Your best friend asked you to be her Maid (or Matron) of Honor, and you said YES! Congratulations! As you begin your Google quest to discover what this REALLY means (“I’m paying for what?” “Wait, how many pre-wedding get togethers are there?” and, my personal favorite, “How stressed out could my bride get?”) you will find the task “write speech” sinks lower and lower on your to-do list. After all, how hard could it be? Here are a few of our favorite tips when it comes to writing your Maid (or Matron) of Honor speech:

1) It’s about the couple. While you should always introduce yourself and let the guests know how you know the bride, too often guests learn more about the Maid of Honor and not enough about the couple. Your speech should tell everyone their love story from your point of view. How did YOU know that they were meant to be? Do you have any cute stories or anecdotes to share about them?

2) To joke or not to joke? Joking during wedding speeches is a great way to connect with guests, but is not absolutely essential to the speech. Those who wish to keep their speeches more serious don’t need to include any jokes at all. On the other hand, good jokes during speeches can keep an audience engaged and entertained – but not all jokes are good jokes. Inside jokes can make guests feel left out of the conversation. Try to avoid jokes about duplicating the groom or letting you know if things don’t work out. Keep it up beat and stay positive.

3) Don’t forget to bring it around. “When I first met Jacob, we didn’t exactly see eye to eye, but I thought ‘anyone who Carina loves has got to have some redeeming qualities,’ so I gave him a chance.” So, you didn’t like the groom when you first met him. Do you now? Don’t forget to bring the statement around. Don’t leave your audience hanging or, worse, assuming you still don’t like him. And always remember – if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all!

4) Practice! While it’s fine to read your speech off a piece of paper, practice what you are going to say so that it flows more naturally. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel when it comes time to stand and speak for real.

5) Have a closing. You entire speech has built up to the ending. Wish the newlyweds well, give them some words of advice, or raise a glass to celebrate their new lives together. Make it easy, not cheesey. (See how bad that sounds?)

Timeless Events plans and coordinates fabulous weddings (and events) of all sizes and budgets. Their custom-priced, affordable packages make them the number one choice for full service wedding planning, day-of coordination, destination weddings, and set up/take down!