How to give a wonderful Maid of Honor Speech

If you’re looking for Maid of Honor speech support in the US, please read on. If you are in the UK, please replace ‘Honor’ with ‘Honour’ and away we go!

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!  The reason I am an expert in Maid of Honor speeches is all down to you.  It’s so perfect, thank you!” – Nisha G

The Maid of Honor (or Bridesmaid or Maid of Honour!) speech is an increasingly regular feature of a wedding.  The days of three speeches given by three men wearing identical suits are slowly disappearing. And thank goodness for that!

But the Maid of Honor faces a different type of challenge to the best men, fathers of the bride and bridegrooms to those in more traditional roles.  She has no set time to speak, toast to give or agenda to meet.  Which is both a bit overwhelming and a wonderful opportunity.

When should the Maid of Honor speak?

There are no rules here, but I feel it works best if you speak after the others.  There is a natural flow to the way the male toasts lead naturally from one to the next, and there is no need to break that rhythm.  By going at the end, you can ask the Best Man to give you a warm introduction, and you can be sure that the key thanks have already been made.  The guests will already be relaxed, the formalities will have been covered and a fair bit of wine consumed.  Which means you can set your own agenda.

What to say in a Maid of Honor speech?

You are Maid of Honor to the Bride, and she should, of course, be your key focus.  But you don’t want to repeat what everyone else has said. So don’t guess. Ask them! How are they are going to describe her? What stories will they tell?

You can then plot your own speech.  The key will be to describe the Bride from your perspective, focusing on what a great friend she is.  Ideally you’ll make it as relevant as possible by linking it to her new life, and how much happier and more fulfilled she seems ever since meeting her husband.  It would be great to end with a toast, but it’s hard to know what to suggest without understanding a little more about the specifics of the wedding. Something really simple like ‘To my wonderful friend Jenny‘ could be perfect.

What not to say

The risk is that you tell too many stories about the two of you that are not particularly relevant to the rest of the audience.  Try to see the Bride through the eyes of others so it’s not a ‘Thelma and Louise’ wedding special!  Don’t spend too long thanking everyone (as the Best Man and Groom speeches will already have done that).  And please don’t use this as an opportunity to run through her entire school and career history!

How long should the Maid of Honor speak for?

I’d cap it at five minutes.  That’s easily long enough to give a real insight into the Bride, but it’s not going to tire-out an audience who may be listening to more speeches than they’d bargained for!

Tone of a Maid of Honor speech

Keep it light.  It’s easy to get emotional on an occasion like this, but this really isn’t the time for tears.  You are speaking at the relaxed end of a long day and you are not just there for your best friend, but also for your fellow guests.  You’re following the Best Man and your speech is part of the entertainment, not the service.

Writing tips

There are no exclusive rules for the way you’d write a Maid of Honor speech.  There is lots of general help here on the most effective ways to write and deliver a speech.  The keys, as ever, are to keep it brief, keep it clear and keep it relevant.

We’ve written many speeches for Maids of Honor, Maids of Honor and Bridesmaids across the world and we’d be delighted to help make yours truly special.  We have a questionnaire to help you draw out all the relevant information in advance, so please get in touch if you’d find that helpful.  Please email us or call 0207 118 1600. We look forward to hearing from you!