once you are satisfied with the maid of honor speech you have written. Practice reading it out loud obsessively. This will up your comfort level on stage, and get rid of those butterflies.
Writing maid of honor speeches, should be the easiest thing you have to do. Just remember your close relationship with the bride, and make it memorable. Something both the bride and groom can look back on, and remember with a smile.
While delivering your maid of honor speech, you want to draw in the audience. Make them aware of why, you were chosen to be the maid of honor. Give everyone who is present, a personal feel, as to who you are. You want to leave a lasting impression of yourself, while making this day one everyone will remember. Keep it heartfelt and emotional, and you are sure to pull of the best maid of honor speech.
Ideas For Writing Great Maid of Honor Speeches
Do you think you’re fed up of the average, bland maid of honor speeches that you end up scribbling every time while trying to pull off one of those great maid of honor speeches you always wanted to give? Want to make your maid of honor speech unique and creative? There are many things you can add into your maid of honor speech to make it more entertaining, more personal, and more touching.
Below I have provided a list of ideas necessary for creating great maid of honor speeches. These maid of honor speech ideas will ensure that your maid of honor speech is unique, fun, and personal.
- Have the speech come from your heart
- Brainstorm several funny stories involving the bride and choose 2 or 3 favorites to include
- Try to think of anything funny the bride said about marriage while she was little
- Tell the audience why you think this couple is going to make it, give examples if you can
- Share some funny habits that the bride has that the groom will now have to live with
- Don’t be afraid to use famous quotes or wedding sayings, just personalize them a little to make them not as clichĂ©. Say the quote and then refer it to the couple in a way.
- Be positive and make enthusiastic and sincere comments about the bride and groom and their future together.
- Read your final draft out loud to yourself until you no longer make mistakes
- On the wedding day bring note cards with key points of your speech so you do not forget anything, you do not babble on, and so you are not as nervous.
- Toasting the happy couple is a great way to end maid of honor speeches – be ready with a nice wedding toast
- Have fun and the best of luck to you!
Well, that’s pretty much about making great maid of honor speeches. But this is only the beginning as you need to take action based on the outlines you have just read. I would also recommend that you go through the entire site and hopefully you will find all the ideas and resources you need to make your speech stand out of the crowd.
Simple Tips For Writing A Maid of Honor Speech Easily
My guess is that it is your first time being maid of honor, and you are probably panicking about the maid of honor speech, let alone all the other maid of honor responsibilities. So, the idea is how to make the writing of your maid of honor wedding speech painless first. I really hope you are getting an early start on your maid of honor wedding speech because the best ways generally takes weeks to write.
Why does it take so long you ask? Well it is always best to leave yourself time to make changes and to practice. The more time you get to reread through your speech, the better the speech will be, plus the better you will deliver it. Do not be afraid to practice your speech in front of others before the wedding, that is always a good idea (just don’t read it to the bride).
When writing a maid of honor speech you want to follow the same basic format -
- Introduction – Briefly introduce yourself. A light-hearted comment here could help get the attention.
- Your past with the bride – That’s what your audience expect to hear from you especially if you’re going to share a few funny memories.
- The bride and groom – How, where and when the bride met the groom for the first time. What did she often tells you about him?
- Why they are perfect for each other – Explain why you think they are going to make an ideal couple in days to come
- Inspirational words or quotes – No mater if you are married or not, don’t hesitate to give some wise advices on marriages and couples.
- A toast to the bride and groom – A must – it’s a wonderful way to congratulate the newlyweds and wish them a happy future.
If you follow this format, you will be set for your maid of honor speech, but if you need some additional help or inspiration, there are great resources to turn to on the web. You can either read more articles as such, or you can read samples of maid of honor speeches.
Are Funny Maid of Honor Speeches Appropriate ?
Are you tired of those plain, boring maid of honor speech ideas and want to liven yours up a little? I can’t blame you! The maid of honor speech is generally from the heart and not on the comedic side like the best man’s speech. But unfortunately, there is a reason why funny maid of honor speeches are rare. Several of us think that maid of honor speeches are just not meant to be funny, but that’s not right. If you understand when jokes and wits are okay in a maid of honor speech, there are ways you can make parts of the speech funny, so there is hope yet.
There are specific parts within maid of honor speeches that you can make funny by including appropriate humors in them, and here we will try to outline them for you -
Ideas for Funny Maid of Honor Speeches :
- Introduction – can definitely be funny, start with a good marriage joke!
- Parts about the bride – share funny stories and memories about the bride (another funny idea would be to list some annoying habits she has, which the groom will now have to live with)
- About the Bride and Groom – Make this part sincere. Say why you support their marriage, why you think they are going to make it, and give examples if you can.
- Inspirational words – Really try keeping this sincere. You can make this funny if you want, but it is best for the maid of honor to be sincere and loving.
- Closing Toast – Wish them a life of happiness and love, wish them a happy, healthy family. Stay away from the comedy during this part as well.
In addition you can try reading a few maid of honor speech examples. They can help you decide which parts can be funny and which parts should be sincere. You may even get inspired by them and come up with your own wedding speech joke! Best of luck, but please, I cannot caution you enough – Don’t overdo it!
The Philosophy of Wedding Speeches and Toasts
There are a lot of different philosophies on how to write wedding speeches: some say that the most important thing is to be funny, others say that the most important thing is to say something moving, and the true radicals suggest honesty. I’ve been to a lot of weddings, and given several maid of honor speeches and listened to as many best man speeches, father of the bride speeches and groom speeches – and the truth of the matter is that there’s no one true strategy that will make for a good speech. If you’re faced with the seemingly Herculean task of giving a wedding speech, however, there are a few tips and tricks that can make the task manageable and help you to bring the house down.
Wedding toasts have a lot in common with other kinds of speeches, and so it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common tips and tricks for public speaking generally. Writing your whole speech down on cue cards is often a bad idea, but writing down a few notes to help you remember the major points if you get lost can be a lifesaver. It’s also a good idea to write down, in giant capital letters if necessary, reminders to yourself: words like ‘breathe’! or ‘pause sometimes’!, staring up at you from your notes, can break through the hard shell of panic that often surrounds us when we’re asked to get up and give a speech. If you can, it’s also a good idea to check out the wedding destination beforehand, to get a sense of the space you’ll be giving the speech in. If you’re comfortable with the mike and the podium and you know how loudly you need to speak, you’ll be better off.
But tips for public speaking generally can be found anywhere; what about specific strategies for writing wedding toasts? In their way, wedding speeches can be the most terrifying kind of public speaking of all: the audience is likely to be packed with close friends and family; you’re expected to be funny; you’re expected to be concise; you’re expected to say something heartfelt. The best wedding speeches combine those three elements, true; but, on the other hand, the worst ones are the ones that are trying to be funny or touching, but failing. Tossing in jokes just for the heck of it, or bringing up the amazing and overwhelming (but non-specific) love that the couple have for each other without telling any stories to give that pronouncement a context, will make your speech into a bland and forgettable piece of filler.
The key is to make your speech organic, to bring up the funny elements and the touching elements naturally. The easiest way to do this, the most consistently successful element of any wedding toast, is the well-chosen anecdote. Don’t begin by telling the guests that we’re here to celebrate the union of Alex and Pat; very likely the guests already know that. Don’t begin by waxing philosophical about love; you’re bound to alienate some people and bore others, while failing to say anything specific about Alex or Pat. Stand up and begin your speech with a story: in addition to being immediately interesting, the beginning of a narrative will catch peoples’ attention and hold it like nothing else.
Finding the ideal anecdote can be tricky, but the key is to find something that says something specific about the person you’re standing up for (whether it be Alex or Pat), that lays out a core element of their personality, while also being amusing and narratively interesting. If you can find that perfect anecdote, begin with it: you may find that telling a story also helps to calm your nerves as a public speaker. The middle of your speech might be anything: if the first anecdote was something about Alex specifically, then you might talk about Alex and Pat as a couple; if the first anecdote was about Alex and Pat’s first meeting, then you might continue by going back in time to say what Alex was like as a child. Or you might say something more simple about the ceremony or the wedding reception that you’ve all gathered together to enjoy. The best wedding speeches include several different elements that all work together towards the same theme, but if you can’t manage that, there’s still room to make yours a great speech. When you come to the conclusion of your speech, find a way to go back and tie your speech back into the first anecdote that you told; this will give the audience a sense of finality and a sense of satisfaction, seeing the first element of your speech echoed back at the end.
At the end of your speech (if you aren’t the bride or the groom of course) wish the newlyweds all the happiness and prosperity in years to come – raise your glass and invite everybody present at the reception to join you when you are toasting the happy couple. Just like the wedding speech keep your toast simple but make sure it’s sincere and heartfelt. There’s hardly a better way to conclude your speech.
Depending on your relationship with the bride or the groom you might have to give a father of the bride speech, a best man speech or a maid of honor speech. And these tips should be able to help you irrespective of the relationship you share with the bride or the groom.
The last tip, of course, is to speak to what you know, and to speak from the heart: if you do that, and stick to that, you’re much more likely to say something moving, inspiring, beautiful, or charming.
