So your best friend or your sweet sister is getting married and she picked you to be her maid of honor. You are very happy for your very good friend or your close sister but deep within you, you are aware that being the maid of honor is a tough job. It’s a tough job because apart from being her right hand person throughout the wedding and planning process, you will also have to give a speech!
Normally, the best man gives the first speech but also you have been informed about the speech so you don’t want to make a fool of yourself while delivering the speech, so you have to plan towards it. The issue you are encountering now is that you don’t know how to go about the speech and you want to make a sweet and unforgettable speech. If you fall within this category, take a deep breath and enjoy this article because it is just what you need.
- Start preparation early
You have been charged with the responsibility of delivering a speech and you are aware of the different people that will be coming for the wedding. This explains why you have to start preparation as early as possible, this is not something you leave till the night before the wedding if you don’t want to end up saying jargons. Start preparation by brainstorming, think about the different weddings you have attended and relate to what and what you like about the speech delivered by the maid of honor, think about the bride and the groom, how they met and who the bride is to you. Remembering all these details will help you jot down some things and you will be on the right track.
2. Start with a proper introduction
You need to introduce yourself as the maid of honor. Don’t assume everyone knows who you are. Also say a big thank you to the couple for including you in their celebration.
3. Keep it short and sweet
Yes! You might be tempted to deliver a long speech because you have a lot to say and it can’t be summarized. On the other hand, the truth is that people can be very impatient when it comes to listening to a speech at a wedding party because it is a place to eat, dance and have fun and I guess you know long speech can be quite boring most time. In addition, long speech will hinder you from delivering a sweet and unforgettable speech because people won’t be interested later. To achieve delivering a sweet speech please make it is short. Practice reading the speech out loud and time yourself so you have an idea of how long it will take and this will help you to make a little adjustment where needed.
4. Avoid clichés
Most times at wedding people often use words like “Made for each other”, “Happy married life”. If you really want to deliver an unforgettable speech then you have to ditch those words and look for new words for them to remember. New words can be gotten from books, romantic songs, and movies. These words should be capable of making them laugh, shed tears or remember some moments in the past.
5. Focus on the bride and also avoid leaving the groom out
This will help to relax and make you less tense because of guests looking forward to what you will say and how you will say it. Focus on your friend by telling a story of how you met your friend, this will give life to your speech. Try not to talk about the bride’s ex because it is not needed.
Remember to include the groom by mentioning what and what you like about him and how he has affected your friend’s life positively since they first met.
On a final note, try as much as possible to be yourself, practice as much as possible, if needed, have a note with you, if you feel you are getting nervous, take a glass of wine or water depending on what you want and make sure you end the speech in style.
