Written by Callie

Photos by Ashley Gillen Photography

I’ve written a few Maid of Honor speeches in my day. Okay, well maybe it was only three but if Kenzie has any sort of traditional wedding (which, let’s be honest, out of the three of us she’s the most likely to do something UN-traditional) then I’ll have four under my belt. I’ve done some research on this topic, heard lots of them be given during my venue manager days and have given a few myself, so I like to think I can be considered somewhat (if not completely) of an expert. And I wanted to pass this expertise onto you!

*Disclaimer: I will be using the phrases Bride and Maid of Honor/MoH but these same tips can be used for a Best Man speech, or a Best Friend speech, generally just any speech where you are talking about your friend to a large group of people. So let’s get started!

1) Keep it Simple

Like many other things in life the K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle can be applied to your MoH speech. Most wedding speeches will be forgotten by the time the cake is cut and speeches are the last hurdle that people have to endure before the dance floor opens. This isn’t to say that you should not work hard and be thoughtful about your speech, but maybe don’t fret over it for days on end or make it a 10 minute speech.

I like to keep speeches around 4-7 minutes long. This seems to be just enough time to say some nice things about the bride, make some people laugh, and keep everyone’s attention before handing off the mic to the next speech giver.

2) Focus on the Bride

I’ve heard my fair share of MoH speeches and they can easily turn into a monologue about yourself. So really focus on talking about the bride, it’s her day after all! Of course you will need to include yourself in the speech, you’re the one giving it and you’ve been a part of the stories you’ll be telling in the speech. But just always bring it back to the bride and how she’s been you’re best friend, and an all around amazing person.

3) DON’T Tell Unflattering Stories

On that note of talking about the bride’s greatness, it’s apt to mention that you should not include any wild drunken shenanigans or tales of the bride’s past boyfriends (or worse, past husbands). Even if those stories are important to y’all’s relationship, or are some of the best memories you have with her, just don’t bring them up. Remember that Grandma Suzy is going to be there and she doesn’t want to hear about when her precious granddaughter and you danced on bars all night on 6th Street and ended the night throwing up in the Uber on your way home. Going back to #1 up there, keep it simple, and keep it CLEAN!

4) End with the happy couple!

Yes, you’re the maid of honor and you’re main job as speech giver is to talk about the bride and how great she is but you also don’t want to completely forget her new partner! Include some stories about her new spouse too. A good story to include is how you met her new husband!

Here’s a little outline for your speech:

• Introduce yourself (remember not everyone there will know who you are)

• Talk about the bride

• Talk about the groom (a little bit you don’t need to go overboard here, the Best Man should do that)

• Talk about the couple together

• CHEERS! (don’t forget to propose a toast at the end!)

Now all that’s left to do is practice and give an amazing speech at your best friend’s wedding!