tips for writing a maid of honor speech for sister

How to Write Maid of Honor Speech for Sister (With Examples)

• by Marisa Jenkins
• January 5, 2024

Being a maid of honor comes with a lot of duties and responsibilities; you have to help the bride with many aspects of wedding planning. However, it is also extremely rewarding; you get to be with the bride on her most special day—you might even get to make her cry with your speech .

Writing anything, be it a speech or a letter, can be a challenging task. Here is a step-by-step guide to help make the process a little easier:

• Reflect on your sisterhood
• Create an outline
• Start drafting the speech
• Revise your first draft
• Ask for insights and feedback
• Make the final revisions
• Prepare for the big day

Each step is discussed more specifically below, including a detailed outline of a maid of honor speech for your sister. Tips are also given. Lastly, examples are provided to give you an idea of what a typical speech looks like. 

Writing a Maid of Honor Speech for Your Sister: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Reflect on Your Sisterhood

If your sister chose you as her maid of honor, it means she treasures your close bond. Look back on the past years and see how your relationship has evolved. Likewise, reflect on your and your sister’s personalities and your growth over the years.

You may want to narrow down specific stories, especially those that can highlight your relationship, personality, and growth. These anecdotes can add humor or sincerity to your speech as a maid of honor . 

Step 2: Create an Outline

Preparing an outline for a maid of honor speech for your sister can help you organize your thoughts, ultimately making writing easier. Here is an example of a structure, though you are free to customize it however you want:

• Greet your guests briefly.
• If you want, you can thank the vendors and other bridal party members for their hard work.
• Introduce yourself and your relationship with the bride.
• Share a memory you have with your sister. You can be funny, lighthearted, or serious.
• Highlight her qualities, quirks, and everything that you love about her.
• Reflect on what it means to be a sister.
• To transition to the next item on the outline, mention any significant milestones or turning points in your relationship.
• Describe how you two first met and what was your first impression of them.
• Recall a memorable interaction or story that shows their relationship.
• You can also share how you grew to like and trust your sister’s partner.
• Discuss how they complement each other.
• Highlight any positive changes you have seen in your sister and her partner over the years.
• Offer your heartfelt well-wishes for the future.
• If you have any piece of marriage advice, you can add them here.
• End your maid of honor speech for your sister with a toast to the newlyweds. Encourage everyone to raise their glass or clink it in celebration .

Step 3: Start Drafting the Speech

Once your outline is ready, you can begin with the speech itself. Just write whatever comes to mind, and do not worry about the technicalities like grammar and length. Focus on putting down into words everything you want to express.

Step 4: Revise your First Draft

After finishing your first draft, you should start revising what you wrote. On the technical side, this means fixing any grammatical errors, rewriting any awkward phrases, and rearranging some parts to improve the speech’s flow.

As you read through your speech over and over again, you should also start imagining how you will deliver it. Try giving the speech to yourself and determine the tone, rhythm, and speed that works best. Mark down the places where you should pause to catch your breath (or wait for applause).

Step 5: Ask for Insights and Feedback

Approach someone you trust—such as other bridal party members—and ask them to listen to your speech. By this point, you should have practiced your delivery a few times.

Give your speech to your test audience. Be open and responsive to constructive criticism. Moreover, observe their reactions and see if you need to change anything in the tone or pace of your delivery.

Step 6: Make the Final Revisions

Given the feedback you received from your test audience and any personal changes you see necessary, it is time to make the final revisions. Remove anything that feels unnatural or forced, and go through the text to ensure that you did not miss any grammatical errors.

Step 7: Prepare for the Big Day

Print a copy of your maid of honor speech for your sister. Although you can try to memorize the entire speech or write down key points, having a backup is a great idea—things can get emotional, after all, and you might forget what you practiced.

Moreover, keep in mind any positive coping strategies for anxiety. Some breathing techniques can help you manage your nerves.

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech for Sister: Tips

Add Personal Touches

You can make your speech as your sister’s maid of honor more unique by adding personal touches, such as lines from a song, a movie, or a book that you both love. If she has iconic catchphrases, you can incorporate that, too.

Keep It Short

A great speech—regardless of who is giving it—is not too long to bore listeners and not too short to feel rushed or incomplete. For your maid of honor speech, aim for 4–6 minutes. Any more than that and you risk losing your guests’ attention

Keep It Light

The reception is no occasion to air out any family laundry. If you have unresolved tension with your sister or other relatives, keep it out of your speech and talk about it another time—preferably somewhere more private.

Find the Balance

In the same vein, try to find the right balance between humor and sincerity. This is a maid of honor speech, not a stand-up comedy set. Juxtapose emotional depth with lightheartedness; this will get your guests invested in this journey with you.

Identify Key Themes

If you are struggling with writing a cohesive maid of honor speech for your sister, it might help if you identify 2–3 key themes and center your speech around those.

You can focus on things like your sister’s strength, resilience, humor, kindness, intelligence, and so on.

Think about how these themes have played out in her life and her relationship. The anecdotes you will incorporate must show these themes one way or another.

Maid of Honor Speech for Sister: Lovely Examples

Humorous and Quirky Maid of Honor Speech for Sister

To all our family and friends,

Good evening! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Alissa, the proud and slightly teary-eyed maid of honor and, more importantly, Denise’s younger sister.

First of all, can we take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous and stunning Denise looks today? Huh? What about Tom? I mean, you’re not too bad yourself!

Growing up with Denise was kinda like living in a reality show—you can’t change the channel, so you just have to look at the second camera every time someone says something stupid.

I saw every side of her: the dramatic, the hilarious, and the extraordinarily compassionate. Like the time she spent hours consoling me after I lost my doll, or when she sold lemonade and old clothes just to raise funds for our local animal shelter.

All this to say, she’s always been my role model, even when she wore those questionable neon braces in high school. The journey to get where we are today has been surreal. We’ve shared secrets, clothes (sometimes without asking), and countless laughs.

Denise, you’ve always been my anchor, my confidant, and on rare occasions, my partner in crime. Remember that time when we “borrowed” Dad’s car for a joyride at midnight and swore never to speak of it again? Oh, oops. Sorry, dad.

When Tom and Denise first got together, I saw and felt a change in her. I don’t know how else to describe it, other than someone turning up the brightness—and volume—of her soul. Tom, your kindness, patience, and outstanding ability to deal with all of Denise’s hyper-fixations make you the perfect match for my sister. Her soulmate, even.

Together, you two are an unstoppable team. Whether it’s your epic karaoke duets, adventurous travels, or hours of just lying down and simply binge-watching a series while sharing dessert—you two are the perfect fit.

So, here’s to love, laughter, and a lifetime of stealing each other’s fries and pretending you didn’t. Denise and Tom Stalzer, may your life be filled with moments as beautiful and precious as the vows you shared today.

Everyone, please raise your glass in honor of the newlyweds!

Short and Sweet Maid of Honor Speech for Your Sister

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a blast tonight.

I’m Trina, the incredibly proud sister and maid of honor of our gorgeous bride, Kim. Watching her exchange vows with Mario, the dapper groom, is truly a joy.

Kim, you’ve always been my player two in everything. You always beat me at Scrabble, but you could never one-up me in chess. However, my favorite game will forever be our roleplays; remember when we’d play ‘wedding’ in our backyard? I’m so emotional standing here, in your actual wedding, getting to celebrate your love.

When you met Mario, I saw a happiness in your eyes that was never there before. Mario, thank you for bringing that joy into her life and keeping my sister’s soul bright. Thank you for loving her so fiercely and unwaveringly. Because of that, we officially welcome you to our family.

This is only the beginning of the biggest journey of your life so far. If it’s anything like the adventures you’ve already had, I’m sure it will be nothing short of extraordinary.

Everyone, raise your glass and toast to love, laughter, and a happy ever after! Mr. and Mrs. Carter, may the future be as sweet, romantic, and elegant as this day.

Final Thoughts

The thought of writing a speech, revising it, and then delivering it in front of an audience is understandably intimidating. However, with the right tools and tips, you can breeze through the process and create a unique speech as your sister’s maid of honor.

If nothing else, make sure that you write the speech authentically and sincerely. As long as you put your heart and soul into it, everything will turn out okay. Just make sure to place tissues for your sister nearby—she might erupt into tears because of your words.

Marisa Jenkins

Marisa Jenkins is a wedding planner and event coordinator. Her main goal for WeddingFrontier.com is to simplify the wedding planning process by sharing her years of expertise in the industry.

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Maid of Honor Speech Examples for the Sister of the Bride

Show your sister she chose the best possible maid of honor with a sentimental and sweet speech on her big day.

Maid of honor speeches for sisters honor the bride while also honoring the important relationship between sisters. Writing and presenting a maid of honor speech as a sister of the bride is a big deal, but with these speech ideas for sisters, you'll feel confident as you step up to the mic. Show your sister she made the best choice in her maid of honor with a sentimental and sweet speech on her big day.

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech for Your Sister

What a huge honor to toast your sister on her wedding day as the leading lady in her wedding party. You're responsible for a lot of things on her big day, and your speech will be heard by close friends and family of both the bride and groom. Don't stress over your speech though, you can choose from a wide range of sample speeches and edit them to reflect your personality and the bond you and your sister have.

• Wedding Toast Examples for a Speech They'll Remember
• Free Wedding Speech Examples to Celebrate the Big Day

Print any of the following speeches by clicking on the speech images, opening them with Adobe Reader , and filling in the details so that they apply more specifically to your sister and the special relationship you share. Details are added at the appropriate places indicated by the brackets and suggested information.

• Maid of Honor Toasts: Tips & Examples to Inspire

Maid of Honor Speech From a Little Sister

In the sample speech below, you'll find a template perfect for a younger sister filling the maid of honor role. This maid of honor speech for a big sister is perfect for you if you always looked up to her as a role model or if she felt you were a bit of a tag along when little. Share all the ways you tried to be just like her - from stealing her clothes to copying her haircuts. You could even adapt it to include one of your favorite nicknames for your sister .

This sample was written by Kathleen Esposito.

Your Sister's "Prince Charming"

The sample speech below offers the opportunity for the maid of honor to share her sister's earliest thoughts about the man she would eventually marry - no matter how funny or silly they seem now. For example, some of the desirable traits she may have wanted when she dreamt of him at age 15 might be that he has a driver's license, a job at the pizza parlor, be blonde, and play soccer. Share those details and how they compare to their relationship today and all the things she truly loves about her groom, even if his soccer days are long gone. This speech allows your special bond to show through and pokes a little fun at the bride without going overboard.

Kathleen Esposito wrote this sample speech.

For Those With ''Strong Family Ties''

This speech is written from the perspective of a sister who has a strong bond with the bride. The speech discusses their upbringing, recalls a childhood story or two, and talks about how growing up with this sister is entirely unique. The spouse is casually mentioned and included as an integral part of the speech by welcoming them to the family and warning them of the chaos you often go through.

Danielle Reed is the author of this speech.

Based on a Quote

This sample speech is based on a quote from the Broadway hit Hamilton . You can choose a quote from your childhood, a quote about sisterhood, or a quote about love. No matter your choice, build a speech around the importance of this quote or the impact it's had in your sister's life. It is important to add a slight personal touch to the quote. Discuss why you chose it, what it means to you, and congratulate the couple on their marriage. With a few simple changes or this exact speech, it is easy to show your love for your sister.

Speech sample is by Danielle Reed.

Write the Perfect Sister Speech

While a fairly generic speech may work well for a friend, a speech for your sister as her maid of honor should celebrate your special bond. Construct your speech around your relationship and work outward from there. Follow these maid of honor speech tips for sisters to build a speech your sister will never forget.

Follow a Maid of Honor Speech Template

You're excited to give the speech and share all your favorite sister memories, but organizing your thoughts on paper feels intimidating if you aren't a seasoned speech writer. Follow this simple template to help you write a speech that conveys all the things you're feeling for your sister on her big day. Follow the five-point rule for your speech in this template to toast to the bride with all the wit and emotion you've been longing to express.

The five-point rule for a maid of honor speech is:

• A strong intro: this is your opportunity to start with a lighthearted joke or to simply greet the crowd, share your name, and your relation to the bride, as well as your place in the wedding party.
• A brief story: a personal story about your history with the bride helps the audience connect with you. Keep it short and simple and only choose a story the bride would like you to share.
• Relate the story to the present: bring the story full circle and relate it to the wedding couple today. If you loved to stay up late on Friday nights and watch movies as kids, give the green-light for the spouse to take over in this new chapter of life.
• Address the couple with advice: Give practical advice directly to the couple in your speech. This doesn't need to be profound. It can be as simple as advising the spouse to never set the thermostat too low at night or to always leave the last slice of pizza for your sister.
• Toast the couple: This is your big finish. Tell your sister how much you love her, wish her well in her new life, and invite the entire audience to toast the newlyweds with you.

Things to Include

Some ideas on things you can include are:

• Funny memories from early childhood, such as when she used to tag along with your friends, or vice versa.
• Ways that you look up to or aspire to be like your sister, past and present.
• Special nicknames that you used to call each other (keep it PG, of course).
• Secret things that you used to keep from your parents, such as staying up late talking on school nights.
• Early dating stories, and how you supported one another through love and heartbreak.
• How you knew she had finally found her special someone.

Additional Speech Tips

Finally, these general tips for making a maid of honor speech for your sister can help.

• Don't force yourself to be funny, sentimental, or formal if that's not your personality. Your sister wants to hear from the real you on her special day.
• Avoid embarrassing stories even if you think they're funny. You don't want to humiliate your sister in front of her friends and family.
• Focus should mostly be on your sister, the bride, as the best man speech will have covered many personal thoughts about the groom. However, be sure to mention him at some point, because without him, there wouldn't be a wedding!
• Avoid too much alcohol until after your speech is over. You don't want to slur your way through the toast.
• Raising your glass in a wedding toast for your sister and her spouse is a great way to end the speech. Be sure to have a glass, even if it is just water, ready to go.
• If you have a talent, like singing, writing poetry, or playing an instrument, you can always do this as part of your speech. Your sister will be honored if you sing her favorite love song or write an original poem in honor of her wedding day. Just be sure to okay this with the wedding couple first.

Honor Your Sister on Her Big Day

With the right personal touches, maid of honor speeches for a sister can be a heartwarming expression of love, support, and friendship. These speeches can be great wedding toasts in honor of the bride, and you can change them to suit your personality and create the perfect tribute to your sister and her new spouse. Practice ahead of time so that you can concentrate on your sister and not on your nerves.

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How to easily write a great Maid of Honor speech for your sister

Step-by-step help, a maid of honor speech outline template to use, with a FREE printable and a heartfelt speech example

By:  Susan Dugdale  | Last modified: 09-28-2023

Understandably many women feel a little bit nervous about writing a maid of honor speech for their sister!

After all, this can be a daunting task. You love your sister. And she's honored you, by choosing you for this special role.

The last thing you want is to embarrass her, or her wedding guests, on her big day. But what do you say?

What are the right words to reflect your relationship with your sister? How do you sincerely share the happiness you feel for her and her new husband-to-be?

And where, on earth, do you begin?

The answer is here. The good news is that it's straight forward, and simple. Not hard work at all.

What's on this page

How to start your sister's maid of honor speech

How to brainstorm : the process from generating ideas to selecting the best ones to use, step by step.

The five parts of the speech template with explanatory notes and example text:

• 1. The introduction

2. History with the bride

3. life before the groom, 4. the romance.

• 5. The conclusion

A FREE printable maid of honor speech outline to help you effectively organize and order what you want to say

More MOH resources : 2 more maid of honor speeches, poems and readings...

How to start your maid of honor speech

Grab a piece of paper, a pen, and start with a brainstorming session to collect up the stories and ideas you think you might like to share.

Then follow each of the five steps in the maid of honor speech outline that form the speech template below.

You'll come out the other end of the process with a short, simple and sincere speech: one that really does honor your sister on her wedding day. Read the example speech and see for yourself!

Return to Top

Do a brainstorm to collect your thoughts

The best way to begin writing the perfect maid of honor speech for your sister is to collect your thoughts together. And the best way to do that is to brainstorm.

The brainstorming process

The brainstorming process is very simple. Jot down ideas about what you think you want to touch on in your speech, just as I've done in the image above. 

Allow yourself complete freedom to explore as many potential topics as you can and, as much time as you need.

Recall fond memories. Remember shared experiences: the good times, the hard times and the funny times. Think about her best qualities: the ones you admire her for.

Do not edit or censor your words

Do not edit yourself! Put down whatever comes into your mind. Don't stop to worry about whether it's good, bad or appropriate. You'll review it later, and definitely don't stop to check your spelling!

You do not need to write full sentences or paragraphs: just notes. You want enough words to trigger your memory about what you thought would be a good idea to say and that's all.

If you run out of paper, get another piece. Keep going until you can genuinely think of nothing more.

Picking the best material from your brainstorm notes

Next you will pick the best of these ideas and organize them into the 5 sections of the template below. This will give your speech a logical structure: a clear beginning, middle and end.

Obviously, the tone: whether the speech is laugh-out-loud funny, wryly amusing, sentimental or heartfelt and sincere, is something you'll decide for yourself. That's governed by the stories and ideas you choose to share and the language you use to express them.

Read a maid of honor speech example for a sister

This example maid of honor speech is based on the notes from the brainstorm image above.

The text of the speech is split into five parts: one for each of the required sections. As you scroll down the page you'll see it in the green call-out box under each section's explanatory notes.

1. The introduction to your maid of honor sister speech

In the introduction it's customary to identify yourself because there may be guests who don't know you and don't know you are the bride's sister.

Next you welcome the guests to your sister's wedding reception, thank the happy couple for letting everyone share in their day, and then you thank your sister for the privilege of being her maid of honor.

(I've added a story too: to make it more interesting and bring a smile!☺)

1. Introduction

What a day, Mary!

Remember when we were kids, how we dressed up in Mom’s old party dresses? And how we used to put a white tablecloth on our heads and march around, singing, “Here comes the bride, fair fat and wide.”?

Good evening. My name is Jennifer, and this beautiful woman, this stunning bride: the antithesis of “fair fat and wide”, is my beloved little sister.

As little girls, we laughed ourselves silly over that game. Now here we are twenty-five years later.

Not laughing. Mary’s not wearing a tablecloth. And this time it’s for real.

It's a great honor to be asked to speak. Thank you.

Thank you too, to all of you, for coming to share this special day with us. Especially Frank’s family.

We know Mary adores you, almost as much as she does us. It’s wonderful seeing our families all together to celebrate this marriage.

Next, you could share a short story: something humorous, or anecdotal, about the bride from your childhood memories. This will give the audience a picture of your relationship with her, and also set the tone for the rest of the speech.

Whether you choose to write something funny, serious or sentimental, the most important thing to remember is to be genuine.

2. History with the bride 

The pair of us, share thirty years worth of loyalty and love: with an occasional sisterly quarrel thrown in. The usual sort of thing. Her snitching my favorite pair of jeans, without asking, and looking better in them, when we were 17 and 15 years old. A bit of phone snooping...Nothing major. Certainly nothing a bossy big sister couldn’t handle.

Before I left home, we shared a bedroom for a long time. That means you go through cycles of liking, loving and loathing each other. Sometimes all at once.

The jeans was definitely loathing.

The way she took my side over not eating Brussels sprouts was sisterly solidarity. Mary and me united against parental cruelty! I liked that.

But what was truly excellent, was our bed time stories: the ones we told each other. As soon as Mom turned off the light and closed the door, we’d pick up from where we left off the night before.

A favorite was the classic tale of a prince (handsome) arriving in the nick of time to rescue the beautiful damsel in distress, from some dastardly fellow, or a particularly nasty situation.

(We rejected stories about girls having a fabulous time up to their elbows in grease rebuilding a vintage car in the garage. We wanted lace, lots of it and happily ever after, down the aisle.)

In our stable of handsome princes, the handsomest prince of them all, the one we both swooned over was Darren. Darren was a super-super man created for us, by us. He was brave, brilliant, strong, just like Dad, and let us do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. (Not like Dad.)

Did he ever go out to work? Nah. Did he ever tell us we had to rescue ourselves? No chance.

Darren was always there. Always ready. Always had time and always, always knew what to do. Darren was masculine perfection.

I can’t remember the exact moment when this fine fellow left.

But I do know Frank had quite an act to follow.

This next section focuses on your sister's life and what she was doing before she met her new spouse.

For example, maybe she was busy focused on her career and never really gave enough time to finding a best friend and life-partner.

Or perhaps your sister was having a good time travelling the world when she found her match.

Or did she fall for her good friend, the person next door whom she's known since she was eight?

Stories to avoid

There are a couple of things to watch out for.

The first is to be mindful about sharing anything that could be embarrassing for either your sister, her new husband, or your family members and friends. (Past relationships are generally off limits.)

In addition, please don't fall into the trap of sharing a tale or something about your sister that no one can relate to except for you and her. If you do that you'll find yourself looking at puzzled faces.

When my sister dreams, she dreams big, and then she makes it her business to have them come true.

High school was followed by college which was followed by the career she’s always wanted: to be an editor and read for a living. The pinnacle of bliss for a 'booky' girl! A job enabling her to bask in the afterglow of a successfully relocated sentence terminal: aka a period or full stop.

I’m proud of what she's achieved, how she balances her life, somehow making time for everything.  She's graceful, organized and appears, unrushed. (A trick I need to learn!) 

Mary’s a good person, a great friend and, my role model.

Then along came Frank. Was it true love at first sight?

Next, transition to a paragraph about your sister and her husband. How did they meet? How has the groom changed your sister’s life?

You can talk about how inspiring their relationship is to you or share a humorous story involving your sister and new brother-in-law.

This part doesn’t have to be very long.  It's necessary because it brings your speech into the present. A good way to conclude this portion is by formally welcoming the groom into your family.

Did she swoon? Was she in a ghastly situation: a set of parentheses too many? And nowhere obvious to put them? You’ll have to ask her yourself.

What I’ve learned about Frank over the last six years...

(Yes, six years! And you all thought it was tough waiting for her to get to the church. 10 minutes. Diddly-squat, compared to what she put him through!)

What I’ve learned leaves us in no doubt he’s earned her hand in his.

This man loves books just as much as she does. Hard to believe, but it’s true. Both of them live by the wisdom: when in doubt go to the library. You’ll find the answer to everything there.

Some people do bar crawls. These guys do libraries. And book stores, and book rescues: tatty, out of print treasures from street stalls.

He’s kind. He’s thoughtful. He loves walking in the country side, chocolate, and his dog, a golden lab called Fido.

We think Fido was the clincher, with dark chocolate close behind. Plus, books, his ability to listen, to laugh...

In short, he knows how to be there for her, day after day, night after night, page after page, chapter after chapter.

5. Conclusion

There are many possibilities for a conclusion. You could end with a quote, a joke, some spiritual advice, a toast or simply say, congratulations.

Do try to keep with the tone you’ve set in the rest of the speech and end with what feels most appropriate for your sister.

Darren? Pooh! He’s been well and truly replaced by the real and best thing. We couldn’t possibly imagine a better partner for her. They're a perfect match.

Ladies and gentleman please join me in congratulating Mary and her handsome prince Frank. May they continue to share their love story for many, many happy years.

Get a printable Maid of Honor speech outline

This printable maid of honor speech outline template * pdf will help you organize and order the stories and ideas you generate for your speech when you do the ** brainstorming exercise.

Follow the step-by-step instructions on page 1 of the template, select what you want to use from your brainstorm notes, and enter them in the right places.  

Once the outline is complete, you'll be ready to turn it into a speech.

To get the printable either click on the image below or this link: maid of honor speech outline .

( * The pdf will open in a new window.) ( ** For best results do the brainstorming exercise before trying to complete the template. )

More MOH speech resources to help

I have other pages which you may find useful. For instance:

• another two maid of honor speech examples

•  how to end a Maid of Honor speech : 20 examples of conclusions of varying types. Some are funny. Some use quotations...
• a huge collection of wedding poems and readings . You might find just what you want there.
• notes on writing a bridesmaid speech
• detailed notes on general speech preparation (very good if you've never prepared a speech before)
• advice on how to practice your speech because getting the words written is only part of the task. Delivering them completes it. Doing that the very best you can will make your maid of honor speech extra special for everybody.

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Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister (50 Examples)

Did you know that the role of a maid of honor is as old as the tradition of marriage itself? However, when the maid of honor is your sister, the speech becomes more than a tradition—it transforms into a heartfelt narrative of a lifelong bond.

In other words, if you’re about to write a maid of honor speech for your sister, you’re not just preparing words for a wedding; you’re weaving a story of sisterhood that has grown and evolved over the years.

This article serves as your comprehensive guide, offering over 50 examples ranging from humorous to deeply emotional speeches and everything in between.

But more than that, we’re here to help you craft your own unique speech. We’ll provide advice on what elements to include, ensuring your message perfectly encapsulates the special bond you share with your sister.

Inspiring Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister

#1 A Privilege to Stand by You

• Introduction: “Dear [Bride’s Name], as your sister and best friend, standing here today is a privilege.”
• Admiration: “You’ve always been my rock, my inspiration.”
• Joy in Your Love: “Watching you find love with [Groom’s Name] has been a joy.”
• Wishes: “May your journey ahead be filled with love, laughter, and endless joy. To the best sister and the most beautiful bride!”

#2 The Light of Our Family

• Opening: “To my dearest sister [Bride’s Name], you’ve always been the light of our family.”
• Attributes: “Your grace, kindness, and unwavering spirit have led you to this day.”
• True Love: “Seeing you with [Groom’s Name], I know true love exists.”
• Bright Future: “Here’s to a marriage as deep and enduring as the ocean, and as bright and shining as the stars. To my sister, the bride!”

#3 Testament to the Power of Love

• Introduction: “[Bride’s Name], my sister, my confidante, and my forever friend.”
• Extraordinary Journey: “Your journey to this day has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
• Endless Adventures: “May your life together be a testament to the power of love, filled with endless adventures and shared dreams. To a lifetime of happiness!”

#4 An Honor Beyond Words

• Warm Introduction: “Standing here today as your sister and maid of honor, [Bride’s Name], is an honor beyond words.”
• Embodiment of Love: “You are not just my sister but the embodiment of love and strength.”
• Harbor of Love: “May your marriage be a harbor of love and a haven of joy. To the newlyweds!”

#5 A Beacon of Love

• Introduction: “Today, [Bride’s Name], you’re not just a bride, but a beacon of love.”
• Beautiful Beginning: “As your sister, I’ve seen your journey, your growth, and now, your beautiful beginning with [Groom’s Name].”
• Melody of Love: “May your marriage be a melody of love, harmony, and lifelong happiness. Here’s to love, laughter, and happily ever after!”

#6 Dreamy Reality

• To My Sister: “To my sister [Bride’s Name], today you look like a dream, but your love story with [Groom’s Name] is wonderfully real.”
• Testament to Faith: “Your love is a testament to faith, hope, and endless compassion.”
• Canvas of Memories: “May your marriage be a canvas of colorful memories and shared dreams. Cheers to a lifetime of love and happiness!”

#7 A Fairytale Love

• Introduction: “Dear [Bride’s Name], my sister, my hero.”
• Fairytale Story: “Your love story with [Groom’s Name] is nothing short of a fairytale.”
• Journey of Love: “May your marriage be a journey of endless love, boundless joy, and true companionship. To the bride and groom, a perfect pair!”

#8 A Beautiful Symphony

• Joy of Witnessing Love: “[Bride’s Name], as your sister, I’ve had the joy of watching your love story unfold.”
• Symphony of Love: “Your relationship with [Groom’s Name] is a beautiful symphony, full of passion and harmony.”
• Dance of Love: “May your marriage be a dance of love, trust, and mutual respect. To a lifetime of shared dreams and everlasting love!”

#9 New Chapter, Eternal Love

• Beautiful Sister: “To my beautiful sister [Bride’s Name], today you start a new chapter with [Groom’s Name].”
• Enduring Power of Love: “Your love story is one for the ages, filled with laughter, love, and endless support.”
• Testament to Love: “May your marriage be a testament to the enduring power of love. Here’s to new beginnings and eternal love!”

#10 Guiding Light of Love

• Sister and Best Friend: “[Bride’s Name], my sister, my best friend.”
• Shining Love: “Your love with [Groom’s Name] shines bright, guiding us all to believe in the power of love.”
• Beautiful Reminder: “Your journey together is a beautiful reminder of what true love looks like.”
• Cheers to Happiness: “May your marriage be as endless as the sky and as deep as the ocean. Cheers to love, laughter, and a lifetime of happiness!”

Funny Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister

#1 Cookie Distribution Now and Forever

• Introduction: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], the maid of honor and official holder of [Bride’s Name]’s childhood secrets.”
• Funny Anecdote: “[Bride’s Name], remember when we used to fight over who gets the last cookie? Well, I have news for you – [Groom’s Name] is now in charge of cookie distribution. So, good luck!”
• Heartfelt Wishes: “In all seriousness, I couldn’t be happier for you both. May your life together be filled with love, laughter, and a never-ending supply of cookies!”

#2 She’s Always Right

• Introduction: “Hi, I’m [Your Name], [Bride’s Name]’s sister.”
• Life Advice to Groom: “I’ve known [Bride’s Name] all her life, and I can say with confidence, [Groom’s Name], she’s always right – even when she’s wrong. Trust me; it makes life easier.”
• Celebration: “Jokes aside, I am thrilled to see my sister marry her perfect match. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness and a little bit of healthy debate!”

#3 Mischief and Love

• Greetings: “Good evening! I’m [Your Name], the little/big sister of the bride.”
• Sibling Life: “Growing up with [Bride’s Name] meant endless laughter, a few sibling battles, and learning that hiding my favorite things was crucial for their survival.”
• Advice and Blessings: “[Groom’s Name], I hope you have a good hiding spot! But in all honesty, you two are perfect for each other. May your life be full of love, joy, and a little bit of mischief!”

#4 Duties Passed On

• Introduction: “To everyone here tonight, I’m [Your Name], [Bride’s Name]’s sister.”
• Embarrassment Duties: “Now, [Bride’s Name], as your sister, I’ve always felt it was my duty to embarrass you just a bit. But today, I’ll let [Groom’s Name] take over that role.”
• Lifelong Happiness: “Watching you two together, I know you’re in for a lifetime of love, laughter, and stealing each other’s fries. Here’s to many happy years!”

#5 Financially Depleted but Joyful

• Introduction: “Hi, I’m [Your Name], the proud but financially depleted maid of honor.”
• Sisterly Bond: “I’ve been [Bride’s Name]’s sister for [X] years, and I have enough embarrassing stories to last a lifetime, but I’ll save those for the next family gathering.”
• Match Made in Heaven: “[Bride’s Name] and [Groom’s Name], you’re a match made in heaven – mostly because you both laugh at my jokes. May your life be as joyful and as fun as today!”

#6 Sisterly Advice

• Greetings: “Hello, I’m [Your Name], and as [Bride’s Name]’s sister, I’m here to offer some sisterly advice.”
• Life Together: “[Groom’s Name], the remote control now belongs to her. Just accept it. And [Bride’s Name], always remember that he’s probably doing his best.”
• Wishes: “To the newlyweds – may your life be filled with endless love and only the occasional need for a ‘sorry’ bouquet of flowers!”

#7 Childhood Games to Real-Life Wedding

• Warm Welcome: “Good evening, everyone, I’m [Your Name], the sister of our beautiful bride.”
• Memories: “[Bride’s Name], remember when we used to play ‘wedding’ with our dolls? Well, I guess you won that game – you got the real, live groom!”
• Dreams Come True: “[Groom’s Name], you’ve truly made her dreams come true. May your marriage be as playful and filled with joy as our childhood games.”

#8 Welcome to the Family

• Introduction: “To the happy couple, I’m [Your Name], the sister who survived growing up with [Bride’s Name].”
• New Family Member: “[Groom’s Name], welcome to the family – you’re officially one of us now, for better or worse!”
• Life Ahead: “To my sister and new brother-in-law, may your life together be full of laughter, love, and a little less drama than our favorite reality TV shows!”

#9 Fashion Secrets and Stunning Looks

• Greetings: “Hi everyone, I’m [Your Name], [Bride’s Name]’s sister and the official keeper of her childhood fashion secrets.”
• Compliments: “Today, [Bride’s Name], you look stunning, and [Groom’s Name], you clean up pretty nice too!”
• Journey Together: “May your marriage be a beautiful journey, filled with love, laughter, and occasional fashion advice from me!”

#10 The Teacher and The Partner

• Warm Introduction: “Hello! I’m [Your Name], the sister who has had the pleasure of putting up with [Bride’s Name] for all these years.”
• Sibling Success: “I taught her everything she knows, including how to catch a fantastic partner like [Groom’s Name]. You’re welcome!”
• Perfect Together: “But really, you two are perfect together. May your marriage be filled with as much joy and laughter as we had growing up together. And [Groom’s Name], just a heads up – she’s always right!”

Emotional Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister

#1 Overflowing Emotions and Best Friend

• Heartfelt Opening: “To my dear sister [Bride’s Name], as I stand here today, my heart is overflowing with emotions.”
• Bond Beyond Sisterhood: “From our childhood giggles to our late-night heart-to-hearts, you have always been more than a sister; you are my best friend.”
• Joy and Pride: “Seeing you marry [Groom’s Name] is not just a joy, but a profound moment that fills me with pride.”
• Bright Future Wishes: “May your marriage be a never-ending journey of love, understanding, and deep connection. Here’s to a future as bright and beautiful as your love.”

#2 Constant Companion and Radiant Love

• Introduction: “[Bride’s Name], my sister, my heart.”
• Unbreakable Bond: “From the days we shared secrets under the stars to this magical day, you have been my constant, my confidante.”
• Testament to Companionship: “Your love with [Groom’s Name] is a testament to true companionship.”
• Warmth and Love: “May your life together be filled with the same warmth and love that you have always shared with me.”

#3 Love, Nostalgia, and a New Chapter

• Opening Feelings: “Today, as I look at my sister [Bride’s Name], I am filled with an overwhelming sense of love and nostalgia.”
• Lifelong Support: “We’ve shared life’s highs and lows, and through it all, you’ve been my rock.”
• Beautiful New Chapter: “[Bride’s Name], your marriage to [Groom’s Name] is a beautiful new chapter in a life already so rich with love.”
• Joyful Union: “May your union be blessed with the joy and depth of emotion that you bring to all those around you.”

#4 Emotional Journey and Radiant Love

• Heartfelt Introduction: “Standing here before you as [Bride’s Name]’s maid of honor and sister, my heart is brimming with emotion.”
• Together Through Life: “We’ve laughed together, cried together, and grown together.”
• Hope and Happiness: “Seeing you embark on this new journey with [Groom’s Name] fills me with hope and happiness.”
• Deep and Enduring Bond: “Your love is a radiant light, guiding and inspiring. May your marriage be as deep and enduring as the bond we share.”

#5 Guiding Star of Love

• To My Beloved Sister: “To my beloved sister [Bride’s Name], from our childhood adventures to this momentous day, you have been my guiding star.”
• Reminder of Love’s Power: “Your love with [Groom’s Name] is a beautiful reminder of the power of love.”
• Haven of Love: “May your marriage be a haven of love and a testament to the enduring power of companionship.”

#6 Embodiment of Strength and Love

• Sisterly Love: “[Bride’s Name], my sister, my confidante, my heart.”
• Power of Love: “You have always been the embodiment of strength and love.”
• Beautiful Beginning: “Today, as you join hands with [Groom’s Name], I am reminded of the power of love to change lives.”
• Journey Filled with Love: “May your journey together be filled with the same love, laughter, and tears that have defined our sisterhood.”

#7 Extraordinary Journey and Precious Moments

• Emotional Overwhelm: “As I stand here beside my sister [Bride’s Name], emotions overwhelm me.”
• Playful to Profound: “Our journey from playful children to this moment has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
• Souls Meant to Be: “[Bride’s Name], your love with [Groom’s Name] is a testament to what happens when two souls are meant to be.”
• Journey of Love: “May your marriage be a journey of love, filled with moments as precious as the bond we share.”

#8 Journey of Love, Learning, and Laughter

• Forever Friend: “Dear [Bride’s Name], my sister, my forever friend.”
• Growing Up Together: “Growing up with you was a journey of love, learning, and laughter.”
• Celebration of Love’s Journey: “Your marriage is not just a union of two hearts, but a celebration of love’s incredible journey.”
• Beautiful and Loving Life: “May your life together be as beautiful and loving as the bond we share.”

#9 Inspiration and Pillar of Strength

• Deep Admiration: “To my dear sister [Bride’s Name], you have always been my inspiration, my pillar of strength.”
• Joy and Pride: “Today, as you marry [Groom’s Name], I am filled with an immense sense of joy and pride.”
• Tapestry of Love: “May your marriage be a tapestry woven with the threads of love, trust, and mutual respect.”

#10 Shared Moments and New Adventures

• Soulmate Bond: “[Bride’s Name], my sister, my soulmate.”
• Beautiful and Challenging Times: “We have shared life’s most beautiful moments and its challenging tides.”
• Happiness and Support: “Today, as you embark on this new journey with [Groom’s Name], my heart swells with happiness.”
• Reflection of Love: “May your marriage be a reflection of the love, care, and support that have always defined our bond.”

Short Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister

#1 A Picture of Love

• Introduction: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], the proud sister of our beautiful bride.”
• Unique Love: “They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but even a thousand pictures could never capture the love and joy my sister brings to our lives.”
• Sisterly Bond: “[Bride’s Name], you’re not just my sister, but my lifelong friend.”
• Well Wishes: “May your love story be as magical and charming as you are. Cheers to the newlyweds!”

#2 Guiding Star

• Greetings: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m [Your Name], and as the maid of honor and sister to the bride.”
• Growth and Beauty: “I’ve had the joy of watching [Bride’s Name] grow from a wild little girl into the stunning woman she is today.”
• Guidance and Love: “[Bride’s Name], you’ve always been my guiding star.”
• Toast: “May your marriage be filled with laughter, love, and endless joy. To the happy couple!”

#3 Happiness Shared

• Introduction: “Good evening, everyone! I’m [Your Name], the sister of our gorgeous bride.”
• Shared Life: “[Bride’s Name], from sharing secrets as kids to sharing this incredible day, you’ve always been my confidant and friend.”
• Unified Happiness: “Your happiness is my happiness.”
• Lifetime Wishes: “Here’s to a lifetime of love and happiness for you both!”

#4 Endless Love Story

• Warm Welcome: “Hi, I’m [Your Name], and as [Bride’s Name]’s sister and maid of honor.”
• True Love: “I can attest that true love stories never have endings.”
• Beginning of a Journey: “[Bride’s Name], your story with [Groom’s Name] is just beginning, and it’s already my favorite.”
• Sisterly Bond and Wishes: “May your marriage be as strong and enduring as the bond we share as sisters. To the bride and groom!”

#5 A Dream Realized

• Introduction: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], the little/big sister of the bride.”
• Dream Come True: “[Bride’s Name], watching you walk down the aisle today was a dream come true.”
• Finding the Prince: “You’ve found your prince in [Groom’s Name], and I couldn’t be happier.”
• Marriage Wishes: “May your marriage be as wonderful and special as you are. Cheers to love and happiness!”

#6 A Beautiful Bond

• Greeting: “Good evening! I’m [Your Name], [Bride’s Name]’s sister.”
• Childhood Memories: “Growing up with you was filled with laughter, tears, and an endless stream of adventures.”
• Pride as Maid of Honor: “As your maid of honor, I am so proud to stand by your side.”
• Beautiful Marriage: “Here’s to a marriage as beautiful and lasting as the bond we share as sisters. Congratulations!”

#7 Inspirational Love Story

• Warm Welcome: “Hello, I’m [Your Name], sister to the most beautiful bride, [Bride’s Name].”
• Growing Up Together: “From playing dress-up as kids to dressing up for your big day, we’ve come a long way.”
• Inspiration and Wishes: “Your love story with [Groom’s Name] is inspiring, and I wish you a life full of love, laughter, and happily ever after. To the newlyweds!”

#8 Joyful Sisterhood

• Introduction: “Hi everyone, I’m [Your Name], and as [Bride’s Name]’s sister.”
• Growth and Love: “I’ve seen her grow into the incredible woman she is today.”
• True Soulmate: “[Bride’s Name], your love with [Groom’s Name] is a true testament to what it means to find your soulmate.”
• Joyful Wishes: “May your marriage be as joyful and loving as our sisterhood. Cheers to the bride and groom!”

#9 Shared Dreams

• Greeting: “Good evening, I’m [Your Name], the proud sister of our bride, [Bride’s Name].”
• Lifetime of Sharing: “From childhood games to adult dreams, we’ve shared it all.”
• Joy Beyond Words: “Seeing you marry [Groom’s Name] is a joy beyond words.”
• Wishes for Happiness: “May your marriage be filled with all the love and happiness you deserve. To the lovely couple!”

#10 A Lifetime of Support

• Welcome: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], the sister of the beautiful bride.”
• Lifelong Partnership: “[Bride’s Name], you’ve been my partner in crime, my shoulder to cry on, and my greatest inspiration.”
• Cheering On: “As you start this new chapter with [Groom’s Name], know that I am here cheering for you every step of the way.”
• Toast to Love: “To a lifetime of love and laughter!”

Balanced Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister

#1 Welcome and Childhood Memories

• Greetings: “Good evening, everyone! I’m [Your Name], the maid of honor and proud sister of [Bride’s Name].”
• Shared Memories: “From our childhood shenanigans to today’s fairy-tale moment, we’ve shared a lifetime of laughter and tears.”
• Special Message to the Bride: “[Bride’s Name], you’ve always been my partner in crime and my voice of reason. Watching you marry [Groom’s Name] is a joy that words can’t express.”
• Wishes: “May your life together be as balanced as our childhood teeter-totter – full of ups, downs, and endless laughter!”

#2 Dreaming of the Future

• Introduction: “Hello! I’m [Your Name], sister to the stunning bride.”
• Childhood Dreams: “[Bride’s Name], remember when we used to plan our dream weddings with dolls? Well, today beats those fantasies a thousand-fold.”
• Blessings for the Couple: “You and [Groom’s Name] are a match made in heaven. Here’s to a marriage filled with as much fun as our childhood and as much love as our family.”

#3 The Perfect Mix

• Introduction to Guests: “To everyone gathered here, I’m [Your Name], the bride’s sister.”
• Role of the Bride in Your Life: “[Bride’s Name], you’ve been my guide, my confidante, and occasionally, my fashion police.”
• Marriage Advice: “As you embark on this journey with [Groom’s Name], remember, marriage is a perfect mix of love, patience, and, of course, stealing the blankets.”
• Wishes: “May your life together have the perfect balance of serenity and excitement!”

#4 A Story of Growth

• Warm Welcome: “Good evening! I’m [Your Name], and as [Bride’s Name]’s sister, I’ve had the privilege of watching her grow from a mischievous kid to a magnificent woman.”
• Love Story: “[Bride’s Name], your love story with [Groom’s Name] is like a well-written book – full of twists, turns, laughter, and a whole lot of love.”
• Toast: “Here’s to a marriage that’s as adventurous and loving as you are!”

#5 Shared Everything

• Bonding Moments: “We’ve shared clothes, secrets, and even arguments over who’s Mom’s favorite (it’s me, by the way).”
• Inspiration and Wishes: “[Bride’s Name], your journey with [Groom’s Name] is inspiring. May your marriage be a beautiful blend of giggles, deep talks, and love that grows stronger each day. To the bride and groom!”

#6 Celebrating Balance

• Warm Greeting: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], the maid of honor.”
• Reflections: “[Bride’s Name], from our childhood pillow fights to today’s elegant affair, we’ve come a long way.”
• Marriage Philosophy: “You and [Groom’s Name] are a testament to the beauty of balance – love and patience, strength and gentleness.”
• Wishes: “May your marriage be as harmonious as our favorite childhood melodies!”

#7 The Perfect Recipe

• Introduction to the Couple: “To the lovely couple, I’m [Your Name], the bride’s sister.”
• Shared Experiences: “[Bride’s Name], we’ve shared everything from toys to heart-to-heart talks.”
• Recipe for Marriage: “Your relationship with [Groom’s Name] is like our favorite recipe – a perfect mix of spice, sweetness, and everything nice.”
• Blessings: “Wishing you a marriage filled with love, laughter, and a pinch of spice!”

#8 Teamwork and Dreams

• Greeting: “Good evening, I’m [Your Name], sister to the beautiful bride.”
• Teamwork: “[Bride’s Name], from building forts in our living room to planning your big day, we’ve always made a great team.”
• Love and Respect: “Your love with [Groom’s Name] is a perfect balance of respect, fun, and unconditional love.”
• Marriage Wishes: “May your marriage be as fulfilling and joyful as our sisterhood!”

#9 Adventures and Laughter

• Introduction: “Hi there! I’m [Your Name], the not-so-little sister of [Bride’s Name].”
• Life’s Rollercoaster: “We’ve been through a rollercoaster of life together, filled with belly laughs and a few tears.”
• Pure Love: “[Bride’s Name], seeing you with [Groom’s Name] is seeing love in its purest form.”
• Cheers: “Here’s to a marriage that’s as lively and loving as our childhood adventures!”

#10 A Journey of Love

• Welcome: “Hello everyone, I’m [Your Name], proud sister of the bride.”
• Memorable Journey: “[Bride’s Name], from our days of backyard camping to this magical evening, our journey has been incredible.”
• Partnership Goals: “Your partnership with [Groom’s Name] is a beautiful blend of love, trust, and mutual respect.”
• Toast to the Future: “May your marriage be like a fine wine, getting better with each passing year, filled with love, laughter, and a sprinkle of playful banter. Cheers to a lifetime of happiness and balance!”

Please note that the examples provided in this article are intended as a general guide to help kickstart your creative process. They are meant to serve as a foundation upon which you can build your own unique speech.

It’s important to infuse your speech with personal anecdotes, reflections, and sentiments that truly reflect your connection with your sister. Every relationship is unique, and your speech should be a mirror of that uniqueness.

Use these examples as a starting point, but don’t hesitate to personalize and adapt them to ensure your speech is as special and individual as your bond with your sis.

What Should You Say in Your Sister’s Wedding Speech?

When you’re tasked with giving a speech at your sister’s wedding, it’s all about striking the right balance between heartfelt sentiment and personal touch. Here’s what you should aim to include:

• Begin with a Warm Introduction : Start by introducing yourself and your relationship with the bride. A touch of humor or a sweet anecdote about your sisterhood can set a welcoming tone.
• Share Fond Memories : Reflect on cherished moments you’ve shared. This could be funny childhood stories, shared dreams, or milestones that highlight the special bond you have.
• Acknowledge the Groom : Include a warm welcome to the groom into your family. Share your thoughts on their relationship and what makes them a great couple.
• Express Your Emotions : Don’t shy away from showing how you feel. Whether it’s joy, nostalgia, or excitement for their future, let your genuine emotions be part of your speech.
• Offer Wishes or Advice : Conclude with heartfelt wishes for their married life, or some light-hearted yet meaningful advice. This can be a mix of wisdom, humor, and good wishes.
• Keep It Concise : Aim for brevity. A speech that’s around 3-5 minutes is perfect – long enough to be meaningful, yet short enough to hold attention.
• Speak From the Heart : Remember, the best speeches are those that come from the heart. Be sincere, be yourself, and let your words reflect your love for your sister and her new journey.
• Avoid Inside Jokes : Keep your speech inclusive. While it’s tempting to include personal or inside jokes, remember that not all guests will understand them. Instead, opt for stories and humor that everyone can appreciate and relate to.
• End with a Toast : Conclude your speech by raising your glass. Invite all the guests to join you in a toast to the happy couple. A simple yet heartfelt statement like, “Here’s to love, laughter, and a lifetime of happiness is a perfect way to end your speech on a high note.

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Best Tips for Maid Of Honor Speech 2024: Samples & Ideas

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Crafting a memorable maid of honor speech can be both an honor and a daunting task. It’s a chance to celebrate the bride in a heartfelt way while engaging the audience. Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or feeling the nerves, this guide will walk you through simple and effective steps to create a speech that will leave everyone touched and smiling. Remember, the key to a great speech lies in authenticity and personal anecdotes – sharing genuine stories and emotions will make your words resonate with everyone present.

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Maid Of Honor Speech Examples

Best friend maid of honor speech.

After years of helping Maids of Honor deliver awesome speeches, founder of Speechy and author of ‘The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches’, Heidi Ellert-McDermott, shares her tips. The first three-fifths of the speech should include revealing, entertaining stories that give an insight into the bride and your relationship with her. Don’t be shy of some affectionate teasing. 

In our recent research on wedding preferences, the maid of honor choice was crystal clear: the bride’s best friend. This role isn’t just about tradition—it’s about an unbreakable bond. A best friend’s speech resonates deeply, filled with shared memories and heartfelt wishes.

“If you haven’t had the chance to meet me yet, my name is X. (Bride) and I have been best friends for about 10 years. We met in high school gym class, and we couldn’t stand each other at first. As you can see, things eventually changed for the better. When (Bride) first asked me to be her Maid of Honor I felt flattered. But as the big day approached, she also told me to give a speech and a toast. I’m kind of the shy type and tried my best to get out of it. But, as (Groom) can tell you, it’s almost impossible to tell (Bride) No and get away with it. I wanted to tell you both how absolutely spectacular you look today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better-looking couple (except for maybe my boyfriend and I). And I hope you’re all having a lovely evening and I’d like to I wish you two all the love and happiness in the world. How blessed you are to celebrate your love on this beautiful day. I know there are many happy years ahead for you. Let’s all raise our glasses to the bride and groom, and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness!”

“I never had a sister, but (Bride) has been like a sister to me for all these years. We have similar tastes, we like similar clothes… I knew (Bride) had found the one when (Groom) walked into her life. Well, I’m fine with that – she saw him first! Actually, you could see that it was love at first, second, and third sight. He is her Prince Charming and it seems to me he gives her all she needs – a strong arm, a sympathetic ear, and his credit card.”

“I met (Bride) 6 years ago, as we tried to survive in the concrete jungle of NY. To thrive there, your tribe is essential. We are quite protective of each other, so I was a bit skeptical of (Groom) when he first came into the picture. But as time goes by, I can’t imagine anyone else but him to be her one and only. They say that anyone can be passionate, but it takes a real pair of lovers to be silly. Well, together, (Bride) and (Groom) are two of the goofiest people I know.”

“Hello everyone, my name is X, and by my dress, you can tell that I am the Maid of Honor today. For many years, we have been through thick and thin, and we have shared many memories. Today is another great day to add to our collection of sweet memories, so I’m really looking forward to the cake! I know you will have challenges as all relationships do. But you know what’s great about love and relationships and marriages? It is learning to grow together. Caring and sharing, and lots of tenderness. And maybe a bit of patience, or maybe even a lot. So let’s raise our glasses to the power of love, that makes all these wonderful things happen! Today you start a completely new chapter of your lives. What can I say? Never forget the two most important replies: ‘you’re right, dear’ and ‘okay, buy it’. Love and cherish each other! These two are a rare find in today’s world. Here’s to the groom who has a bride so fair, and here’s to the bride with a groom who is so rare.”

How to write a maid of honor speech for best friend?

• Introduction: Begin by introducing yourself and expressing how honored you are to be the maid of honor for your best friend.
• Fond Memories: Share special and cherished memories you’ve shared together, highlighting the bond you both share.
• Praise and Qualities: Speak about your best friend’s wonderful qualities, accomplishments, and the ways they have positively impacted your life and the lives of others.
• The Friendship: Emphasize the strength and significance of your friendship, and how it has grown over the years.
• Love and Support: Show appreciation for the bride’s partner and express your excitement about their journey together.
• Gratitude: Thank the guests for being a part of this special day and acknowledge the couple’s families.
• Toast: Raise a toast to your best friend and their partner, wishing them a lifetime of love, joy, and happiness together.

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Sister maid of honor speech.

According to our research, the second most popular choice for the maid of honor role is the bride’s sister. While tradition often places the best friend in the spotlight, a sister brings a unique depth to the role. Their shared history, growing up together, and the intrinsic bond make a sister’s speech incredibly touching. With a wealth of childhood memories and a deep understanding of the bride, a sister’s words carry immense emotional weight. When delivering the speech, draw upon this shared journey, express genuine emotions, and celebrate the love that binds not only siblings but also the newlyweds.

“As you may know, I am the bride’s younger sister. As we were growing up, I always wanted to be like her. Do the things she did, have the things she had –  I was probably a bit annoying, I always wanted to tag along. She taught me how to care, how to share, and how to try to reach for the stars. And as I grew up I wanted to be just as beautiful, caring, smart, and successful as her. (Bride) has always set an example for me to follow. Over the years she has shown me how to love and care. Today she shows me how to find a best friend, a partner, and a true lover, all in one person. I hope that I am just as lucky someday. It’s a great happiness to find someone who loves you as much as (Groom) loves my sister. Today, I want to thank both of you for being a part of my life, and to celebrate the love you both share. Like many sisters, we weren’t always best friends. I remember fights, screaming, and door-slamming, but I couldn’t have picked a better sister and a friend. Now that we are older, I can finally admit how happy I am to have grown up with such a great sister. Having a sister is one of the greatest things in life. Having a little sister is even better because I liked to be bossy. (Bride) always wanted to be a bit more like me… But actually, there is so much that I admire about her! I have watched her grow into the gorgeous woman that she is. It is a great honor for me to be her big sister!”

“First of all, I want to thank you all for being here with us today. As most of you know I am (Bride’s) sister. As we grew, we were as close as can be. We were always in trouble and I remember wondering if there will be a guy brave enough for someone as wild as my sister is. Well, here he is!My sis has just tied the knot. And I do believe that (Groom) is her perfect match. And today I realize that all she needs is a guy who will love her just the way she is, with all her craziness. Their commitment to each other inspires all of us because that’s what we call true love. So let’s raise our glasses to this amazing couple!”

“I want you to know that it took me 3 weeks to write this speech over and over again. And I couldn’t think of anything perfect enough to describe just how much I love you. I couldn’t find words to define the kind of sister you are to me. This is your big day and there is so much I want to say… I Googled a lot of maid of honor speech examples. The one piece of advice I kept finding over and over again was to start off with a quote. I did some research and I think their love is best described by Dr. Seuss:

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because the reality is finally better than your dreams.””

“Love, be true to her; Life, be dear to her; Health, stay close to her; Joy, draw near to her; Fortune, find what you can do for her, Search your treasure house through and through for her, Follow her footsteps the wide world over – And keep her husband always her lover. – By Anna Lewis, from “To the Bride””

How to write a maid of honor speech for sister?

• Introduction: Start by introducing yourself and your relationship with the bride, emphasizing your sisterly bond.
• Anecdotes: Share heartfelt and funny stories that highlight your sister’s qualities, achievements, or memorable moments you’ve shared together.
• Praise the bride: Compliment her personality, kindness, and the positive impact she has on others.
• Address the groom: Welcome him into the family and share a warm message about their relationship.
• Express gratitude: Thank the guests for attending and acknowledge your parents and other family members.
• Toast: Raise a glass and propose a heartfelt toast to the newlyweds and their future happiness together.

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Funny Maid Of Honor Speech

As a close friend of the bride, you would have a lot of material for wedding speeches bridesmaids, you just need to know how to put them all together. A few sample wedding speeches would give you the right kind of inspiration to get you on your way.

“Well, for those of you who I haven’t had the chance to meet yet, my name is [NAME]. [BRIDE] and I have been best friends for around the last 10 years. We first met at work one day, when she stole my carrot cake out of the fridge in the lunchroom and I threw away her pineapple yogurt cartons in revenge.

I never had a sister, but [BRIDE] has been my stand-in sister for all these years. You could say we are even closer than sisters. We don’t fight like sisters, but we do wear each other’s clothes. Somehow she can still fit into my clothes but I can’t fit into hers anymore. I’m sure that is just because her dryer must be shrinking them. I knew [BRIDE] had found the one when [GROOM] walked into her life. Sure, she dated a few guys…after I was done torturing them.

But [GROOM] was different. Unlike those jerks, he was kind and thoughtful. And he had a job. You could see that it was love at first, second, and third sight. Clearly [GROOM] is charming and it seems to me he offers her what she needs – a strong arm, a kind ear, and an American Express Black Card.

I trust [BRIDE] and [GROOM] completely. I remember the time I asked them to watch my dog Benji when I went skiing in Europe. They were so nice to help out. I got back and Benji was so happy to see me. He was 40 pounds lighter and now he sees a therapist twice a week. Of course, we are having fun today. The test of this relationship will be over the long term. Will she still love [GROOM] when he leaves his underwear on the floor and cuts his toenails at the dinner table?

The answer is no. God, please, disgusting.

No, seriously, I know they will have challenges as all relationships do. And [GROOM] will learn what all men learn eventually. Keep your wife happy! Happy wife, happy life. No, really, what’s great about love and relationships and marriage is learning to grow together. The communication it takes to keep a marriage going is massive. But half the fun is working things out, talking, communicating, and launching kitchen appliances at each other – real love. Today has been a great day. Family and friends are here, the sun is shining and the champagne is flowing. And we’ll need it to get through this chicken dinner.”

Sometimes the hardest part of being a maid of honor to your bestie might be writing the wedding speech. Speaking with your friend face to face is always easy, however, making toasts or speeches in front of a group of people would be totally different and not as easy. This is why anecdotes and funny wedding speeches maid of honor could help you cruise through your speech while giving the wedding guests a laugh at the same time.

Funny Lines For Maid Of Honor Speech

• “I did some research on how to give the perfect maid of honor speech, and the first tip I found was to imagine everyone in their underwear. So, here we are, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my nightmare!”
• “Being the maid of honor is like being a ninja. You have to be quick on your feet, prepared for anything, and ready to attack at a moment’s notice. But instead of throwing shurikens, I’m armed with embarrassing stories about the bride.”
• “As the maid of honor, I’ve been given the responsibility of keeping the bride calm and relaxed throughout the wedding planning process. Which is why I’ve been slipping her Xanax in her coffee every morning.”
• “When the bride asked me to be her maid of honor, I was thrilled. But then I realized it meant I had to give a speech in front of all these people. So if I faint halfway through, just drag me off stage and make it look like part of the act.”

Bridesmaid Wedding Speech

A list of example wedding speeches maid of honor could act as a template of sorts, helping you figure out just how to structure your speech.

Some of the best wedding speeches maid of honor, shine a light on the friendship between the bride and her maid of honor, as well as the beautiful personality of the bride. Most introductions begin with the story of meeting the groom for the first time. The intro is usually a good time to inject a funny quote, poem, or actual occurrence.

“Hi everyone, I am one of the bridesmaids at this wedding and I just wanted to say how happy and lucky I am to be here to celebrate [bride] and [groom’s] wedding with everyone. Today, everything looks effortless.

From the beautiful wedding ceremony to the food, music, and decorations at this venue, every little detail was planned by [bride] and [groom.] And lots of time was spent shopping for dresses and doing fittings. When you get to peek behind the scenes, you see how much work really gets put into planning a wedding. There were a lot of late nights and hours spent working on this wedding and I have to say that it all turned out quite beautifully. Let’s all give a round of applause for [bride] and [groom.]

[Bride] and [groom,] thank you for such a wonderful day. I raise my glass to the two of you and wish you nothing but the best in your life together. May each day be full of love and laughter between the two of you.”

Speeches are generally not as difficult as we imagine. So, you can relax, go through these samples, and create one of the best wedding toast speeches made of honor.

Short Maid Of Honor Speech Examples

“Greetings to all of you. I’m [Name], the maid of honor. I would like to express a few words about the lovely bride and groom. [Bride] has always been a wonderful friend to me, and it’s an honor to be her maid of honor today. And [Groom], I am delighted that you are joining our family. You two are a perfect match, and I wish you all the happiness and love in the world. Let’s raise a glass to the happy couple!”

“Hello, everyone. I’m [Name], the maid of honor. [Bride], you look breathtakingly beautiful today, and I feel grateful to be a part of your extraordinary day. [Groom], you’re a fortunate man! [Bride] is intelligent, gorgeous, and has a heart of gold. I am confident that you both will have a lifetime of love and happiness together. Congratulations on your special day!”

“Good evening, all. I’m [Name], the maid of honor, and for those who don’t know me, it’s lovely to meet you. I have known [Bride] for several years, and I have never seen her as happy as she is with [Groom]. You two bring out the best in each other, and it’s evident that you are destined to be together. It’s an honor to stand here today as a witness to your love and commitment. Congratulations to the joyful couple!”

“Hello everyone, I’m [Name], the maid of honor. [Bride], you’re my best friend and I couldn’t be happier to see you marry [Groom]. You two are perfect for each other and I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness. Congratulations!”

“Good evening, all. I’m [Name], the maid of honor, and I’m honored to celebrate [Bride] and [Groom]’s special day. [Bride], you’re my best friend and I’m so happy to see you with someone as wonderful as [Groom]. Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness. Congratulations!”

“Hi everyone, I’m [Name], the maid of honor, and I’m thrilled to celebrate my best friend [Bride] and her groom [Groom]. [Bride], I’m so proud of you and I know that [Groom] is the perfect partner for you. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness and love. Congratulations!”

“Good evening, everyone! For those who don’t know me, I’m [Your Name], and I have the incredible honor of standing by [Bride’s Name]’s side today as her maid of honor. First and foremost, I want to say how breathtakingly beautiful she looks tonight. As I stand here, I can’t help but reflect on the journey that led us to this moment. [Bride’s Name] and I have been inseparable since childhood, and I am beyond grateful for the memories we’ve created together. We’ve laughed together, cried together, and supported each other through life’s ups and downs. And now, as I watch her embark on this new chapter with [Groom’s Name], my heart overflows with joy. I’ve witnessed the love between them grow and flourish, and it’s truly something special. [Groom’s Name], thank you for making my best friend the happiest she’s ever been. To [Bride’s Name] and [Groom’s Name], may your love continue to blossom and may your journey together be filled with laughter, love, and adventure. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness. Cheers!”

“Hello, everyone! I’m [Your Name], and I have the honor of being [Bride’s Name]’s slightly crazy, but totally awesome, maid of honor! When [Bride’s Name] asked me to take on this role, I knew it would be an adventure. From choosing the perfect dress to planning wild bachelorette parties, we’ve had our fair share of laughs and tears. And let’s not forget about all the emergency wedding dress fittings! But in all seriousness, I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. [Bride’s Name] is compassionate, hilarious, and always there to lend a helping hand. She lights up every room she enters, and I know that [Groom’s Name] feels incredibly lucky to have her as his partner in crime. [Groom’s Name], welcome to the family! We’ve all been waiting for someone to take on the challenge of dealing with [Bride’s Name]’s terrible dance moves, and it looks like you’re up for it. To the happy couple, may your love be as endless as the dance floor at the reception. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness, laughter, and love. Cheers!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and most importantly, the beautiful couple of the day, [Bride’s Name] and [Groom’s Name]. I’m [Your Name], and I have the privilege of being [Bride’s Name]’s maid of honor. Today, I stand here with a heart full of emotions, for I’ve had the honor of witnessing the love between [Bride’s Name] and [Groom’s Name] blossom into something truly extraordinary. Their love is like a gentle breeze, calming our souls and reminding us of the beauty in life. [Bride’s Name], you’ve always been the ray of sunshine in my life. Your kindness, grace, and unwavering love inspire all who know you. And now, as you embark on this new journey with [Groom’s Name], I know that you’ll be a guiding light in his life as well. [Groom’s Name], thank you for cherishing and loving [Bride’s Name] with all your heart. Your dedication to making her happy is evident in every glance you share.

Let us all raise our glasses to the newlyweds. May your love continue to grow, like the mighty oak standing tall through the changing seasons. May your days be filled with laughter, and your hearts forever intertwined. Congratulations, and here’s to a lifetime of happiness and love!”

When delivering a speech, remember to speak from the heart, keep it concise, and maintain a positive tone. Make sure to customize the speech to fit your relationship with the couple and the overall vibe of the wedding.

How to write a short wedding speech?

• Start by introducing yourself and briefly mentioning your relationship with the bride. This will help the audience understand your perspective and why you were chosen to be the maid of honor.
• Take a moment to express your gratitude for being a part of the special day and your well wishes for the newlyweds.
• Say a few words about the bride and groom, highlighting their qualities and how they complement each other. You can talk about their journey as a couple and your hopes for their future together.
• End your speech by raising a toast to the newlyweds.

Maid Of Honor Toasts

One of the tips for giving good wedding speeches – to use a good toast. A toast is basically well wished to the newlyweds and their family, followed by a signal for guests to raise their glasses.

If you are unsure what exactly to say, here are some beautiful maid of honor toast examples to inspire you.

• “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. – Philippians 1:9”
• “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32”
• “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Here’s to love, laughter and happily ever after. – Romans 12:10″
• “As (Groom) and (Bride) start their new life together, Let’s toast to the new husband and wife!”
• “Here’s to the husband And here’s to the wife; May they remain Lovers for life.”
• “Here’s to the health of the happy pair; may good luck follow them everywhere; And may each day of wedded bliss be always as sweet and joyous as this.”
• “May you grow old on one pillow. May their joy be as bright as the morning, and their sorrows be shadows that fade in the sunlight of love.”
• “Let’s drink to love, which is nothing—unless it’s divided into two with someone you love. May your joys be as sweet as spring flowers that grow.”
• “As bright as a fire when winter winds blow; As countless as leaves that float down in the fall; And as serene as the love that keeps watching over us all.”

As the maid of honor, you need to find the one speech, that is short and sweet, and resonates with you! Great Maid of Honor wedding speeches often includes great quotes . Famous quotes have a way of painting a picture that our own words can’t seem to do on their own.

The Maid Of Honor Speech Template

Infographic.

The biggest worry that most maids of honor have is freezing and forgetting the speech. A great solution is breaking your speech into sections and writing them down on cards that you carry with you. As you practice your speech it will be easier to memorize, and having all the words with you will keep you from panicking.

To get you started, stick to our basic Maid Of Honor Speech Outline:

• Introduce yourself (your name, your relationship to the bride, and how long you’ve known each other)
• Thank everyone involved in the wedding planning for their hard work
• Talk about the bride (why she’s a good person and friend, share a story to illustrate it)
• Tell the love story (The most romantic version of how the bride and groom met)
• Talk about the groom (Compliment him, why he’s great for your friend, what he does for her etc)
• Celebrate the couple (Why they’re so good together)
• Wish the newlyweds wonderful things for the future You could also insert a quote or a poem.
• Toast to the bride and groom – Raise your glass, say: “Here’s to the happy couple”, take and sip and voila! You’ve nailed it!

How To Write The Best Maid Of Honor Speech Ever

We’ve all seen when speeches go wrong, so how you do you get it right? After years of helping Maids of Honor deliver awesome speeches, founder of Speechy , Heidi Ellert-McDermott, shares her tips.

• Introduce yourself & explain how you know the bride.
• Include humor throughout. Yes, your speech should be a loving tribute to a true friend, but it’s also meant to entertain a crowd.
• Once you’ve written your speech, try to edit it in half. Promise, your speech will be better the punchier it is. No one ever wished a speech was longer!
• Pay tribute to the bride’s partner with than a cursory platitude. Prove you genuinely know and like them!
• Rehearse as often as you can but use notes on the day. Delivering the speech shouldn’t be a memory test.
• Remember to smile throughout your delivery. It’s a powerful (and infectious) communication tool.

Don’t

• Resort to cheesy cliches about love and friendship.
• Google gags.
• Thank anyone. It’s not your job.
• Take up more than 10 mins mic time.
• Pretend the bride is perfect. Instead cherish the crazy character she truly is, with all her quirks and eccentricities.
• Talk over laughter when you deliver your speech. If you’ve written a funny line, leave a pause after you’ve said it to allow your audience to get the joke and respond. Don’t start talking till the last giggle has died down.
• Drink more than a glass of bubbles prior to your speech. Alcohol actually increases the stress hormone.

How to Get Started Maid of Honor Wedding Speech

• Know Your Audience: Consider the bride and groom’s personalities, the formality of the event, and the sensibilities of the guests. Tailor your speech to the audience.
• Start Early: Begin writing your speech well in advance. This allows time for revisions and practice. Don’t wait until the last minute.
• Personalize It: Share anecdotes and stories that reflect your relationship with the bride. Highlight special moments and inside jokes.

Examples of How to Get Started:

• Opening with a Quote: Start with an inspiring or humorous quote related to love or marriage. For instance,

“Maya Angelou once said, ‘Love recognizes no barriers.’ Today, we’re here to celebrate a love that knows no bounds.”

• Anecdotal Introduction: Begin with a personal story about your friendship with the bride.

“As I stand here today, I can’t help but think back to the time we met in kindergarten. Who would’ve thought that our friendship would lead us to this beautiful wedding?”

• Express Your Gratitude: Begin by expressing your gratitude for being chosen as the maid of honor.

“First and foremost, I want to thank [bride’s name] for giving me the honor of standing by her side today as her maid of honor.” Remember, the key to a memorable maid of honor speech is sincerity and a touch of humor, sprinkled with personal anecdotes that capture the essence of your relationship with the bride.

How To End A Maid Of Honor Speech

When figuring out how to write a maid of honor speech, keep in mind that the latter part of the speech should be where you talk about the couple. In that vein, it’s also important to know how to end the speech flawlessly. Here are a few tips.

• Keep it short and sweet. While you might have a lot to say, there are time slots for each speech, so keeping things short would be best.
• Use sentimental wedding quotes. You might have a maid of honor speech template you follow but adding inspirational quotes to your speech is a great way to wrap things up.
• Finish with a toast. At the very end, it is customary to raise a toast to the happy couple.

10 Maid Of Honor Speech Tips

After years of helping Maids of Honor deliver awesome speeches, founder of Speechy and author of ‘The Modern Couple’s Guide to Wedding Speeches’, Heidi Ellert-McDermott, shares her tips.

Planning Your Speech

• Think of the speechwriting process as writing a dissertation (only this time, don’t leave it till the night before your deadline!).
• Firstly, jot down all your ideas and favourite stories and then construct a central idea (narrative theme) that you stick to through. It could be that your friend is always right, or maybe the newlyweds prove that opposites really do attract. Whatever it is, make sure your speech flows from one idea to the next, rather than being a list of random thoughts.

Speech Structure

• Remember to introduce yourself and how you know the bride at the start of the speech and try to include humor within the first 30 seconds. Resist the urge to include any of those tired googled-wedding-gags and ensure your line is original and relates to the couple themselves or the surroundings you find yourself in.
• The first three-fifths of the speech should include revealing, entertaining stories that give an insight into the bride and your relationship with her. Don’t be shy of some affectionate teasing.
• Towards the latter half of the speech, introduce her partner and explain why the couple are suited. Again, make sure to include some good-natured humour here.
• The final fifth of your speech could be a full-on love-bomb of a tribute to your friend. Make sure you avoid the usual cliches and platitudes about friendship and instead, try to nail the bride’s individual characteristics and quirks that make you love her.

Edit Your Speech

• When you’ve finished writing your speech, try to edit it in half. You may not achieve it but once you get editing, you’ll be surprised by the amount of needless waffle that’s in there.
• Remember, a speech is better punchy, so be brutal. A good maid of honour speech is generally between 700 and 1,100 words. No more than 10 minutes airtime!

Choosing Quotes for a Memorable Maid of Honor Speech

Talking about love and trying to sum up a friendship, can be hard. Luckily, some other clever people have already done it and we can all exploit their genius! Whilst plagiarism isn’t ever cool, finding the perfect quote to supercharge your speech is a great idea. Founder of Speechy (the bespoke speechwriting service), Heidi Ellert-McDermott, shares her tips for hunting the perfect quote to honour your bestie.

How to Use Quotes

• Don’t resort to a generic ‘marriage advice’ quote. They’re over-used.
• Don’t overload your speech with quotes. One, maximum two.
• Quote recognisable names – or at least provide some context. Don’t quote someone you need to Google or someone who’s a random ‘relationship coach’.
• Once you add the perfect quote to your speech, script a comedy back ref or put it into the context of the couple’s real-life relationship.
• Remember, quotes can be used to add the necessary humor, as well as the sentiment.

Where to Find Quotes

• Don’t just search for ‘wedding quotes’ on Pinterest.
• Quotes become more meaningful if they come from somewhere that means something to the couple. Could the quote come from the bride’s favourite book, her partner’s favourite film, or maybe it’s from that song you play when you’ve both had a few too many dirty martinis.
• Quotes can be found everywhere from children’s books to rom-coms, from hip-hop classics to the great philosophers, from historical icons to classic sitcoms so enjoy the search!

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the maid of honor have to give a speech.

It’s definitely customary for the maid of honor to give a toast to the newlyweds at the reception, but usually, she gave a sweet speech.

How long should a maid of honor speech be?

A maid of honor speech should ideally be around 3 to 5 minutes in length. This timeframe allows you to convey your message effectively without losing the audience’s attention or making other speeches feel rushed.

What should be avoided in a maid of honor speech?

When delivering a maid of honor speech, there are a few things to avoid to ensure it is memorable for the right reasons:

• Avoid embarrassing or offensive stories: You shouldn’t share anything that may make the bride uncomfortable or might be inappropriate for the audience.
• Steer clear of inside jokes: Inside jokes may exclude or confuse other guests who are not familiar with the context. Keep your speech inclusive and relatable for everyone present.
• Don’t overshadow the couple: Avoid making the speech all about yourself or unrelated topics that detract from the celebration of the couple’s special day.
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption: Excessive alcohol consumption can impair your ability to deliver a coherent and meaningful message.
• Don’t go on for too long: Avoid rambling or dragging out the speech, as it may lose the interest of the audience.

Remember, the maid of honor speech is an opportunity to celebrate the couple and express your love and support for them.

We hope that now you have everything you need for your perfect maid of honor speech. So just keep all of this in mind as you prepare and deliver your maid of honor speech, and you will be amazing. Make the bride proud she chose you!

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The Maid of Honor Speech: How to Write a Moving Toast for Your Sister

Being chosen as your sister's maid of honor is a once in a lifetime honor. Use the tips and heartfelt examples below to create the perfect sentimental speech celebrating your lifelong bond that she'll treasure forever.

What is a Maid of Honor?

As the maid of honor, you will be your sister’s right-hand woman and have an irreplaceable role supporting her throughout all the wedding planning festivities in the months leading up to her big day. During the ceremony and reception, your official duties include:

• Assisting your sister every step of the way as she gets ready before walking down the aisle
• Making sure the bridal gown looks stunning and her veil is perfectly in place
• Holding her gorgeous floral bridal bouquet during the vows as she ties the knot
• Being available to provide any emotional support, encouragement, or assistance she needs
• Giving a thoughtful, humorous, and loving maid of honor speech and toast in front of all the guests at the reception

This once-in-a-lifetime speech allows you to share memories and stories that highlight your incredibly close sisterly relationship. As her maid of honor, your speech will be one of the most meaningful and memorable moments that she'll cherish forever.

What should a Maid of Honor Speech for a Sister cover?

A sister’s maid of honor wedding speech provides the rare opportunity to publicly share poignant and playful stories that illustrate your shared history and unbreakable bond. Be sure your speech hits on:

• Hilarious childhood stories and special sister memories growing up together
• Embarrassing, silly, or heartwarming adolescent moments and adventures
• Her amazing strengths, talents, accomplishments, and passions that make you feel so proud
• How she’s always been there for you as a best friend during life’s ups and downs
• The way your sisterly bond has only grown stronger, closer and more precious through the years
• Why you know her new husband is the perfect match and you’re so happy for them
• Genuine well wishes and lighthearted marital wisdom for their bright future together
• Ending with a meaningful toast to the newly married couple!

How Long Should a Sister's Speech Be?

Etiquette experts recommend keeping your wedding toast between 3-5 minutes maximum. This provides enough time to thoughtfully express your love and highlight 2-3 of the most sentimental memories or stories without going on too long.

Keeping your sister’s maid of honor speech succinct also allows the focus to remain on the newlyweds and respects the overall wedding reception timeline. The bride and groom will appreciate you not dragging on when there’s dancing to be done!

Maid of Honor Speech Examples for Sisters

Here are a few excerpts from sample maid of honor speeches that can provide inspiration as you start crafting your own unique words:

Introduction:

“I’m completely honored and just so thrilled to stand here today as [bride’s name]’s proud big/little sister and maid of honor. We’ve shared an unbreakable bond since before I can even remember, and she’s always been my best friend.”

Sweet Memory:

“When we were kids, [bride’s name] was always willing to have tea parties with me for hours or build Legos into amazing creations way past bedtime. We were inseparable and she never excluded me even though I was her annoying little/big sister!”

Funny Moment:

“[Bride’s name]’s lifelong loyalty as a sister was proven on my disastrous prom night when she snuck out of her room after midnight because my date had left me stranded at the dance. She showed up with a pizza and ice cream in her pajamas ready to cheer me up all night - that’s the kind of sister she’ll always be.”

Touching Toast:

“[Bride’s name], my beautiful sister and lifetime best friend, I’m just so thrilled for you today as you marry [groom’s name]. Love like you have for each other is so special. I know you two will build a wonderful life together filled with laughter, joy, and precious memories. I'll always be here for you whenever you need me. Let’s raise our glasses to the amazing couple!”

Tips for Writing and Delivering a Sister’s Speech

With your genuine stories and well wishes beautifully composed, the final step is smoothly delivering your sisterly speech. Here are some key tips:

• Practice out loud at least 5-10 times in front of a mirror so the sentiments flow naturally
• Time yourself each practice round to perfect fitting within 3-5 minutes
• Print your speech in large font on notecards but avoid reading directly from them
• Look up from your notes frequently and make loving eye contact with your sister and the guests
• Pause for laughter, “awws” or other reactions after your funny and emotional memories
• Speak slowly, loudly and clearly into the microphone so everyone can hear this special moment
• Let your innate love and pride for your sister shine through in your smile, gaze and gestures

With personal stories, sisterly wisdom, and lighthearted moments, your maid of honor speech is guaranteed to make your sister's wedding day feel that much more special and unforgettable. Use these touching sisterly examples in combination with memories uniquely your own for a speech she'll treasure for years to come.

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Maid of Honor Speech [What to Say + Outline + Template]

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Giving a maid of honor speech is an honor – and also a responsibility.

If you’re invited to be maid of honor at a family member or friend’s wedding, you have a huge role in the wedding ceremony. Writing the perfect wedding toast or speech can often seem like the hardest part.

Coming up with the perfect toast for this special day is much easier when you have sample speeches to be inspired by. We’ve compiled an essential list of maid of honor speech examples, from roast to religious.

Read on for our step-by-step guide to writing a maid of honor speech, and then watch the examples below. Now you’re ready to prepare a great speech with confidence.

In this article:

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

Maid of honor speech topics blueprint, maid of honor speech outline, maid of honor speech examples.

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The Maid of Honor, sometimes also called the Bridesmaid or even the Matron of Honor, speaks after the Best Man. Remember, the audience has to listen to lots of speeches before and after you.

So, my tip number one is: Keep it brief and simple; for your own utility and the convenience of the guests.

Maid of honor speeches can take many different forms. They might be funny or sweet, creative or traditional . Often, the speech will incorporate different elements, like humor and nostalgia, to hit all the right notes. Most speeches are 5 to 10 minutes long, but wedding speeches can also take many shapes, from short toasts to extended performances.

These simple tips will help you write a maid of honor speech that’s a perfect fit for the wedding day.

Begin Early

When you need to write a maid of honor speech, you’ll want to start early.

Begin the brainstorming process as soon as you’re asked to be maid of honor or bridesmaid. This might involve jotting down fun memories or an embarrassing story you’ve shared with the bride. You can also consider talking about the groom, the bride and groom’s relationship, or how they met.

Write down some ideas early on and then take a few days or weeks to let them percolate. When you come back to your ideas, the speech outline will start to become more clear.

Try a Quote

A great way to start or end your speech can be with a beautiful quote that has meaning for the wedding day. It can be funny, emotional, or poignant. Just make sure it’s something that has meaning for the newlyweds and that wedding guests can resonate with as well.

Tell Stories

The best speeches combine quotes or big ideas about love with real stories. Stories are fun for guests to listen to, and give your speech a solid foundation.

Choosing the right stories about the bride, or the bride and groom, is important. Do you want your speech to be funny, inspiring, or touching? The stories you tell will help set the tone. Think about details: the sights, sounds, or sensations you remember will keep the audience’s attention. Just don’t let it get too long – most speeches should be 10 minutes or less.

Be Prepared

Your speech will go much better if you’ve practiced ahead of time – more than once. The more you practice, the more confident you will feel when the big day comes.

Practice reading your speech, and time yourself to make sure it’s the length you want. Keep in mind that at the wedding ceremony or reception there will be pauses for laughter or applause, which will make your speech a few minutes longer.

You might want to videotape yourself practicing, or even practice in front of a friend or family member to get some feedback on your delivery. Just make sure not to give it to the bride ahead of time – your speech should come as a surprise on the wedding day.

Don’t forget to bring notes, too. Even if you never actually look at them, they will help you feel more comfortable when you take the microphone, and can save you if you draw a blank when it’s time to start.

A heartfelt speech is better than a perfect one.

Don’t be afraid that you’re going to stumble over a word or mess up somehow. If you’ve practiced ahead of time and drafted your speech early, you’ve done all the preparation you need.

Take the stage with confidence, knowing that little mistakes and imperfections can sometimes make a speech that much more meaningful because it’s genuine. If you laugh or cry, the wedding guests are probably going to laugh or cry with you. Keep your sense of humor if the mic cuts out or you stumble over a word. Enjoy the moment!

Here are our maid of honor speech tips in a sample template plus the speaking do’s and don’ts in a matrimonial ceremony based on their complimentary life styles. You are invited and do not know what to say?

Use our template for outlining thoughts, ideas and facts about the bridal couple. I will show you what you should mention and what the text should focus on. If you are not an experienced talker: relax, you do not have to say much, less is more is often said and well put!

But always: public speeches should be from the heart! Be enthusiastic and sincere, but do not exaggerate.

Maid Of Honor Speech Template

INTRODUCTION

• Tell who you are for the ones who don’t know.
• Thank your friend for asking you to be in this wedding.
• How long have you known the bride and groom?
• Why were you selected to accept the honor giving the oral?
• Why did you accept the invitation?
• How did the two of them met?
• What did you think when you saw their friendship became more serious? Reflect on their complimentary life styles. Approach this from the female side. Be tasteful. The best man is at the grooms’ side … so his job is to cover that part, not you 🙂
• Can you come up with a funny story that illustrates the personality of the wedding couple? Think about characterizing sweet, inspiring, exciting or just average daily events or moments.
• Can you come up with a hilarious anecdote based on a real life situation?
• Conclude this part of this special wedding address with letting them know that’s why you were so happy when they announced their wedding. As I said before: keep it short. Stick to one funny story. Ask others if they really like it, if it’s funny enough to share.

THE CEREMONY

• Stress the importance of the matrimonial ceremony. Give your personal view.
• Use a famous quote about marriage, love or the future.
• Relate a short poem to the couple. Quotes and poems are a good starting point for inspiration.
• Wish the bride and groom a long and happy life.
• Express your love and best wishes for the future.
• If they have had hard times, then mention it briefly in one poetic sentence. Not more. Focus on this happy day!
• You can thank and toast to the bride and groom on behalf of the bride, but only if she asked you to do so.

Do’s And Don’ts

• Bring notes, know what you want to say. Too much improvisation can lead to babbling, stumbling or a too long maid of honor speech.
• Do not get too personal. Ask others if the stories you want to tell will not embarrass the bride and groom or the guests. Check double check is the motto.
• Do not come up with negative or depressing speech topics. Kee it nice and friendly for all.
• Avoid sexual tinted expressions, political engagement or religion issues and hold back your horses when you want to mention actual news or political stories.
• Read a draft out loud in front of somenone else and ask for opinions. Alter with the recommendations in mind.

Although maid of honor speeches can take many forms, having a classic speech outline will help you get started. If you’re not sure what to write, follow these simple steps and you’ll be able to write a beautiful, traditional speech.

1. Introduce Yourself

You can’t count on all the wedding guests knowing who you are or how you know the bride. Make time early in your speech to mention your name, what your relationship to the bride is, and how long you’ve known each other.

2. Thank People

Weddings can be expensive, stressful, and difficult to plan. It’s good to take a moment in your speech to thank the parents and other notable guests who helped make the wedding day happen.

3. Tell Stories

Next, you can launch into a story of your choice. There are many different directions you can take this part of the speech. An embarrassing story you share with the bride can get guests laughing, while a touching anecdote about the newlywed couple’s relationship might make happy tears flow.

4. Add a Quote

You can add a meaningful quote anywhere in your speech. The quotes you choose should have meaning to both you and the bride (and maybe the groom as well), and also be relatable to the other guests in attendance. If it’s an inside joke or an obscure reference that not many people will get, you may want to leave it out.

5. Give Heartfelt Emotion

Even the funniest roasts of the bride often have a moment when the speech becomes touching. No matter what the tone of your speech is, it doesn’t hurt to take a moment and recognize the beauty of the day. The best speeches often aren’t all funny or all sentimental – they’re a mix of both.

6. Finish Strong

Your ending will be the part of the speech guests are most likely to remember. Give a strong ending, whether it’s a quote, a final story, or proposing a toast to the bride and groom.

Sister Maid of Honor Speech

This sister wedding speech celebrates all of the fun of watching your family get married. The bride’s sister starts out with humor, telling family memories through a funny lens. However, she quickly gets emotional as she recounts how much her sister means to her.

“You’ve been a great mentor. You’ve been a beautiful impact on my life, and you taught me that there’s beauty in everyone no matter what they do.”

Best Friend Matron of Honor Speech

The best friend of the bride for over 10 years, this matron of honor has nothing but praise for the bride. She recounts how she approved right away upon meeting the groom, and how excited she was upon learning of their engagement.

“You have really, truly become like my sister. I knew I’d be telling you how beautiful you looked, but seeing you next to your handsome groom, you really are absolutely breathtaking.”

Short Matron of Honor Speech

This short speech starts with a funny memory of the bride talking about the groom years before their engagement. In just a minute and a half, the matron of honor brings both laughter and heartfelt emotion to her speech.

“Speaking from experience, marriage is a wild ride. But when you find that right partner, you never want the ride to end.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRniSDMhWgM

Maid of Honor Toast

In a fun, beautiful toast to the bride, this bride’s sister thanks guests for coming, and then launches into memories of growing up together. She shouts out to both the bride and the groom for being important parts of her life.

“Katie is so much more than a big sister to me  – she’s my best friend, my mentor, and the unfailing reminder that sometimes being a sister is even better than being a princess.”

Matron of Honor Speech

This matron of honor gets guests laughing by pulling out a scroll to read from at the beginning of her speech. She recounts the embarrassing story of how the bride stole her spot on the varsity team when they first met. However, their friendship quickly blossomed, and the matron of honor touches on many of the fun things they did together as kids.

“I had the time of my life growing up with you.”

Funny Maid of Honor Speech

In a funny, lighthearted speech, this maid of honor recounts growing up with the bride, and even planning her wedding as little girls. The maid of honor also turns to the groom and thanks him for being the perfect partner for her friend. She fills the speech with memories, from embarrassing to sweet, and ends with a song for a truly memorable wedding moment.

“You’re all the things I hoped for my best friend and more, and I’m so grateful you found her and that you love her the way she really deserves.”

Roast Speech

This maid of honor kept guests laughing with her deadpan delivery of jokes in this short speech. Her stand-up comedy is perfect for the occasion, and she pokes fun at everyone from the bride to the groom to herself.

“When I first sat down and started thinking about what I want to say here tonight, I kept thinking to myself, ‘I can’t believe Erin’s getting married…in less than an hour. No, I’m kidding, I had it written before breakfast.”

Christian Maid of Honor Speech

A sweet speech from the bride’s best friend hits the right notes in a short amount of time. She compares the couple’s love to being like the love of Christ because it is so strong and so beautiful.

“The love that these two share is so strong, it doesn’t need a thousand stories, it doesn’t need a thousand words; it just radiates from these two.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKKwOBW_8xY

Creative Maid of Honor Speech

This fun maid of honor speech starts with the bride’s sister recalling dancing to pop songs as a kid with her mom, who was pregnant with the bride. Then, she uses a musical interlude to tell the story of the bride’s life from a sister’s perspective. In a mashup of pop music covers, the maid of honor gives a great performance that gets the wedding guests clapping in time.

“[My mom and I] danced around the house to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. And lo and behold, 9:30 am on day 9…DeeDee arrives. Apparently she also just wanted to have fun.”

Bridesmaid Speech

In this genuine, sweet speech, the bridesmaid’s excitement about the happy couple’s new marriage is truly evident. Her fun while holding the microphone is contagious to all the guests.

“I’m just so excited to be here, to witness the true love that is so evident between Taylor and Niko.”

Touching Maid of Honor Speech

This heartfelt, emotional maid of honor speech was given by a college friend of both the bride and the groom. She recounts the story of how she first met the bride, and then tells the bride and groom’s love story as she saw it unfold.

“It was obvious there was something truly amazing between the two of them. Four months of courting and a very, very, very confused Mark later, Mara finally accepted his proposal to be boyfriend and girlfriend – and the rest is history.”

Bridesmaid Toast

These bridesmaids toast the bride in song form. They celebrate the happy couple in their own words, and then shout out to notable wedding guests, keeping everyone entertained the entire time.

“Love is the reason we’re all here – that’s what you toasted for.”

Maid of Honor Speech

The maid of honor speech can be just as hilarious and emotional as the best man speech . Amusing, creative speeches like this one might get a standing ovation. The maid of honor uses a numerical countdown to format her speech, ending with the number one which is, of course, the bride.

“At the end of the day, you’re always gonna have that one person who’s in your corner, who’s your personal cheerleader.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX9Y6OhkH1s

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How To Craft The Best Maid of Honor Speech For Sister On Her Wedding

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Published Date : February 14, 2024

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The right time and moment have come for you to create your maid of honor speech on your sister’s wedding day. Nothing is more significant than making it for her, who has been with you through thick and thin. We will talk about how to craft the best maid of honor speech for your sister at her wedding, including tips and examples!

Since this is a special event for your sister and her husband, you want to ensure everything is as perfect as possible. Thus, you must give a speech with all the right qualities, such as personal, emotional, heartfelt, witty, and more. 

However, delivering your maid of honor speech for your sister on her big day is challenging, and you might feel slightly pressured. 

No need to worry about that matter because I have covered you! 

I’ll share some helpful tips and examples to ensure that you craft something remarkable with your maid-of-honor speech for your sister to make the whole room feel upbeat, delighted, and touched.

What is a Maid of Honor Speech?

The maid of honor speech , in its simplified structure, is a minute speech in which you will speak about how much you love your sister, how you can’t believe how she and her husband wonderfully found each other, and how you can’t wait to see them build a happy life together. 

Moreover, you will give several anecdotes, such as childhood memories, tales from your summer camp together, or spilling information that only you know. You will laugh, cry, and make a toast for the people as well. 

Still, if a part of you is worried about how things may come together, we have a few tips, a maid of honor speech outline, and examples you can see in the latter part of this article. 

What is the Expectation of the Maid of Honor?

A maid of honor can be many things for the bride: a ball of energy, a worker bee, and even an emotional lifeboat. This idea may sound like plenty of pressure, but it is not so bad because you will enjoy it. 

You might be in charge of the bachelorette party and bridal shower and lead the bridesmaids’ troop in every part of the planning until the wedding day. 

As the maid of honor for your sister’s wedding, you must know your expectations and what you are getting into. The table shows the duties expected of the maid of honor throughout the wedding process. 

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

Although you have been with your sister from your diaper days until adulthood, it is still quite hard to compose a perfect maid of honor speech for her wedding day, given that you might also fear  public speaking .

Nonetheless, you don’t have to feel troubled because we are here to guide you in crafting and letting out your creative juices. The start is always tricky, but you will eventually have fun while creating your maid of honor speech for your sister once you have grasped the idea.

Covered below are some essential pointers, such as a maid of honor speech outline and tips for writing it.

Maid of Honor Speech Outline

Obtaining a classic Maid of Honor speech outline can help you prepare and start even though the Maid of Honor speech takes several distinct forms.

 If you are unsure what to write and include, you can follow these steps to create a traditional and beautiful maid of honor speech for your sister that everybody will love. 

1. Introduce Yourself to Everyone

First, consider that not all wedding guests know who you are and how you are related to the bride. 

You should start your speech by introducing your name and relationship with the bride, and if you are her best friend, mention how long you have known each other. 

2. Thank All the Guests

Planning a wedding is quite stressful, expensive, and demanding much time. It is best to take a moment in your maid of honor speech for your sister to thank your parents.

I also thank the guests who were present and helped make a memorable wedding day happen. 

3. Share Some Stories

After introducing yourself and thanking the people, you can now start sharing some stories of your choice. This part of the maid of honor speech outline has many distinct paths you can take.

You may share an embarrassing experience you and the bride share to get the wedding guests laughing. You can also choose a touching anecdote about the couple, which might make everybody cry.

4. Add a Meaningful Quote

You can add a meaningful and relevant quote to add more depth to your maid of honor speech for your sister. In selecting the quotes, make sure they have meaning for you and the happy bride. 

The quote can also be relatable for the groom and the attending guests. I recommend leaving out the inside jokes you and the bride only know because not everyone will get a hold of it. 

5. Convey a Heartfelt Emotion

In this part of the maid of honor speech outline, regardless of what tone you want for your speech , it is always preferable to take a moment and acknowledge the beauty of the couple’s big day. 

Even the funniest speeches during the wedding have a touching moment because everyone can feel the speaker’s heartfelt emotion. 

Remember that in making your maid of honor speech for your sister, you must consider a combination of being funny and sentimental to maintain the best balance. 

6. Give a Strong Ending

Give a strong speech ending by telling a final story, a quote, or making a toast for the newlyweds. Consider that your maid of honor speech ending will be the part guests are most likely to recall, so this maid of honor speech outline’s section reminds you to be creative. 

The Dos and Don’ts

Since you are familiar with your maid of honor speech outline, let us get into the “dos and don’ts” of your maid of honor speech for your sister on her wedding day. Knowing the things and thoughts to include and not is essential to ensure that you craft the best possible wedding speech ever. 

7 Tips for Writing a Wedding Speech for Your Sister

Being the maid of honor includes specific tasks, and one of them is to spend some time, effort, and feelings to write a notable wedding speech for your sister. 

We doff our hats to you if you love speaking in front of us. However, if the thought of being in front of a crowd makes you want to pee, don’t panic because we have some tips.

We have listed seven helpful tips to teach you how to craft your maid of honor speech for your sister on her big day. Eliminate those nervous butterflies and deliver it with poise and confidence . 

1. Prepare and start creating your speech as early as possible.

Starting early for your speech is preferable to having enough time to gather your thoughts and write something genuine. Allot time for yourself at least three weeks before the wedding day to prepare and begin writing your maid of honor speech .

Trust us; we know it is tempting to procrastinate doing your speech , considering that talking in front would only accumulate around three to five minutes. However, don’t listen to that laziness kicking in your system.

No matter how good and creative you are as a public speaker, it is best not to wing your speech ; instead, it is better prepared, especially for a significant occasion.

2. Make your speech more personal.

Don’t be worried when your tears start flowing and the tissues come out of your pockets during your maid of honor speech . Let your sister acknowledge how much you treasure and love her and that you are always there when she needs you.

Above all, extend your heartfelt gratitude to your sister because she chose you as her maid of honor on her most awaited day. 

3. Have a perfect balance between being witty and emotional

You must be engaging and funny because you don’t want the wedding guests to be bored and have a snooze fest. However, remember that you are also not a stand-up comedian that day. 

Ensure that you crack some jokes but with limitations. Create your maid of honor speech for sister extra-special by balancing emotions and personal moments.

4. Include meaningful moments that you shared with the bride

You are the bride’s sister; of course, you have known her all your life. This thought indicated that you have to tell everybody about your moments together.

Your maid of honor speech for your sister focuses on her best qualities . You can describe your relationship and explain your unbreakable bond with her as you grew up and even to this day.

5. Practice your speech

Practicing for your maid of honor speech is also practicing your speaking skills . There are various ways in which you can practice, such as the following:

• Utilize your smartphone and take a video of yourself while delivering it. Review the footage and clean your speech based on your comments to yourself.
• Use the mirror technique to watch yourself in real-time and observe your facial expressions and speaking skills .
• Have someone as your audience and listener , and gather their feedback regarding delivering your maid of honor speech .

Give an epic Maid of Honor speech , practice with Orai

6. Give some compliments to the groom.

Besides focusing on your sister’s best qualities, which I previously mentioned, add some compliments about your sister’s spouse. You may want to tell everyone about your first impression or when your sister told you about him.

In another case, if you knew the groom first and played cupid for them, you can explain to the wedding guests what made them realize their love for each other. You can also say his attributes that will make your sister happy for the rest of their lives as one. 

7. Thank the guests at the beginning and end of your speech

Lastly, thank all the guests at the beginning and end of your speech . This gesture is a sign of acknowledging their time and effort in attending a significant occasion. 

The Formula for a Maid of Honor Speech

Not everyone gets excited about speaking in public or at a large gathering. You might worry or fear about public speaking and get some jitters on the spot. 

If you are super nervous and freaked out during your speech , besides the maid of honor speech outline, use the formula for a maid of honor speech :

• “I love you both (the bride and groom) so much.”
• Add an anecdote about the newly married couple and their relationship.
• I wish for their happiness together.
• Make a toast

How Can the Sister of the Groom Prepare a Speech?

Your brother has been there with you your whole life. On his wedding day, he might ask you to be one of the speakers who will give a speech to him and his lovely wife. 

To help you prepare and nail that sister of the groom speech , here are some steps to take and consider:

• Gather your thoughts.
• Decide on your speech structure.
• After having a good idea about the theme, start writing it.
• Review and revise if necessary.
• Take time to practice your speech .
• Deliver it well.

What is a Suitable Gift to a Bride From Her Maid of Honor?

Most wedding attendants always want to give the bride and groom a gift that they will love. Of course, as the bride’s maid of honor, a part of you wants nothing but to hand an extra special gift to your sister. 

She selected you as her right-hand woman on her once-in-a-lifetime wedding day, so a creative and meaningful present is a method to exhibit how significant she is in your life. 

If you are currently searching for an ideal gift for the bride, we listed the best presents a maid of honor can give to lessen your work. 

• Personalized Kimono Robe with the bride’s initials
• Custom-made sister necklace
• Bridal ring dish
• Cosmetics bag
• Spa kit/Spa gift card
• Wedding journal
• Personalized “Mr. & Mrs.” champagne flutes
• Instant camera

Some Great Examples

Since I already mentioned the introduction about the maid of honor speech , maid of honor speech outline, and some helpful tips, we are now down to the maid of honor speech examples sisters do on the wedding day. 

Besides the usual sister-of-the-bride speeches, you can check an example of the maid-of-honor speech for best friend below. Use them as a reference, and let that creative juice come out!

For Best friend

Is your best friend now marrying the man of her dreams and choosing you to be her maid of honor? Don’t panic with your speech because we got you a heartfelt maid-of-honor speech for your best friend, an example that indeed stirs everyone’s emotions.

For Little Sister

Big sisters are like mothers to their little sisters. You grow together, and seeing such an important person get married can get extremely emotional. Incorporating some anecdotes from your childhood into your speech is a great idea. Emotional speeches are heart-touching and can easily be one of the important highlights of the wedding. Here’s an example that you might want to check out:

For Big Sister

During your sister’s wedding day, you might want to deliver a funny speech that will make everyone laugh and feel touched. Here is an example of a funny maid of honor speech for big sister:

What is the third key idea discussed in the speech, and what advice does the speaker give the newlyweds about marriage?

Forget the crystal ball! Their future’s an adventure, so buckle up! Embrace the unknown, hand in hand, and see where your hearts take you. Life throws curveballs, but with love, trust, and laughter on your side, you’ll hit them out of the park. Talk it out, compromise, and conquer every joint decision, from dream jobs to houses. The future’s unpredictable, but that’s its beauty! See it as an exciting playground, not a scary unknown. Grab hands, take risks, and laugh along the way. Remember, with love as your compass, you can weather any storm together. Now, raise a glass to the grand adventure that awaits!

What is the second key idea discussed in the speech, and what does the speaker mention about their shared experiences with the sister?

Remember those epic Love Island marathons in college? Laughter, tears, and maybe even some TV-throwing – good times! Little did we know, those reality show sessions were an audition for [Sister’s spouse’s name]. They could handle the drama just as well as we could! Seeing them join the fun, laughing and yelling alongside us, I knew they were perfect for [Sister’s name]. Don’t worry, though, our reality show nights are still sacred – nothing can break that bond! But now, we can share the laughs with one more amazing person. Cheers to [Sister’s name] and [Sister’s spouse’s name], and to reality TV for bringing us all together!

What is the first key idea discussed in the speech, and what does the speaker say about the bond between the sister and her spouse?

Admit it, I had my doubts at first. But [Sister’s spouse’s name] won me over, fast. Not just kind and caring, they pour their whole heart into [Sister’s name]. Random flower surprises? This is just one example of the little things they remember. The love runs deep. They make each other laugh, support their dreams, and face life’s adventures as a team. It’s heartwarming to see, and I couldn’t be happier for my amazing sister!

What advice does the speaker give to the newlyweds for their future?

Life’s an adventure, not a stagnant scene. Remember, you’re both growing, changing, blossoming! Support each other’s journeys, embrace the new versions of yourselves, and watch your love bloom even brighter. Chase those dreams, cheer each other on, and remember, teamwork makes the dream work. Life throws curveballs, but you’ll hit them out of the park together if you stay flexible and united and face every challenge hand-in-hand. Now, raise a glass to the ever-evolving, always-amazing you two!

How does the speaker describe their sister’s partner?

Remember that warm family dinner? [Sister’s name] glowing, everyone laughing – that was when I knew [Sister’s spouse’s name] was special. They have a way of making everyone feel welcome, seen, and heard. They’re not just kind; they’re some of the most genuine, caring people I know. Over the years, that hasn’t changed. They fit right in, enriching our family with their warmth and humor. They were meant to be part of our lives. Cheers to [Sister’s name] and [Sister’s spouse’s name], the perfect addition to our crazy crew!

How does the speaker describe their relationship with their sister in the past?

Hey everyone! [Sister’s name]’s Maid of Honor here, and so thrilled to celebrate her today! 28 years of sisterhood – that’s a lot of laughs, secrets, and late-night talks. Remember childhood giggle fests and living room dance parties? We were more than sisters, we were best friends. And seeing her kindness and compassion blossom over the years fills me with pride. Our bond only grew stronger through thick and thin, laughter and tears. So thankful for this amazing woman and honored to be her Maid of Honor as she starts this new chapter! Cheers to [Sister’s name]!

What is the opening of the speech, and who is speaking?

Hello everyone! Can I hear a cheer for the happy couple? As [Sister’s name]’s Maid of Honor, I’m beyond excited to celebrate with you all today. Seeing so many familiar faces here today – and let’s face it, everyone looks incredible! – fills my heart with warmth. Your love and support mean the world to her and me. So, thank you for coming, and let’s raise a glass to [Sister’s name] and [Partner’s name]!\

Can you use props in your speech?

Spice up your speech , but don’t let props steal the show! Photos, videos, or special objects can add heart and humor, but remember, they’re there to support your words, not replace them. Choose wisely, use sparingly, and make sure they seamlessly connect with your stories and emotions. Keep the spotlight on you and your message; your props will do their magic, leaving everyone with a heartwarming memory!

How long should your Maid of Honor speech be?

Aim for 3-5 minutes of magic! Keep it short, sweet, and heartfelt. Think of bite-sized stories with genuine emotions, and avoid droning on forever. Leave them wanting more, not wishing for you to be done. Remember, you’re making memories, not endurance tests. Make it concise, personal, and captivating – your sister and the guests will thank you!

What are some ideas for sharing defining moments in your relationship with your sister?

As a large language model, I don’t have personal experiences like having a sister. However, I can help you choose defining moments to share. Reflect on shared challenges you’ve overcome, secrets that make you laugh, or times her friendship saw you through tough situations. Highlight how you’ve grown together or the lessons you’ve learned. Did she inspire you? Share that admiration. Recall joyful memories, her unwavering support, and how she makes you a better person. Choose stories that showcase love, growth, resilience, and the unique bond of sisterhood. Remember, keep it personal and focus on themes that resonate with your relationship. Good luck!

How do you write the perfect Maid of Honor speech?

Forget formulas. Find your voice! Your Maid of Honor speech should sing with your unique connection to the couple. Pick a theme that ties it all together – love, laughter, a defining moment of theirs. Start warm, thank guests, and introduce yourself. Share a cherished memory that reflects the bride’s amazingness. Then, paint a funny, touching story of their love. Look ahead, expressing joy for their future, sharing dreams, or offering lighthearted advice. Finally, raise a glass with heartfelt wishes for a lifetime of happiness. Remember, it’s less about structure and more about genuine emotion. Let your love and connection shine through!

Can you provide examples of Maid of Honor speeches for a sister?

The examples inspire and guide you in writing your Maid of Honor speech for your sister. Consider what you like about the examples and how you can personalize them. Look for techniques like personal stories, humor, and genuine emotions. Five specific examples are provided for further inspiration.

How can you end your Maid of Honor speech on a memorable note?

Express your joy for the couple’s union with a smile and a heartfelt toast. Incorporate a callback to a theme or story from the speech , linking it to their journey and your wishes for their future. Choose a memorable quote that embodies their love story. Share insights about love and marriage, encouraging them to grow together. Highlight their positive impact on your life and express your gratitude towards them. Offer a heartfelt blessing, expressing your wishes for their happiness and prosperity. Your speech should leave them feeling loved, appreciated, and excited for their journey together.

How can you balance humor and emotion in your speech?

Hook them with a funny intro, then let the feels flow! Start with lighthearted stories or jokes to draw attention, then gradually weave in more emotional anecdotes and heartfelt messages. This ebb and flow between humor and sentiment creates a captivating arc and keeps the audience engaged. Steer clear of offensive humor – aim for tasteful jokes that complement the happy occasion. To strike the perfect balance, blend funny moments with personal stories that showcase your bond with the bride. Hand in hand, laughter, and tears make for a truly memorable speech !

How can you compliment the spouse in your Maid of Honor speech?

Keep it clean and celebratory! Skip anything too private or embarrassing that might raise eyebrows. Pick a funny story that shows their personality or a sweet moment that reflects their connection. Express your gratitude for the joy they bring, mentioning how they make gatherings special and create lasting memories. Share how they’ve impacted your sister, highlighting their support, empowerment, or encouragement. Remember, it’s a happy occasion, so keep it warm and joyful!

How can you make your Maid of Honor speech personal?

Make it personal, heartfelt, and packed with sisterly love! Highlight her unique qualities through special memories and inside jokes. Don’t be a comedian, but sprinkle in some wit to keep folks engaged. Share stories that showcase your bond and make the audience feel your love. Be genuine, express gratitude for being her Maid of Honor, and shower her with love! Remember to mention her best qualities through specific stories, letting everyone see how amazing she is. This speech will be extra special because it comes straight from the heart!

Being your sister’s maid of honor is both a privilege and a responsibility . It might be nerve-wracking to give your maid of honor speech for your sister on her wedding day, but always remember that your heartfelt words will make your utmost efforts worth it. Find more public speaking tips and examples, and check out Orai, your AI-powered speech coach ,  to practice your speech skills:

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How To Write A Wonderful Maid Of Honor Speech (Templates, Videos & Examples!)

• Template & Structure
• Dos, Don'ts & Tips
• Main Components of a Great Speech

Standard format but beautifully heartwarming

Emotional aid of honor speeches, funny & roast-filled maid of honor speeches, unique maid of honor speeches, combo maid of honor speeches.

• Jokes & One Liners
• Final Toast Examples

When you're asked to be a maid of honor, it's an incredible ahem… honor. But it also comes with a lot of responsibility — especially if you're asked to give a speech. 

 So how do you go about writing a maid of honor speech that will be memorable, touch the bride & groom and hopefully bring out a few laughs? We've got you covered! 

In this post, we'll give you a step-by-step guide on how to write a maid of honor speech. We'll break down the speech structure, share important do's and don'ts, dive into FAQs and of course some examples to inspire you.

Maid of Honor Speech Template & Structure

This section of the article is going to talk about what goes into a great maid of honor speech. You'll learn about the basic template and structure but we've also included some questions to help you get started with each section.

• Who you are
• How you know the bride
• Thank the guests
• Thank everyone involved in wedding planning
• A story about how you met
• What she means to you
• How has she made an impact on your life?
• Favorite memory
• Her character (how would you describe her in 3 words)
• Fun Facts / Jokes
• Share a story about first meeting the groom
• First impressions
• His character (how would you describe him in 3 words)
• Why he's right for the bride
• How you knew he was the “one” for her
• Share a story about them (maybe how they met?)
• How they are together as a couple (how would you describe the couple in 3 words)
• How do they complement each other
• What do they bring out in each other
• What do you admire most about the couple?
• What makes them unique?
• What are your hopes for their future together?
• When have you been witness to a lovely moment.
• Congratulate the bride and groom
• Say the bride's new last name.
• Announce its time to celebrate

Maid of Honor Speech Dos, Don'ts & Tips

Here are some dos and don'ts to help make your speech a success. While these are considered widely agreed upon ‘rules'; rules are meant to be broken, so you make the final call!

• Do try and include funny stories.
• Do poke fun, but don't cross the line. Don't embarrass anyone.
• Do leave room for any crowd reaction.
• Do be short and sweet.
• Don't tell your life story.
• DO talk about the couple, not just the bride
• Don't drink too much before the speech but a tipple can help!
• Don't include inside jokes.
• Don't reference any exes.
• Do practice, practice, practice.

What are the Main Components of a Great Speech

According to this Toastmaster , a great speech is formed of 3 main components:

• Structure:  A great speech has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning of a great speech should capture the audience's attention. The middle of a great speech should be where the majority of the content is delivered.   The end of a great speech should neatly round the speech off and leave guests with a strong impression. 
• Content:  Make sure your speech is interesting, relevant, and engaging. To do this, use stories and humor; and try to stay focused on the core topic of the speech, in this case the bride and the couple.  
• Delivery:  Practice performing your speech so that you sound confident and natural. Work on your vocal delivery by speaking clearly and projecting your voice. Practice gestures and expressions to help you appear natural when delivering your speech. Try to relax before delivering your speech so that you don't appear nervous; easier said than done we realize! While we don't recommend drinking a lot, a tipple might help ease the nerves.

If you watch one video on public speaking, this is it .

Sample Maid of Honor Speeches

We've gathered some examples of wonderful maid-of-honor speeches to give you an idea of what you could say on the big day. We've tried to pick a range of styles and included a transcript on a few to help when it's time for you to begin writing yours.

• 0:01 – 0:13 Good evening everyone. So I thought the most nerve-wracking part of my job as May of honor was going to be this speech, but managing Mara's bail was definitely,.

• 0:16 – 0:17 Definitely.

• 0:17 – 0:21 Out there. Uh, but I've stopped sweating now. So.

• 0:22 – 0:24 Good. Uh,.

• 0:24 – 0:47 So I hope you're all having a wonderful time celebrating the special day of these two lovebirds here. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Kristen and I know Mark and Mara from college. I met Mara when she joined our sorority Kappa Alpha Data.

• 0:48 – 0:48 ,.

• 0:51 – 1:39 And we instantly became best friends and soon after I chose her as my little sister and she chose me as her big sister since we met when she was a freshman and I was a sophomore, I was there for every significant ma moment in MA's life throughout her four years in college. The biggest being the start of a beautiful love story between Mark and Ma. As many of you know, Mark and Ma met through ones as student ambassadors for the University of Florida, but it was participation, the talent show for the Filipino Students Association where their love story began.

• 1:41 – 1:48 I first heard about Mara during a three hour road trip down to Daytona for a beach weekend. Sorry. I first heard about Mark.

• 1:49 – 1:49 .

• 1:50 – 1:51 I already knew Mara.

• 1:52 – 1:52 .

• 1:53 – 1:54 We were having gossip time.

• 1:55 – 1:56 And we.

• 1:56 – 2:20 Were headed down to Daytona for a beach weekend with MA's family. And she very casually told me about how the two of them were performing a duet to the Bruno Mars song. Amazing for the talent show right then a burst of excitement pulse through me as I imagine how perfectly romantic it would be if Mark and Mars started to fall for each other. And what could be a scene straight out of high school musical.

• 2:21 – 2:22 .

• 2:24 – 2:40 He was Filipino attractive and he could see him play the piano. So pretty much MA's perfect man, right? But when I brought this to MA's attention, her initial reaction was something along the lines of, Ew,.

• 2:40 – 2:43 Big See the Boy.

• 0:00 – 0:00

• 2:51 – 2:58 And to be fair, I probably would've had the same reaction because Ma and I were a bit shy when it came to the idea of liking your dating boys in college,.

• 2:59 – 2:59 .

• 3:01 – 3:25 They may not have fully recognized just what a special relationship with student develop, but for those three minutes when they performed together on stage, the world stood still and it was obvious there was something truly amazing between the two of them. Four months of courting in a very, very, very confused mark. Later.

• 3:26 – 3:26 .

• 3:28 – 3:54 Mara finally accepted his proposal to be boyfriend and girlfriend, and the rest is history. For the past six years, Mark and Mara have continued to show us the true meaning of love. Our friends always say how obviously perfect they are for each other. You take one look at them when they're together. And the idea of meant to be is depicted in its truest form,.

• 3:56 – 4:37 But it's the deeper side of their relationship, which reminds us all what it means to truly be and love. No relationship is perfect. There are always ups and downs, different viewpoints which can cause conflict and hard times that must both must face together. And like every couple in this room, Mark and Ma have dealt with their such trials throughout the relationship, but they have pushed through every single one, not by sweeping them under the rug, but by facing them full on and together as a couple, working through their challenges, while always maintaining the respect and love they have for each other.

• 4:40 – 5:10 They have been there for each other in countless times of need and supporting each other through both the difficult and wonderful times in each other's lives. And that is the true definition of a love and marriage that will last in the eternity. Mark and Mara, you are an inspiration to all of us, both individually as two people who strive to be a light in the lives of others.

• 5:12 – 5:34 And together as a gorgeous couple radiating love. I am honored to be not only a significant part of your special day, but a significant person in your lives. And I am beyond excited to watch the next chapter of your lives unfold together as husband and wife.

• 5:36 – 5:57 I love you both so much, and I wish you a lifetime of laughter in those joyous moments, loving support in those trialing times, and excitement for all of the adventures that lie ahead to the happily ever her mottos. Cheers.

• 0:00 – 0:31 Hello everyone. Hello. Hello. Thank you. Um, I hope everyone is digesting their salads well. Um, I know I am actually tonight, um, this is actually the first wedding I've ever been to. So naturally I consulted my lifelong friend and fae the internet, um, in order to give me some criteria. So wedding words.us really pulled through for me. . So here it goes.

• 0:32 – 0:42 Step one, start your speech with a simple yet direct introduction. Hi, I'm Claire. I'm Kelsey's little sister. I'm 25 years old and I have IBS.

• 0:43 – 0:43 .

• 0:46 – 1:00 Thank you. Step two, remember that this isn't about you. See, that is one of the many things that are hard for me to digest because when you think about it, this union is absolutely about me.

• 1:00 – 1:00 .

• 1:01 – 1:26 Before Corey entered my life, I did not have access to 24 7 iced coffee, which she keeps in the fridge at all times, and from which I benefit greatly. . Before Corey, Kelsey had her ups and downs, but now she's pretty much constantly happy. Do you know what that does for my mental health? To have an older sister who is constantly happy, significantly lowered rates of verbal abuse in the household.

• 1:26 – 1:26 .

• 1:27 – 1:50 Before Corey, Kelsey was dating scrubs like Aiden, who spells his name, a o d h a n. Corey spells his name like a normal person, and as a fellow normal person, I can appreciate that. Step three, don't talk about Xes.

• 1:52 – 1:52 Oops.

• 1:53 – 2:24 Step four, talk about the bride. When I first saw Kelsey take the stage, it was a singing competition, and she was performing born to entertain, looking like a Disney princess and a sequin top hat, sequin, leotard, tights, top shoes, the holy grail. In my six year old eyes, when the music began, her hips started moving. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. And a miserable middle school auditorium full of tired stage moms and kids who couldn't sit still. My big sister was having fun all by herself.

• 2:24 – 2:24 .

• 2:25 – 2:57 She, she had a spark and she could manufacture it all on her own with nobody's permission, and I wanted to be just like her. As the years went by, I'm about to get serious warning. As the years went by, Kelsey's spark grew and my, my admiration for her grew along with it. Okay? I always followed in Kelsey's footsteps, dipping my toe in every pond along the way, and feeling safe in the knowledge that she tested the water for me. First, Kelsey played basketball, so I played basketball. Kelsey did musicals, so I did musicals.

• 2:57 – 3:26 Kelsey did cotillion, so, oh, actually I got out of that one. . Thank God. No. No. More importantly though, Kelsey forged the way in pushing our parents. It's pushing the limits of our parents' sanity. My parents ran a pretty tight ship, uh, all girls school for seven years. No parties, uh, door opened when a boy is over, et cetera. But on the night of Kelsey's senior prom, my eyes were opened.

• 3:27 – 3:27 .

• 3:30 – 3:42 Naturally prom after party was out of the question. Proctor party, uh, for poor Kelsey, but she did manage to pull it off by claiming she was stuck in traffic for three full hours.

• 3:43 – 3:43 .

• 3:43 – 3:49 Eventually my parents smart as they are connected, the dots when she came home and spent the rest of the night hanging over the toilet,.

• 3:50 – 3:50 .

• 3:52 – 4:11 Her boyfriend Mikey sat downstairs telling us how ugly Kelsey looked when she threw up. But Kelsey, I thought you never looked more beautiful that night. , at the time, I didn't quite understand, but she was introducing me to a new art form, The art of lying to our parents.

• 4:12 – 4:12 .

• 4:13 – 4:17 Thank you, Kelsey. You walked so I could run.

• 4:25 – 4:26 Thank you.

• 4:28 – 5:04 As I've gotten older, I realized Kelsey didn't have it always figured out. Um, she didn't always know it was serious again, where her footsteps were gonna take her, but this realization has only made her stronger and braver in my eyes. She forges ahead with all, always knowing where she's gonna land, because she's someone you wanna follow because you know she was born with some sort of innate treasure map. And you know, she's yelped all the best taco spots to hit along the way. When Kelsey shows you love, it hits different. Yeah, She's not afraid to get into excruciating detail about her own insecurities and her own struggles, and it makes you feel a little bit less burdened by your own.

• 5:06 – 5:37 She's like my metaphorical flight attendant warning me that there might be some slight turbulence along the way, but it's all good. Own it. It's all part of the journey. Step five, breathe some life into your speech with some inspirational quotes. I'm a savage. Yeah. Classy, bougie, ratchet. Yeah, Sassy, moody, nasty. Hey, hey. Yeah, Acting stupid. What's happening, bitch? Whoa, whoa. What's happening? That's from Megan, The Stallion, One of Kelsey's favorite.

• 5:41 – 6:19 Um, another great quote I love is from American author, Bell Hooks. The word love is often defined as a noun, but we would all be better if we used the word love as a verb, which leads me into step six. Talk about the couple. As much as I hate to let wedding words.us down, I'm not in the business of following rules. So I'd like to take this moment to give Corey Jacobi some airtime. Uh, after months of after months quarantined with Corey, I've studied this human with the precision of the David Attenborough documentary, and I can say with full confidence that he embodies the verb of loving.

• 6:21 – 6:23 When I first met Corey, I was kind of confused.

• 6:24 – 6:24 .

• 6:25 – 6:39 Not gonna lie, I thought to myself, There's literally no way that someone can be this selfless and kind without having an ulterior motive. Turns out there is no ulterior motive with Corey. He's just a good person.

• 6:41 – 6:41 .

• 6:42 – 6:44 Okay. Still watching you.

• 6:45 – 6:45 .

• 6:46 – 7:22 Throughout 2020, while the world was ravaged by a pandemic, the Boston family household faced a virus of its own. The love of Corey Jacobi, Oh God, it's inescapable, it's contagious. It doesn't discriminate. It started small. He'd mediate an argument or two, he'd fix a light bulb, he'd make some breakfast tacos, but it grew in ferocity in size quickly. Corey believes in the innate goodness of people, and I'll never stop trying to emulate him.

• 7:23 – 7:32 Thank you, Kelsey, for bringing this wonderful person into our lives and for sharing him with us. Corey, you are the bonus baby. Our family never knew we needed.

• 7:34 – 7:35 ,.

• 7:35 – 8:06 And most importantly, thank you for teaming up almost every night to create unnecessarily elaborate dinners for family, for family dinners, family meals. When two foodies come together in love, it's a win-win for everyone. , and it's hotter than Awan Pepper. I didn't know if I was gonna put that in, but I just did. . Um, in many ways, Corey and Kelsey are similar people. They're both focused and driven. They're both enthusiastic about the finer things in life. They're both fiercely loyal to the people they love the most.

• 8:07 – 8:23 Um, but they also challenge each other. Duh. They push each other. They're both not afraid to call each other out when necessary. Kelsey, you are your most compassionate, loving, positive, and silly self around Corey. Truly. Corey, I didn't know you before Kelsey, so I, I don't know if you've improved.

• 8:26 – 8:39 Hopefully you have. I don't know. Can't speak to that. All I know is a room with Corey and Kelsey in it is a room I wanna be in, so I'm pretty happy right now.

• 8:46 – 9:04 Step seven, end with a callback. That is not too cliche, Kelsey. You can manufacture your own spark all on your own, but with, with Corey, by your side, you're a wildfire. Congratulations to you both, but most importantly, congratulations to me.

• 9:07 – 9:07 Thank You guys.

Jokes & One Liners to Include in a Maid of Honor Speech

• “I met the groom's parents earlier and they told me to cut some inappropriate stories out, so nothing about ex-girlfriends…” (drop an index card)…. “alcohol…” (drop another index card) …. “the police….” (drop another index card)…
• “Well, what can I tell you about the bride? I've known her for about 10 years, she's beautiful, intelligent, kind, caring” squint at cards “Wait, sorry, wrong wedding.”
• “I read somewhere the perfect maid of honor speech should last as long as it takes for the bride and groom to make love. So ladies and gentlemen, please raise a glass to the happy couple!”
• “I'd like to give you and the groom relationship advice, but what do I know? I'm single and have a cat.”
• “There comes a time in everyone's life where they met their one true love, their soulmates. The person that's going to love them and cherish them for the rest of their life. And that moment came for [Bride's Name]…[dramatic effect pause] When she met me 25 years ago.”
• “The start of their relationship was fast and furious: he was fast and she was furious”
• “Everyone says this is meant to be the best day of your life, but I know it isn't. It's the best day of your life SO FAR, because I know you have so many more amazing days to come together.”
• “I know I'm not supposed to speak for more than 45 minutes, so I'm just going to apologize now for going over a little.”
• “All those among you who know the bride will know that she is a wonderful and caring person. She deserves a good husband. Thank God *insert grooms name* married her before she found one.”
• Loyal, caring, sincere, honest, a great woman… but that's enough about me, I'm here to give a speech about [Bride]!
• [Bride] and I have always loved each other like sisters. Hopefully she'll feel the same after she hears my speech.
• You know what they say: behind every great woman… is a group of other great women cheering her on.” 
• “Good evening everyone! I'm [Maid of Honor]. I'm sure you all know me as [Bride] ‘s younger sister, but if you don't, well done on sneaking into the wedding unnoticed!”
• “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate something truly magical. Something so rare and wondrous that it simply must be celebrated. I am, of course, talking about the free booze.”
• “The best thing about being in love is hearing someone say ‘I love you' for the first time…but the second best thing is hearing them say it again after they already know everything about you.”  
• “I knew [bride] was meant for [groom] when I saw how well she tolerates his terrible puns.”
• “(Bride), if you would, please place your hand on the table. (Groom), I'd like to ask you place your hand on your beautiful wife's hand. Now everyone, I'd like to ask for a moment of silence. This is for you, (Groom), so enjoy it. Cherish it. Savor it. Because it's the last upper hand you're ever going to have.”
• “When (legendary aunty) decided to get married she called up the smartest friend she had, and asked her to be the maid of honor. But that young lady declined. She then called up the most fun friend she had. Buts she too declined. Then she decided to call up the most beautiful friend of hers and I told her…” stop calling dammit. This is the 3rd time. I'll be your maid of honor”.
• “It's strange to be giving a speech like this one, because my parents taught me that if I had nothing good to say about someone, I should say nothing at all.”
• “[Groom], thank you for loving our girl even on her worst days – including today, when she threatened to kill me if I didn't write a good Maid of Honor speech.” 
• I'm [Maid of Honor], maid of honor, but I think I was picked by default since the bride doesn't like people.
• “The bride is known to be beautiful, gracious, kinda and remar….remarkca… shit… then turn to the bride and say “sorry girlfriend I cant read your handwriting”
• Each one of us gathered together in this room has something really important in common: none of us have a clue what I'm going to say next!
• [Bride] knew I was a bit nervous about giving this speech, so she gave me some great advice. She said “Don't try to be too charming, witty or intellectual — just be yourself!'”
• “[Groom] may not be perfect but he's perfect for [bride].”  
• Marriage isn't for everyone—but it obviously works for them because here we are.” 
• If your speech is following someone else's, you can say, (Name) gave a great speech and I agree with everything he/she said. Then sit down.
• “I asked [bride] what she loves most about [groom], and she said his ability to make her laugh – even when she doesn't want to.”
• “I'd like to start by congratulating [Bride] on her excellent taste in speech givers.”
• “I don't believe in roasting the couple on their special day. Therefore this speech won't contain anything embarrassing or controversial. Instead I'll refer only to the kind, funny side of their characters. Thank you and goodnight.”
• “I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when [bride] first told me she was dating [groom]. But then I realized, love is blind!”
• “I'm so happy that you two found each other. Because let's be honest, we all know that dating apps are a crap shoot.” 
• “I used to think love was finding someone who knows all your secrets and still loves you anyway…then I met [bride] and realized love is finding someone who knows all your secrets and still puts up with you anyway.” 
• “I can only say in my defense that [Bride] and I share a common sense of humor so if this speech isn't funny, blame her.”
• “Good evening everyone, today you are witness to a unique and important event in history: the first and presumably last time anyone will ever trust me to give a speech.”

Maid of Honor Final Toast Examples

• Please raise your glasses in honor of Bride and Groom.
• Let us toast the happiness of Bride with her new husband, [Groom's Name]!
• Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
• Here's to love, laughter and happily ever after.
• Here's to the health of the happy pair; may good luck follow them everywhere; And may each day of wedded bliss be always as sweet and joyous as this.
• Cheers to the happy newlyweds! May you love each other more every day you spend together!
• Let's toast to the new husband and wife!
• Best wishes and years of bliss to the new couple!
• Here's to the husband, And here's to the wife;, May they remain, Lovers for life.
• Let's drink to love, which is nothing—unless it's divided into two with someone you love.
• Join me in honoring the marriage of Bride and Groom!
• As (Groom) and (Bride) start their new life together,
• What a wonderful wedding day indeed, so let's raise our glasses to wherever their lives may lead.
• With love and happiness, here's to you, Bride and Groom!

Maid of Honor Speech FAQs

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How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech—Template Included

Wondering how to write a maid of honor speech? This guide covers everything you need to know and includes a template to help you get started.

Your best friend is getting married , and she’s asked you to be her maid of honor—one of the most meaningful and important roles in helping your best friend bring her wedding daydreams to life. With this honor comes a number of important duties, and at the top of that list is delivering the maid of honor speech.

The maid of honor speech traditionally takes place at the wedding reception , but it’s possible you might deliver it at the rehearsal dinner. Regardless of when the speech will take place, it’s best to get started writing it at least three weeks before the wedding day. After all, a meaningful maid of honor speech isn’t something you can write up on your phone the morning of the wedding—it requires some thought, preparation, and maybe a round of edits or two.

If the task of giving a moving speech to a room full of people feels a bit nerve-wracking, don’t panic. We’ve broken down everything you need to know to craft the perfect speech from start to finish, along with how to keep your nerves at bay when it comes time to deliver it.

6 Tips to Prepare for Your Maid of Honor Speech

You don’t need to be a professional writer or orator to create a meaningful maid of honor speech. Use the tips below to get an idea of what to include and get an idea of the overall structure of a solid speech.

1. Introduce Yourself and Express Thanks

Begin your speech by introducing yourself and your relationship with the bride. Then, share a word of thanks for those who had a hand in planning the wedding —the bride’s family, the groom’s family, and anyone else who you feel should be mentioned.

2. Talk About the Bride

Now it’s time to get personal about the bride and your history together. You might share an anecdote about how you two met, what her friendship has meant to you over the years, or any other endearing story that illustrates why she’s so special. It’s best to focus this section of the speech on the bride before her partner came into the picture, which you can lead into in the next section.

3. Talk About Her Partner

Now is a good time to discuss the bride’s spouse. While you’re certainly the designated right-hand woman to the bride, remember that the focus of a maid of honor speech should be on celebrating the couple , the beauty of their relationship and their future together as newlyweds.

When thinking about what to say about her partner, you can share any number of special sentiments that you feel illustrate who they are and what they mean to the bride. You also might decide to talk about what you love about her partner, mention their greatest characteristics, or share a story about how much he or she means to the bride.

4. Talk About the Couple

While the last section focuses on the bride’s partner as an individual, use this section to talk about who they are as a couple. If you’re close friends with both partners, you might have some special memories to share looking back on the journey of their relationship. If not, you might talk about the impact the bride’s partner has had on her and how you saw her grow as their bond grew over time. Whatever you choose to speak about, be sure to keep the focus on the beauty of their relationship.

5. Share Encouragement or Advice for the Newlyweds’ Future

As you near the end of your speech, try closing with a word of encouragement or advice for the couple and their future together as newlyweds. After all, the whole point of the maid of honor speech is to celebrate the couple! You might include an inspirational quote or poem if you feel like it fits, but be sure to keep it short and sweet to avoid a long-winded reading.

6. Closing Toast

The closing of your speech should be short and sweet—simply share a closing remark to commemorate the happy couple. Then, invite the guests to raise their glasses in a toast to the newlyweds.

How to Nail Your Maid of Honor Speech

While the steps above are helpful in nailing the structure of your speech, there are a few additional tips to keep in mind that will help you write a compelling and meaningful speech.

Set Aside Reflection Time

Before you even attempt to write your speech, it’s a good idea to carve out some time to simply think and reflect. This can help kick off the creative process and get you into the right headspace as you ideate what you might want to include. Spend this time reflecting on the memories you share with the bride, and try to pinpoint any ideas or emotions that come to mind when you think of her. This way, you come away with a road map of all the major points you want to touch on in your speech.

Define Your Objective

As you’re planning your speech, it’s helpful to define your overall objective before you dive into the nitty gritty details and stories you’ll share. Think about the goal you want your speech to accomplish: is it to make the wedding guests laugh, cry, maybe both? Is the couple known for their sense of humor? Perhaps you add some comedic flair to your speech.

If you’ve been through a lot with the bride or want to touch on some more serious memories, perhaps you craft your speech to be more emotionally moving. In the end, defining your objective will help you find the direction your speech will take.

Don’t Go Overboard with Anecdotes

If you have a ton of history with the bride, you might have a miles-long list of heartwarming stories you want to share. However, one key to a compelling speech is keeping it short and sweet. A standard maid of honor speech should only be three to four minutes long, and you don’t want to risk boring the guests or taking the focus off of the celebration. To avoid this, choose one or two must-have memories or anecdotes that you know you want to include, and nix the rest.

Develop Your Story

Along with keeping things short and sweet, another key to writing a compelling maid of honor speech is to tell it like a story. Any story worth hearing has a defined beginning, middle and end. While you’re in control of the details that fill the story, you want to ensure that every detail aligns with the main point of your speech. Whatever you talk about should clearly tie back to the overall focus of the speech, which is celebrating the bond the couple shares and wishing them well for their new future together.

Be Authentic

The bride chose you as her maid of honor for a reason, so you shouldn’t feel like you have to be anything but yourself when you give your speech. Throw off any pressure you might feel to sound a certain way if it doesn’t ring true to you and your connection with the bride. A great maid of honor speech is about speaking openly and honestly about the bride and her partner—remember to write in the same way you’d speak to avoid sounding stiff or robotic.

Practice, Don’t Memorize

If you feel like you need to memorize your speech word for word, don’t! Instead, focus on practicing your speech in the weeks leading up to the wedding day. This way, the main points will be well committed to your memory and you won’t need to memorize it line by line. However, it’s still helpful to use a bulleted list of the main points when it’s time to give your speech—this way you don’t have to worry about losing track mid-speech.

When you’re practicing your speech, make sure you’re practicing out loud so you can get a feel for the overall flow and rhythm of what you plan to say. It’s also helpful to read it aloud to a friend or the other bridesmaids to get some outside perspective on how your speech sounds and any tweaks that might help it shine.

Maid of Honor Speech Template

Your maid of honor speech should be authentic and personal, and there’s a number of directions you might choose to take your speech in. If you’re stuck on where to begin, the template below is a great starting point to give you an idea of the general structure and flow of a maid of honor speech. Fill it in with your own words to personalize it according to you and your unique relationship with the bride!

“Hello everyone, I’m [name] and [bride’s name] maid of honor. I met [bride’s name] X years ago when [how you met]. When [bride] and I became friends, it was [personal anecdote about your relationship with the bride]. I’ll never forget [personal memory between you and the bride].

When [partner’s name] came into the picture, [personal anecdote about how you met their partner]. [Partner’s name] was [personal anecdote about the partner’s characteristics or favorite memory].

Watching their relationship grow over time has been [personal sentiments about the couple’s bond. I’ll always remember how [personal anecdote about the journey of their relationship]. Ever since then, I’ve seen [bride’s name] [sentiment about the impact of the couple’s relationship].

It’s a privilege to join with you all in honoring the marriage of [bride] and [partner], and I know I speak for everyone when I say we’re thrilled to stand by your side today and support you both as you enter your new life together. If there’s one piece of advice I’d share, it’s [word of advice or encouragement for the newlyweds]. Thank you both for showing us what it means to love unconditionally. Please raise a glass to [bride] and [partner]! May you two never stop loving each other, growing together, and showing up for each other today and every day. Cheers!”

Whether this is your first wedding speech or your 20th, feelings of nervousness are normal! With some dedicated time and practice (and a few deep breaths beforehand) you’ll be more than ready to nail your maid of honor speech. All that really matters is that your words come from the heart. After all, the couple might not remember every single word you share, but they’ll always remember the love and care that went into it.

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• Who Gives a Speech at a Wedding Reception? How to Write a Wedding Toast Tips for the Father of the Bride Speech How to Write a Best Man Toast Advice for the Maid of Honor Speech What to Know About a Newlywed Toast Public Speaking Experts' Wedding Speech Tips 60 Quotes to Use for Your Wedding Toast

How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

Follow these expert tips to knock your maid of honor speech out of the park.

Photo by Janine Licare

In This Article

You've been asked to play a huge role in your best friend's wedding—maid of honor! But, the job comes with a slew of important tasks , including giving the maid of honor speech. While this is a moment to celebrate your friendship, the idea of getting up in front of a crowd can be nerve-wracking if you're not used to giving speeches.

As staunch advocates of BFF love, we've taken it upon ourselves to create a go-to guide for penning the perfect speech to see your bestie off on their new life with their partner. With a few tips and tricks along with plenty of practice, your maid of honor speech will go off without a hitch.

With expert insight from professional speechwriter Katelyn Peterson—founder of vow- and toast-writing company Wedding Words —and examples of real-life speeches, we have all the details you need. Read on for helpful tips and guidelines to deliver an absolutely unforgettable maid of honor speech .

Meet the Expert

Katelyn Peterson is a speech writer and the founder of vow- and toast-writing company Wedding Words .

Maid of Honor Speech Template

While every maid of honor speech will be different, we've put together an outline to get you started on yours.

Start with the bride; end with the couple.

Of everyone at the wedding, you have the best insight into how much your bestie's partner has changed them for the better. Your maid of honor speech needs to be about the friend you knew long before meeting their soulmate and then pivot to what role they have played in their life. Maybe your friend is even funnier now, or maybe you've simply never seen your BFF so happy. This is also a great way to incorporate their new spouse into the speech if you don't really know them that well; speak to the way that they complement each other or how your BFF's new spouse has made them a better person.

Pepper in anecdotes.

Stories do a better job of getting your point across than blanket statements do. "Each anecdote you share should have an underlying theme that ties all the short stories together," says Peterson. "Reveal that theme near the end of your speech , and you’ll achieve a strong emotional impact."

End with a positive outlook.

The nature of this speech is not so much about your relationship with your friend, but the bond the couple shares. Make sure all of the separate components of your toast draw a positive conclusion, ending in how happy the couple is together and your best wishes for their marriage .

Maid of Honor Speech Tips

Keep in mind these helpful tips from professional speechwriter Katelyn Peterson to ensure you nail your maid-of-honor toast .

Kick-start the creative process by writing down any memories , emotions, or ideas that make you think of your BFF. "I recommend free-writing for 20 minutes," says Peterson. "When you’re done with this exercise, you should have some quality material that you can weave into the form of a speech." This allows you to create a blueprint of all the major points you want to make—more or less creating a roadmap for your ideas—and then fill it in with supporting information.

Ditch Generic Praise

"Use entertaining and engaging stories to show the bride’s personality ," advises Peterson. There's a big difference between simply saying, "She is such a great friend!" versus telling a story that illustrates just that.

Half the guests may not know your BFF all that well, so use this moment to paint a picture of how amazing they are. Bring their character to life with details only you could know.

Remember it isn't about you.

While a lot of the anecdotes should be about your time with your friend, you should not be the focal point. After you briefly introduce yourself (remember: most of the people probably won't know who you are or your relation to the couple), you shouldn't be making any additional references to yourself. You're simply the vehicle to explain why the newlyweds are so fantastic.

Do not mention exes.

No one wants to be reminded of past relationships , particularly in front of their family, friends, and new life partner. Keep the tone of your speech positive, and it will reflect positively on you also. You don't want to come across as though you're trying to roast your friend.

Keep it short.

The longer your speech, the more opportunities you'll have for people to start losing attention. "Keep your speech under five minutes," suggests Peterson. "Anywhere between two to five minutes is great."

Be sure to pause for a few seconds after each joke to let the audience laugh. When you immediately start speaking right afterward, you won't give people a chance to laugh or even understand the next line. Keep in mind that starting the speech on a funny note can help you capture the attention of the audience for a minute or two, but it's the meaningful content that will keep them enthralled until the end. "Your goal should be to have guests laughing and wiping tears away by balancing humor with sincerity," says Peterson.

If you experience public-speaking jitters, try looking just above everyone’s head. This can minimize your anxiety while allowing guests to think you're looking right at them.

Don't use inside jokes.

If the joke or situation is something other wedding guests would have to be there to understand, avoid using it. If people don't understand the context behind it, it will probably go over their heads. It's okay to poke a little bit of fun at your friend, but keep it light. Don't say anything that would be embarrassing or make them feel uncomfortable.

"The more you recite your speech out loud, the more comfortable you’ll become," notes Peterson. Practice your speech twice a day, starting at least a week beforehand, and record yourself a couple of times so you can hear your pacing and tone. Rehearse the speech in front of friends, too, in order to see if your jokes get a laugh, and try practicing in a mirror to nail your physical presence.

How to Get Started

Here are a few questions to ask yourself to start brainstorming ideas for your speech.

• Who will be speaking before or after you, and how will this affect the content of your speech? (You might want to include a reference to their toast in your speech, thank them for an introduction, or introduce the next speaker.)
• What would your friend want their in-laws and newly acquired family to know about them, and how can you attest to those qualities or characteristics from your own experiences with them?
• What's a warm memory of the newlyweds that always makes you smile? (Ask yourself: If their relationship were a Hollywood movie trailer, what key moments would be featured?)
• When you picture the couple's life together in a few years (or from this moment forward), what do you see? Is there any advice you can give them for their lifelong journey ahead?
• Is there something you want to say to your bestie's new spouse? (Perhaps a few lighthearted tips on how to handle more trying situations that you've learned from your own experiences with them.)

Maid of Honor Speech Examples to Make Your Own

If you're feeling stuck, here are three examples of speeches from real bridesmaids to inspire your own.

"Good evening, everyone. I’m Cami, the maid of honor and the bride’s best friend. Over the past 15 years, I’ve witnessed Madison prioritize everyone else’s happiness, but today, we get to honor hers. With Madison being my most fun-loving friend, I knew she’d be down to join me on a two-week adventure traveling throughout Europe. We lived together, but nothing cements a friendship quite like sharing a full-size bed in dingy hostels from the Netherlands to Spain. Madison’s luggage kept breaking, and she went through four suitcases in 14 days! There we were, strolling down a busy street in Madrid and Madison’s clothes were falling out of her over-packed suitcase, painting the path behind us with her sundresses and socks. But she never let her rundown luggage ruin the trip. She just kept rolling with it. Literally. I can always depend on Madison to roll with any situation, to show up for the people that she loves, and to have a good time.

But the truth is everyone in this room is better for knowing you, Madison. You love so deeply, selflessly, and unconditionally. And I know that Pete is the best partner for Madison because I’ve seen him mirror these traits for her. No matter what may come your way, your combined patience, resilience, and love will make you an unstoppable team. And most importantly, I know you two will continue to keep rolling with it . Cheers!" —Cami

"I’m Ashley and welcome! I was introduced to Sarah through a mutual friend to evaluate if she would be a fit as my future roommate. I showed up to that first dinner wearing a casual sundress and flats. Meanwhile, Sarah walked in with voluminous curls, smoky eyes , red lipstick, and a smile that showed me she deserved that Miss Florida title in ’04. I just thought, 'Who is this girl?' Over the next two hours, I learned that this girl was the coolest, funniest person and that I had to live with her. We moved in and it was truly an immediate fit from watching the same shows to downing bottles of the same wine. Despite our homebody nature, we did enjoy our Saturday nights running around the city. One night after several margaritas, Sarah and I found ourselves locked out of our house. So we came up with the best plan we could imagine: Let’s cannonball into our pool. There we were: Two tequila-loving girls cannonballing to see who could create the biggest splash. From that night on, whenever we went out, we’d ask ourselves one key question: 'Is it going to be a cannonball in the pool kind of night?'

And just like she’s always filled the gap in our friend group—we know that John has entered her life to level her out in the best of ways, too. Let’s raise a glass to Sarah and John! May your life together be full of cannonball-in-the-pool kind of nights." —Ashley

"Hi, my name is Makena and I’m the bride’s younger sister and maid of honor . As I look at Winnie and Miles today, I see two people in the most loving, trustworthy, and nurturing relationship I’ve ever witnessed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me that even on her wedding day, Winnie is teaching me about life and love. Because the truth is Winnie has been my lifelong teacher. She’s the one who taught me how to read and how to ride a bike, but my most memorable teaching moment was when I was 11 years old.  We had this mutual understanding—or so I thought—that we would not read each other’s journals. But I, of course, read hers and naively assumed she did not read mine. I learned the truth when I opened my journal one day to see an entire page filled with Winnie’s handwriting. There in the middle of my journal was a critique from my sister detailing out how I could improve my writing.

I know that if it weren’t for my sister, I would not be the person I am today. I’m inspired daily by the woman she is. Her confidence is unshakable, her excitability is contagious, and her determination is awe-inspiring. Winnie will finally get to experience what I’ve felt like my entire life with her. She’ll be cared for, unconditionally loved, and will learn every day with Miles as her lifelong teacher through love. Please raise a glass to Winnie and Miles! May you two never stop learning from each other as you continue to love each other." —Makena

First things first: Don't overcomplicate it! Stay authentic to yourself and keep it simple by telling a story, sharing why you love the bride, and toasting the newlyweds.

Keep it short and sweet! Having a two to five minute speech that is both sentimental and humorous is the best way to honor the couple in a way that is engaging and memorable .

Close out your speech with a simple, light-hearted joke and a toast to the newlyweds . This will create the perfect opportunity for a combined cheer and chuckle from the crowd .

A Guide to Wedding Reception Toasts

Who Gives a Speech at a Wedding Reception?

How to Write a Wedding Toast

Tips for the Father of the Bride Speech

How to Write a Best Man Toast

Advice for the Maid of Honor Speech

What to Know About a Newlywed Toast

Public Speaking Experts' Wedding Speech Tips

60 Quotes to Use for Your Wedding Toast

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How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

A flawless maid of honor speech can't be hastily written on your phone at the reception—it takes time and a lot of practice. Here's how to write a maid of honor speech that will garner a standing ovation.

In His Image Photography

As a maid of honor in your BFF’s upcoming wedding, you're likely pretty thrilled about all that's in store for you, from the awesome maid of honor duties , to the epic events to plan ( hey bachelorette party !) to that maid of honor speech — but it's also normal to be a bit nervous, too. As we said, the maid of honor has lots of responsibilities, which include writing and delivering the maid of honor speech. The maid of honor speech usually occurs during the wedding reception, but you might be asked to deliver it at the rehearsal dinner instead. If you’re comfortable speaking in front of a crowd or have a background in acting or performing, the maid of honor speech should be a breeze . But, considering that public speaking is a very common fear, you might be anxious . And even if giving the maid of honor speech doesn’t worry you, figuring out exactly how to write a maid of honor speech likely does. It’s an important moment for both you and the bride, and of course you want to make it special.

How do you prepare the most amazing maid of honor speech she’s ever heard and alleviate some of your anxieties? We’re here to help.

When to start writing a maid of honor speech.

Presuming you haven’t procrastinated too long, you should give yourself as much time as possible to prepare — start at least three weeks to a month before the wedding. This may seem like a lot of time to write a short maid of honor speech, but the longer you wait to write, the more stressed you’ll become.

Choose a time when you’re feeling inspired by your friendship with the bride and/or couple. If you’re feeling extra sentimental after the bachelorette party brought up a plethora of stories you had forgotten about, write them down. Don’t underestimate the power of free writing, during which you unleash all of the thoughts and anecdotes about your bestie that cross your mind onto the page. That way, you’ll be able to see all of your feelings and memories all together at once. From there, who knows? More likely than not, you’ll discover some sort of inspiration within these reflections.

The maid of honor speech outline.

1. how to start the maid of honor speech..

First off, introduce yourself and mention your relationship with the bride, and the couple. Next, be sure you thank whomever you feel is important enough to mention, depending on the circumstances and who paid for or planned the wedding — parents, other family members, wedding party members, etc. Congrats! You have two lines of your speech out of the way.

2. Talk about the bride. 

Now things start to get more personal. If you were just going to express gratitude, it would be a toast, not a maid of honor speech. One crowd-pleasing story you might consider including is how you met the bride. If it’s not a particularly appealing or appropriate story, you might also consider a story about the two of you the really exemplifies your friendship, or a time when you knew you were going to be friends forever. If the two of you share a bond over food, maybe you could talk about that time the two of you tried (and failed) to make your own recipe from scratch. Maybe you were really frustrated at first when you were assigned to be partners in class because you didn’t think you were going to get along, but as fate would have it, you became inseparable. Get creative and get sentimental. And don’t be afraid to be funny .

3. Talk about her partner. 

After talking about you and the bride, it might be a good idea to include how you first met her almost-spouse in the maid of honor speech. I once witnessed a maid of honor that had been friends with the bride for many years, and during her speech she recalled that the bride actually had set her and the groom up on a blind date at first. The maid of honor and the future groom talked about their common friend for the entire date—and the rest was history. You’re the bride’s right hand woman, but a wedding is all about celebrating the couple, so it’s a nice transition from talking about you and the bride into talking about the bride and her partner. It also shows your solidarity and support for their relationship. No matter how you truly feel about her partner, keep a happy face on.

4. Talk about them as a couple. 

Speaking of which, after you explain how you met the bride’s new spouse, talk about the two of them as a couple. This works even better if you’ve known both of them for a long time. Maybe you were the bride’s roommate when they had their first date, and you witnessed her giddy nerves beforehand. Maybe you witnessed the very prolonged will-they-or-won’t-they period of their relationship. What did she tell you after they said "I love you," for the first time? At one wedding, the groom’s sister told a story that took place about three months before the groom and bride had gotten together. The sister was teasing her brother about his love life, when he said, “I’m in love with my best friend, but it will never happen, she’s not interested.” Her brother wouldn’t give any names — but three months later, she figured it out for herself when they started dating.

5. Keep it short and sweet.

In thinking about how to write a maid of honor speech, remember that it should only be about two to three minutes long. That’s just long enough to tell a few stories about the beloved couple and toast to a happy future. Everyone will probably be anxious to start dancing (or eating!) at this point, so there’s no need to drag on. We tend to talk more quickly when we’re nervous, so be extra aware to speak slowly. 

6. Practice.

Be sure to practice your speech in advance — whether it’s in front of a mirror, your cat, or a family member or friend. You can even time yourself to make sure the speech is an appropriate length.

7. End with a toast.

Don't forget to toast to the happy couple at the end! Raising your glass is a great natural finisher to your maid of honor speech, and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. You can add a few words, like "Now, let's all raise a glass to the newlyweds!" or something similarly concise and to the point.

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What to NOT say in a maid of honor speech

Here's what to avoid when writing your maid of honor speech.

1. Exes, drunken nights or anything else remotely inappropriate. 

It should go without saying, but exes or drunken debauchery should not be included in a maid of honor speech. A wedding is a family event, after all. Don’t talk about anything the bride wouldn’t mind her grandmother hearing. 

2. Anything that could even potentially cause tension.

Don’t mention the high divorce rate — even jokingly. It will not be received well.

3. Don’t feel pressured to be anything but yourself.

If humor isn’t your strong suit, it doesn’t have to be a hilarious maid of honor speech. You can be nostalgic, sweet, or sentimental — but not drunk. Wait to drink until after your maid of honor speech .

Whatever you write in your maid of honor speech, the most important thing is that your words come from the heart. Even if you’re not a natural-born performer , speak with feeling and emotion — not like you’re reading a classroom assignment—and talk directly to the couple, rather than focusing on the many other faces in the crowd. Your bestie may not remember the exact words you said during your maid of honor speech, but she’ll remember the care and love behind it.

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How To Write The Perfect Maid Of Honor Speech

Cheat sheet included

S o the time has come, and you’re getting ready to write your maid of honor speech! We get it. You’ve been mentally writing your toast since the day you and your BFF met in second grade, or since you became roommates in college, or since she was the only person at your new job who welcomed you. Or you have more to say than you can possibly boil down into one maid of honor speech because this is your sister . She’s been with you through thick and thin.

When the time comes to write something that feels so darn special, it’s easy to find yourself with more questions than answers. Just how many inside jokes can you include? (Not that many.) How long should your toast be? (Not that long.) What should the maid of honor speech say? (We’ve got a formula for you.) How should you end the maid of honor toast? (Go out strong.) We get how overwhelming it can be, and we are here to turn all of that love into the perfect three-minute speech, that will bring down the house.

How do you write a wedding speech? Let’s break it down: In its simplest form, the maid of honor speech is one to four minutes wherein you will wax poetic about how much you love this person, how you can’t believe that she and her partner found each other because they are so perfect together, and how you can’t wait to see what kind of life they will build together. You’ll throw in a few anecdotes (tales from summer camp or college, erring on the side of caution and eschewing details that no one except the two of you needs to know). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll toast the couple, and it will be brilliant. But if any part of you is worried about how that might come together, We’ve got some very specific tips on how to write the perfect maid of honor toast:

Related Post

How to write a maid of honor speech.

• Start early . Don’t leave writing your Maid of Honor toast for the night before, or even that week. You’ll be busy supporting your friend and I promise it’ll feel less stressful if you get ahead of it.
• Brainstorm . Before you start writing, maybe even weeks before, do some brainstorming. Have a note started on your phone from the moment you know you’ll have a speech to write, spend an evening going through old photos, do whatever it takes to help yourself remember some old stories and anecdotes that will help you make your speech that much more personal.
• Write drunk, edit sober . Or, write fast, edit slow. Just know that your first draft isn’t the end-all. You’ll undoubtedly have a hard time deciding which story to tell, maybe you’ll include a few too many jokes or loving jabs… either way, give yourself the time and space to really edit. And ask a friend for feedback, too.
• Cut it down . Take Raymond Carver’s advice: “Get in, get out. Don’t linger. Go on.” It can sometimes be so much easier to write or say a lot of words, but narrowing it down to the core feelings and message are what will make it powerful.
• Practice, practice, practice . Please don’t let the day of the wedding be the first time you read your toast out loud. Thank me later.

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How long should the maid of honor speech be?

You should set a goal of two to three minutes for your Maid of Honor toast. Can it be a bit longer? Sure. But avoid surpassing five minutes. Katelyn Peterson, a wedding speech and vow writer from Wedding Words, gives the following advice, “Written, your speech should be 300 – 700 words. This comes out to roughly 2 – 5 minutes. Any longer and you’ll lose impact while guests lose interest. Plus, there’s nothing that needs to be said in 10 minutes that you can’t say in 5 minutes. Brevity is key to making a positive impact through your speech.”

What should the maid of honor speech say?

Katelyn Peterson has this great thought on what you should include in your toast: “Great speeches include great storytelling. What does every story have? A relatable character, a compelling event, and an internal shift.”

Her example: Tell the story about that time the bride (relatable character) helped you break into your own apartment after you locked yourself out (compelling event) and you ended up laughing so hard, you weren’t upset anymore because she made a challenging moment fun (internal shift). This story also SHOWS something about the bride (which every story should accomplish in a MOH speech). She has the ability to take stressful situations and make them fun. This is your theme. Now come up with two more short stories that SHOW this theme in action using these same storytelling elements.

How should you end the maid of honor speech?

While it’s a speech, it is also meant to be a toast. So, consider ending your time at the mic with a clear closing remark, and asking folks to raise their glasses and toast to the couple. Katelyn also suggests that you “close with a callback. Callbacks are instant crowd-pleasers.” So if you can circle back to one of your stories or anecdotes in your closing toast, you will really win at this whole maid of honor thing.

Photo by Leah and Mark & Co.

Tips For Writing Your Toast

• Get personal. Obviously, this is not the time to use every awful person your friend has dated as evidence for how excellent her chosen life-mate is, but it  is  the time to share a few personal stories. You’ll want to talk about how happy you are for the couple, how much as you knew your BFF was your BFF the second she traded shoelaces with you, you knew that her chosen partner was perfection when they showed up to her house wearing bacon-themed socks. After that, wrap it up nicely and sweetly, toast the couple, and have a seat.
• Don’t worry about the Best Man. Best men have a rep for sometimes being uncool during their speeches ( let’s avoid that ). And if you’re worried, just ignore whatever the best man might get up to, and do you. You don’t have to bring out the waterworks as a counterpoint to a counterpoint to potentially awkward jokes if that’s not your style. If you want to be funny, be funny! Steal the best man’s thunder. It’s fine.
• Don’t turn it into stand-up.   That said, your toast is not the time to try out your future career as a stand-up comedian (unless you literally are a stand-up comedian, in which case, you’ve got this). No one is expecting Maya Angelou to suddenly appear and speak through you, but they probably are expecting something heartfelt and sincere. So really consider the speech and take it seriously, even if humor is your vehicle of delivery.
• Consider your audience . If you were writing this maid of honor toast for the bachelorette party, I’d say, ‘go wild.’ You’re not though. There will be your friend’s new in-laws, grandparents, and siblings around… so keep it appropriate and, ideally, not at all embarrassing. (Hot tip: Avoid talking about exes.)
• Don’t wait too long to start writing.  Try to start writing your speech the month before the wedding so that you can practice on a friend (not the one who is getting married) or partner, and adjust as needed.

Photo by Vivian Chen

A Made of Honor Speech Template

• Part 1: Introduction, Congratulations, & “I love you both so much.”
• Part 2: A lovely anecdote about the couple’s relationship and how awesome they are. (Try to stay away from something about just one of them, but about them as a couple. Talking about primarily one person within the context of their relationship and their love can be lovely, too, if that’s your relationship to the couple.) This should be the bulk of your speech.
• Part 3: I hope you are always as happy, joyous, and in love as that moment. OR This proves how madly in love you two are. May you continue to be an inspiration to us all. Etc.
• Part 4:  (Actually make the toast.) Everyone drinks!

Photo by Betty Clicker

maid of honor speech EXAMPLEs

Here’s a sample maid of honor toast that follows the formula perfectly:

Haley and Rachel, I love you both so much . Haley, not only for you being one of my best friends, but for being there for me when being my friend didn’t just involve late night Wal-Mart runs and hours of watching ’80s movies. We’ve grown up together and I am so very grateful that we did not grow apart. And Rachel, I love you, too, for not only being such an incredible partner for my Haley, but for being a great friend to me also. I know you didn’t expect that dating Haley would include helping her flaky friend after she locked her keys in the car three times in one month, but you are a doll for doing so with a smile and only laughing at me a little. However, what I love most about the two of you is how you are together. I’ve never seen two people that fit so well in each other’s lives; it’s hard to imagine a time when you weren’t “Haley and Rachel.” It may seem to some like you two were just meant to be and that fate put you together, but I think to look at it that way diminishes how amazing your relationship really is. Having been there from the beginning, I know that what appeared to be seamless was the effort of two people who truly loved one another and were determined to make their relationship work. They didn’t just magically fit into each other’s lives; they rearranged their lives to make room. They changed priorities, made time for one another and learned to love each other’s little quirks… like Rachel’s not-so-secret love of R&B vocalists. But nothing shows this as much as Haley, Rachel, and the hockey debacle. You see, when they started dating, Rachel noticed that Haley had a framed Gretsky jersey in her living room. And, deciding to play it cool, Rachel started asking Haley if she wanted to go to local hockey games and watching the latest game on TV just so she’d have something to talk about to Haley the next time they chatted. Haley, oblivious to all of this, thought Rachel really liked hockey so she enlisted my brother to teach her more about the game. Because, you see, Haley never watched hockey. The jersey belonged to her Uncle Mike, and Aunt Laura gave it to her as a reminder of him after he passed away. Meanwhile, both my brother and Rachel are pretending to know more about hockey than they actually do and were starring in their own sports-themed comedy of errors. Eventually, they figured it out… and by eventually I mean seven months later. However, once these two worked on their communication skills, they had a new favorite hobby to do together… and further proof that Uncle Mike really is watching over Haley. AND, he’s bound and determined that she marry a hockey lover! And it only goes to show not only how goofy these two are for each other, but how much they truly are committed to being in each other’s lives. Your love makes us smile, makes us tear up with joy and makes us believe in the kind of love cynics would make you feel is impossible. Thank you for being an inspiration and my friends. To Haley and Rachel!  (everybody drinks)

Here’s another great example. There’s a reason this YouTube video has over a million views. The speaker in this video follows a pretty simple maid of honor toast template, one that might help you.

• “Good evening, everyone.”
• Short joke or anecdote from the day.
• A bit about how you know the couple. (Katelyn from Wedding Words suggests that you “don’t add fluff to your intro. “For those of you who don’t know me…” is an unnecessary line. Instead, jump right in by simply stating your name, role, and relationship to the couple.”
• Storytime. This might be one long story or a few short stories. Tell about the couple’s love story, about when you met the partner or when you knew this was going to be your friend or sister’s spouse. Throw in a few small laughs.
• Offer advice or well-wishes for the couple’s future.
• “I love you.”

One more heartfelt example. Her outline is similar, do we see a pattern?

• Hello / introduction (if you’re going to make it funny, make yourself the ‘butt of the joke.’)
• Storytime. The maid of honor stretched her story out to create the entire speech while peppering in mini-stories about different times she and her family spent time with the groom. She got some good laughs without any embarrassment to the couple.
• She didn’t feel like she had advice to give, so she offered “Three things I know,” where she highlighted different wonderful things about the couple’s love.
• She did a call back to the beginning of her story.

Have you ever written or heard a truly great maid of honor toast? What works—and what doesn’t?

Founder & Editor-In-Chief

Meg is the Founder of APW, and has been the sites EIC for the past twelve years. She has written two best selling wedding books:   A Practical Wedding   and  A Practical Wedding Planner .  Meg’s work has been referenced in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Jezebel, and Refinery29 . She’s also written hugely viral wedding articles for Buzzfeed. She lives in Oakland, CA with her husband and two children. For more than you ever wanted to know about Meg, you can visit MegKeene.com .

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How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech: Wording Examples and Ideas

As a maid of honor, you’ll need to juggle several important duties – from organising an epic bridal shower to going wedding dress shopping and holding the bride’s bouquet.

But the most daunting task of all? Writing and delivering a maid of honor speech at the reception!

We totally get how terrifying this can be, which is why we’re here to help. Keep reading for our ultimate guide on writing the perfect maid of honor speech below, including some brainstorming prompts and wording examples to get you started.

How Long Should a Maid of Honor Speech Be?

Let’s get the good news out of the way first: your maid of honor speech doesn’t have to be long! Remember, you probably won’t be the only one speaking at the reception, so you’ll want to keep your speech short and sweet. We’d say the perfect maid of honor speech should ideally be between 2 to 4 minutes, and definitely no longer than 5.

What Should a Maid of Honor Speech Include?

Simply put, a maid of honor speech should be based around two key things: celebrating your relationship with the bride and celebrating her relationship with her new husband or wife. 

Maid of honor speeches usually includes a mix of personal anecdotes, compliments to the happy couple, and well wishes for the future. Your speech can include your favourite memories with the bride, but it should also strike the right balance by including some sentiments towards her partner and their relationship, too. Usually, you’ll start your speech by talking about the bride and wrap it up by talking about her and her partner as a couple.

So, what does this look like in action? If you’re looking for a helpful framework to follow, consider this tried and tested formula for a winning maid of honor speech below:

• Introduce yourself. It might seem obvious, but introducing yourself is important to give your speech context and explain your relationship with the bride. Don’t forget, there may be guests at the wedding who have no idea who you are!
• Talk about the bride. Begin your speech by complimenting the bride. What do you love about her? What makes her such a good person/best friend/sibling? Be specific with your compliments, too – rather than saying, “She’s such a generous friend”, share a specific moment that demonstrates this.
• Include a favourite anecdote. Do you have a favourite memory that sticks out when you reflect on your relationship with the bride? This is a good time to share one or two short anecdotes. They can be funny stories or more sincere and heartfelt moments.
• Compliment their partner. Now it’s time to bring her partner into the speech. What are your favourite qualities about them? What was your first impression of them? Why are they such a good match for the bride?
• Celebrate the couple. This is where you’ll want to highlight the relationship between the happy couple. Talk about what makes their relationship so special, what you admire about them as a couple, and how their lives have changed for the better.
• Share your well wishes. Tie it all together by offering your best piece of marriage advice, favourite quote, or some warm wishes for the future.
• Share a toast. Finally, raise your glass to toast the happy couple (and reward yourself with a sip of champagne, too!).

Things To Avoid In Your Maid of Honor Speech

Now that you know what to include in a maid of honor speech, is there anything you should strictly avoid? When it comes to correct etiquette, keep the following suggestions in mind to ensure your speech is well-received: 

• Sharing funny stories or gently “roasting” the couple is totally fine if that suits your relationship with them, but steer clear of anything inappropriate, rude, or embarrassing. Remember, there will likely be elderly relatives and important family members in the room, so keep it PG-rated.
• If you’re not comfortable using jokes or humour, then don’t! It’s better to keep your speech genuine and heartfelt, rather than trying to be funny. Of course, it’s completely okay to include some comedy, but don’t force it unless it’s true to who you are.
• While you and your BFF probably have a lifetime of inside jokes between you, try to avoid referencing these in your speech. If the majority of wedding guests won’t understand it, it’s probably not worth including.
• Finally, don’t bring up any old boyfriends or ex-partners! It probably goes without saying, but your maid of honor speech is about celebrating the happy couple – not bringing up unwanted memories from the past.

Maid of Honor Speech Writing Prompts

Still feeling stuck? The best place to start crafting your maid of honor speech is usually with a good brainstorming session. Use these questions and writing prompts to help you get the inspiration flowing:

• How did you meet the bride? 
• What was your first impression of her?
• How has your relationship evolved over the years?
• What’s your favourite memory with the bride?
• What’s your funniest story about the bride?
• What are the bride’s best qualities? How does she demonstrate this?
• How would you describe the bride in 3 words?
• How did you meet her partner?
• What was your first impression of her partner?
• What are her partner’s best qualities? How do they demonstrate this?
• How would you describe her partner in 3 words?
• How did you know her partner was “the one”?
• How did her partner propose?
• What do you admire most about the couple?
• What milestones have the couple celebrated?
• How has their relationship evolved over the years?
• Have they overcome any challenges or hardships together?
• What makes their relationship unique?
• What’s your favourite memory with the couple?
• How have they made an impact on your life?
• What are your hopes for their future together as a married couple?

Once you’ve spent some time answering these prompts, you should have plenty of fantastic material to work with. 

Maid of Honor Speech Examples and Ideas

Now, it’s time to start pulling everything together! Use these maid of honor speech templates and examples below to be inspired:

Maid of Honor Speech Example For Sister:

“Hi everyone. I wanted to start by thanking you all for being here today to celebrate this amazing couple. As most of you know, I’m (Bride’s) little sister, (Name). 

I think we can all agree that (Bride) has a personality like no other. She’s outspoken, feisty, and stubborn – but also the most caring, loyal, and funniest person I’ve ever known. Growing up, we were like two peas in a pod. We were always getting into trouble and causing mischief together – and truthfully, not much has changed! I’ll never forget the time we (insert relevant anecdote), or the time we (insert relevant anecdote). It’s memories like these that make me so thankful to have (Bride) as a sister.

I used to wonder if there would ever be a guy brave enough to handle (Bride). Well, my sister has just tied the knot, and I think she’s found her perfect match in (Partner). (Partner), I couldn’t have chosen anyone better for my big sister. You’re kind, patient, and just the right amount of crazy to fit into our family – as demonstrated by the time you (insert relevant anecdote). Most importantly, you love my sister for who she is – stubbornness and all.

Your commitment to each other inspires me every day, and watching your relationship grow over the years has been so special to witness. I wish you both nothing but the best for the future, and I know you’re going to have some unforgettable adventures together. So, with that, I’d like to invite everyone to raise their glasses for a toast. Here’s to the happy couple!”

Maid of Honor Speech Example for Best Friend:

“Hi everyone. For those who haven’t yet had the chance to meet me, I’m (Name). (Bride) and I have been best friends since college, where we quickly bonded over our shared love for (insert hobbies/interests). 10 years later, and I couldn’t be happier to be standing here today to celebrate the amazing person (Bride) is, and the amazing life she and (Partner) have created together.

There are so many traits that I love about (Bride). First, her wacky sense of humour and ability to find the funny moment in any situation – like the time she (insert relevant anecdote). Secondly, her thoughtfulness and generosity, especially when she (insert relevant anecdote). And finally, her ability to light up any room she walks into. (Bride), you look so beautiful tonight.

Now, onto (Partner). My first impression of (Partner) was that he was incredibly kind, friendly, and humble. All of these things are still true, but as I’ve gotten to know him better, I’ve also seen how hilariously goofy he can be. I’ll never forget when he (insert relevant anecdote). It was then I knew that he was “the one” for my best friend.

(Bride) and (Partner), you complement each other perfectly, and it’s easy to see how crazy you are about each other. I’m so honoured to call you my friends, and I can’t wait to see how you navigate this exciting next chapter together. I’ll leave with you a quote to take with you through marriage: (insert relevant quote). Here’s to (Bride) and (Partner)!”

Nailing Your Wedding Speech

Finally, don’t forget that practice makes perfect. Once you’ve crafted your maid of honor speech, spend some time rehearsing it before the day until you’re comfortable with your delivery. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel when the big moment comes!

And while the thought of writing a maid of honor speech can definitely be daunting, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Simply speak authentically from the heart, and you can’t go wrong.

Want to be the best maid of honor ever? Read these 13 important maid of honor duties you can’t forget to do !

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How to Write a Maid of Honour Speech: A Wedding Editor's Guide

Been asked to give a maid of honour speech? Our Editor explains how to give the perfect speech as a bridesmaid, with expert tips from speech writing pros

Mark Horton Photos

I’ve been working in weddings now for over 10 years, and in that time, I’ve read more wedding speeches than I dare to count. I’m fluent in cheesy puns, sentimental toasts and eye-roll inducing anecdotes, but I don’t get to see many maid of honour speeches .

I love everything about weddings - except for how silent women usually are during them. Give me bride speeches , give me maid of honour speeches and a tribute from the mother of the bride! So when my sister asked me to give a maid of honour speech at her wedding, I was delighted.

Just one problem - I didn’t know where to start. How do you write a maid of honour speech? I’m going to tell you everything I learned about giving a maid of honour speech, including expert tips from pro speech writer Heidi Ellert-McDermott from Speechy . 

Does the Maid of Honour Give a Speech?

Traditionally, the maid of honour doesn’t give a speech at a wedding - but what is tradition, really? Just peer pressure from dead old guys - the kind of dead old guys who didn’t like it when women spoke up.

So you can absolutely give a maid of honour speech! And you should, even if it’s just to annoy the dead old guys. 

How to Write a Maid of Honour Speech?

The hardest thing I found about writing a speech as a bridesmaid was that there wasn’t a template. Don’t get me wrong, we have lots of lovely maid of honour speech examples to inspire you, but unlike the speeches for the best man , the groom etc., there’s no formula in place for who you thank, or who you’re supposed to toast.

In fact, it’s all so neatly divided up in the order of wedding speeches for the men, that actually if you go into that territory, you’re probably stepping on someone’s toes and usurping their speech.

So, with that in mind, I asked to go first - that allowed the traditional wedding speech order to remain mostly unchanged, and it meant that I got the floor first for all the jokes. Sneaky, I know. 

Wedding speech expert Heidi advises: “Discuss the length of your speech with the nearlyweds before you start writing it. You never want to go over ten minutes (about 1,300 words including room for laughter) but you may want to go significantly shorter if there are more than the usual three speakers at the wedding and the speeches are scheduled one after the other.

“Of course, while you always want to leave people wanting more, you’re probably short-changing the bride if your speech is less than 750 words. You need enough time to be sentimental, humorous and tell a few classic anecdotes.”

How to Start a Bridesmaid or Maid of Honour Speech

“Don’t get sucked into thinking you need to go overly formal. No need for a ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen’; a ‘hello everyone’ sets a friendlier tone,” recommends Heidi.

I did introduce myself as the sister of the bride when giving my speech, but actually as I looked around the room I realised I probably didn’t need to as I knew everyone there - if it's a smaller, intimate setting or there’s an MC, you don’t need to waste your word count on this. 

I followed Heidi’s advice to not bother “mentioning the lovely venue, or any other wedding-waffle,” as I knew that would come in the later speeches.

What to Include in a Maid of Honour Speech

Heidi recommends that a good maid of honour or bridesmaid speech should include the following: 

Stories: Think about a couple of classic anecdotes that illustrate the bride’s funniest and best qualities and quirks in action.

Humour: You might not think you’re a naturally funny person but that’s still no excuse for not trying to get some giggles. While you don’t have the pressure of the best man, having a few funny lines in your speech makes it more entertaining and memorable. Humour also makes people like you more – especially self-deprecating humour.

Meaningful Tributes: Observe your friend in action and spot the behaviours that make you love her as much as you do. As well as paying tribute to your friend, make sure you also pay tribute to their spouse. Talk about why they make the perfect couple and your hopes for their future together.

Making Your Maid of Honour Speech Funny

mark horton photos

I started my maid of honour speech for my sister with a funny but sentimental tribute to her and her partner - I talked about how much I’d enjoyed my experience in a jokey, light-hearted way (saying I got to walk down the aisle with a nice dress and flowers, but no wedding planning stress or financial burdens), and led into how I’d finally got the brother I’d always wished for in my new brother-in-law, which resulted in a surprise round of applause breaking out. 

As I knew going too sentimental would make me well up - and I had expensive false lashes to think of - I very quickly pivoted into a funny story from our childhood, complete with a retro 90s prop I’d sourced from eBay to lean into the gag. 

I made sure the anecdote had a purpose though - as well as making everyone laugh, it did demonstrate some of my sister’s character traits, and I was able to link them to her relationship, and use it as a basis for some marriage advice. 

Don’t believe the rumour that only the best man can have a funny speech - people at weddings want to have a laugh, so you can put some wedding jokes in there, or hilarious personal anecdotes, as your audience will be keen to laugh with you.

How to End a Maid of Honour Speech

It’s traditional to end your maid of honour speech with a toast - obviously all wedding speeches have set people you’re meant to toast, but I didn’t really mind if I stepped on anyone’s toes here, after all, the newlyweds can’t be toasted too much on their wedding day!

I couldn’t resist a little cheesy gag (they’re for everyone, not just best men!) so I urged everyone to stand, ‘for my standing ovation,’ before asking them to raise their glasses to the bride and groom. 

I tied the toast into my anecdote to make it more personal, choosing to say: “May you always admit when you are wrong, and may you never share a bath. To Sops and Sam!” You’ll have to read my maid of honour speech to get that joke…

Personalising the toast and bringing it back to something you’ve spoken about it your speech is a great way to set it apart from all the toasts that will follow, or have come before. 

Reflecting on my experience of giving a speech as a bridesmaid, I’d say the part I thought would be the hardest - not having a template - actually turned out to be the most liberating bit. 

You don’t have to get tied up in thank yous and compliments, instead, you can speak from the heart. And let’s face it, for all the funny stories a best man can tell, we just know the female best friend or sister of the bride is sitting on an absolute goldmine.

Discover the absolute best wedding toasts here, now you know how to write your speech!

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Photobug community, wedding blog, the ultimate guide to maid of honor speech writing.

Image by Carl Heyerdahl . Keep reading for tips to nail your maid of honor speech

So you’ve been asked to stand by your best friend on her big day. We can only imagine how exciting it is to celebrate one of your closest loved ones. But with the title of maid of honor comes great responsibility. From planning the bachelorette party to helping with the bridal shower , the bride trusts you to help her ease some of the wedding planning stress. It’s a lot of pressure! Especially when it comes time for the maid of honor speech. 

Whether you’re not a big fan of public speaking or you just want to make sure it’s perfect, we’ve created the ultimate guide to maid of honor speech writing–so you can spend more time planning the perfect bachelorette party outfits and less time worrying about what to say.

Image by The Shannons

Tips For Writing and Reading Your Maid of Honor Speech

Before you even begin to write your maid of honor speech, take time to brainstorm. Jot down memories, ideas, and feelings that you have for a few minutes. It doesn’t need to be in the form of a speech. In fact, it can be a quick bullet-point list. You’ll be able to form it all into a speech later. Right now, all you’re worrying about is brain-dumping everything you may potentially want to touch on in your speech.

Keep It Positive & Leave the Past in the Past

While brainstorming (and writing, for that matter), it’s important to remember to leave the past in the past. This means no joking about exes, wild nights out that could be perceived as embarrassing, and other taboo topics (such as sex, negativity about marriage, etc.). 

Don’t Focus on Yourself

You may be the one giving the speech, but it’s crucial to tell your stories in a way that highlights the bride rather than yourself. While you will be briefly introducing yourself, you should focus on the newlyweds. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with talking about something memorable the couple did for you, as it showcases their character.

Avoid Inside Jokes

Inside jokes are inside jokes for a reason–you two are the only ones who understand them. If you have to give wedding guests context, it’s probably best to avoid mentioning it altogether. When you joke, keep it lighthearted. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

Just as you would practice any other speech in school or work, recite your speech as much as possible. For some, it may be useful to record yourself practicing it so you can take note of your speed, how the jokes will land, and how you look when giving it. Physical presence can make quite the difference, after all. And don’t be afraid to ask other friends for help.

It may be tempting to have a few drinks or two before giving your speech to loosen the nerves. However, you run the risk of drinking too much and slurring your words or forgetting what to say. Becoming sloppy can be detrimental to your friendship with the bride, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Image by ItsAllAbout 

MOH Speech FAQs

Does the moh have to give a speech.

Public speaking isn’t for everyone. If you get asked to give a speech, and it stresses you out, vocalize your concern. Most people are incredibly understanding and would never want to put you in a situation where you feel uncomfortable. There are also other avenues aside from a speech–such as a song, dance, or presentation–to showcase your love for the couple.

What if There are Multiple Maids of Honor?

You’ll want to keep it short no matter how many speeches in an evening. But this is especially true if there are multiple maids of honor. Review your speech with the other maid of honor, if possible, to ensure they’re not too similar. Though, the chances of this happening are slim since you both have entirely different experiences and memories with the couple. If you’re close with the other MOH and giving a speech makes you nervous, you could also organize a joint speech that allows you to bounce jokes off one another and takes some of the pressure off.

How Long Should Your Speech Be?

How many times have you gone to a wedding only for the speeches to drag on? Let’s face it, anything longer than a few minutes seems to drag on. The sweet spot timing-wise is anywhere between two to five minutes. This provides ample time to speak about the couple’s love story, tell a joke or two, and finish with encouraging words.

How Should You End It?

There’s nothing quite like ending on a joke before you ask for a cheers. This will get guests laughing one last time before making a toast to the happy couple.

Image by May Iosotaluno

Maid of Honor Speech Outline

Start your speech by introducing yourself to guests and explaining your relationship with the bride and/or the couple. While you may know many of them, there will also likely be people you’ve yet to meet. 

A Word of Thanks

Once you’ve introduced yourself, thank the couple and anyone you deem deserves a thank you (such as the newlyweds’ parents or anyone else who may have contributed to paying for the wedding) for allowing you to be a part of their special day. 

Personal Anecdote

This is when you share your favorite memory, joke, or sentiment that will make guests laugh, cry, etc. This could be the story about how you two met, how she came gushing to you when she met the love of her life, etc. Don’t be afraid to get sentimental or bring in some humor. It makes the speech that much more memorable (while also keeping guests entertained). 

Encouraging Words

If you have a favorite quote, poem, reading, etc., now is the time to read it. Share some encouraging words for the couple and their new future together.

Closing Remarks

End the speech with one last joke or emotional sentiment before asking guests to raise their glasses in a toast for the happy couple.

Image by  Carmen Lopez Photography

Maid of Honor Speech Jokes & One-Liners

Need a little help writing the speech? Consider using some of these examples and tailoring them to your couple! Or include some of these one-liners that are sure to get everyone laughing.

“I met the groom’s parents earlier, and they told me to cut some inappropriate stories out, so nothing about ex-girlfriends…” (drop an index card)…. “alcohol…” (drop another index card) …. “the police….” (drop another index card)…”

“There comes a time in everyone’s life when they meet their one true love, their soulmates. The person that’s going to love them and cherish them for the rest of their life. And that moment came for [Bride’s Name]…[dramatic effect pause] When she met me 25 years ago.”

“Everyone says this is meant to be the best day of your life, but I know it isn’t. It’s the best day of your life SO FAR because I know you have so many more amazing days to come together.”

“I know I’m not supposed to speak for more than 45 minutes, so I’m just going to apologize now for going over a little.”

“The best thing about being in love is hearing someone say ‘I love you’ for the first time…but the second best thing is hearing them say it again after they already know everything about you.”  

“All those among you who know the bride will know that she is a wonderful and caring person. She deserves a good partner. Thank God *insert partner’s name* married her before she found one.”

“I can only say in my defense that [Bride] and I share a common sense of humor, so if this speech isn’t funny, blame her.”

“Here’s to the health of the happy pair; may good luck follow them everywhere; And may each day of wedded bliss be always as sweet and joyous as this.”

Now that you’re ready to rock your maid of honor speech, it’s time to think about what you’re going to wear. With the mismatched trend taking the wedding industry by storm, now is the perfect time to stand out. That’s why we’ve rounded up four standout styles to help make you shine.

If you’ve already got your dress picked out and it’s time to think about planning the bachelorette party, check out these 11 unique destinations that you’ve probably never thought of. And of course, you can’t forget these party essentials to take the celebration to the next level.

Image by Clewell Photography

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