Wow.  What a time in life.  If you’ve been selected to give the Maid of Honor Speech at your friend’s wedding, you’re likely trying to get some ideas.  Allow me to attempt to provide you with the best of what I know from my years of experience as a professional speaking consultant.

Plan Your Maid of Honor Speech

Planning is important, and you’ve done a great thing by looking for information ahead of time.  You’d be surprised how many people ignore the fear they have about public speaking and tell themselves “I’ll figure it out the couple of days before,” “the night before,” or God forbid “in the car on the way there.  ” By the way, if you’re not feeling nervous, I’m worried.  What I’m trying to convey here is that it’s completely normal to feel anything from a tad jittery to utterly panicked at the idea of giving your maid of honor speech.  It’s totally normal.  I still get nervous every single time I prepare to speak, whether at a professional engagement, or even a casual dinner.  Okay, now that you are assured your nerves are normal, let’s take a look at the maid of honor speech itself.

The technical aspects of the Maid of Honor Speech

First, you might consider starting by telling the audience who you are, and thanking them for coming.  Then, think about a story or two.  Everyone on the planet loves to hear a story.  The first might be something about what you thought of the groom when you first met him.  This always seems to be a good topic, because it’s perfectly acceptable for you to just slightly poke fun at him, as if to say “I wasn’t really sure about Jim when he first started dating Laura.  He drove this old beat up car and had a slightly strange craving for French fries after midnight.”

Maid of Honor Speeches (Examples)

Hello!  Just in case I haven’t had the chance to meet you in person yet, I’m _________.  I’m the maid of honor today, and I’m so proud of _______ (the bride).  First, I want to say congrats ________(bride & groom).  Also, thanks to _______(the bride’s parents, who likely put on the wedding) and everyone who came from near and far to be here with ________(bride and groom) on their very special day.

Keep any jabs you might consider aiming at the groom in your maid of honor speech to a low level.  As you will probably be sensing just thinking about your past experience, at a wedding, people place the parts of themselves that might be frustrated about the “darker side” of humanity on hold .  They are there to experience feelings of love, joy and happiness.  They don’t want to be reminded about the nasty things that can come out in people, like lust, greed, pain, etc .  So keep from telling jokes that might hint at these things.  A tiny, ever-so-slightly negative comment about the groom is okay, but only once, and if you do, try to make it very light.

When I first ran across ____ (groom), I recall wondering whether everything would work out. I recall him coming to the door (or hearing about him knocking on her door if you weren’t living with the bride) one night at midnight calling for _____(bride).  He was wearing this old flannel shirt, and I think asked ____(bride) if she wanted to get some french fries.I had my second thoughts , but as I got to know him better, I began to see he was an easy person to talk to, he has a good sense of humor, and eventually I came to the conclusion he was a perfect match for ______(bride).  I want to be the second to welcome _______(groom) to the family. We hope we can show you the same outgoing and open spirit as you have shown us.

Looking for the perfect Maid of Honor Speeches, Click Here!

Related posts:

1. Free Wedding Speeches Can Help Novice Speakers
2. Say Thank You to Your Bridesmaids
3. Your Groom Speech – 5 Ideas for Success

Vow Muse—also known as Angie and Alicia—is a writing consultation company that specializes in penning personalized words for weddings and events. The Muses provide help to couples and their wedding party who are struggling with any of the written parts of their wedding: vows, best man/bridesmaid speeches, and wedding ceremonies to name just a few. Their ability to find each client’s unique voice and allow it to articulately shine through on that special day ensures perfection instead of the uncertainty and possible catastrophe of DIY vows and toasts.

Vow Muse came to be after Alicia sat down with yet another friend who sought her help with writing wedding vows. She wondered if it was possible for her to assist the world at large with her personal writing talents, and nabbed Angie to be her vow-writing partner in crime. The two harnessed their energies and got to work. Vow Muse sprang into action in the summer of 2010, and has been busily writing wedding ceremonies, toasts, speeches, and offering public speaking coaching ever since!

Angie and Alicia are professional, quick-witted ladies who spin a simple conversation with their clients into a brilliantly worded, custom-made success. The process of working with a Muse is simple:

It all starts with a conversation.

First, one of the Muses chats with you to get a feel for your personal voice and style while learning about the project you’re working on. Don’t worry if you’re feeling bashful; they chat professionally and can make conversation with a dandelion if the situation calls for it.

Then you’re off the hook for a spell.

The Muse writes; you live your life!

Next, it’s revision time!

Now it’s your turn to review what’s been written to double check that it conveys the essence of you in a voice that reads like looking in a mirror. Want changes? No problem! Writing is a collaborative process, and with just a few quick notes from you (as simple or detailed as you want), the Muses revise.

Done and done.

Now get ready for your wedding to be a brilliant success! Even your mother-in-law will approve.

Getting help with your wedding vows isn’t cheating; it’s just plain smart. Your ceremony and celebration are likely being recorded for posterity, and the last thing you want is your perfect day remembered by the bridesmaid who was too drunk to give a coherent speech, or a groom who was nervous and stuttered through his vows.  Every bride deserves to have her mind put at ease that her dad won’t say anything too humiliating, or that the best man won’t be sharing indiscretions from the groom’s past. Plus, why stress over which twitter-patter inducing words to say to your love or how to say what you mean without being cheesy? Every bride needs a Muse.

Connect with Vow Muse at www.vowmuse.com, on twitter @vowmuse, or email them directly at muse@vowmuse.com!

Related articles

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1. Make Writing Your Wedding Thank You Notes Easy as 1-2-3!

I’ve observed lots of groom’s speeches, and there often seems to be that moment of hesitation and uncertainty by the groom. This is definitely a mistake you should do your best to avoid.

Let us start with some general suggestions for delivering any speech at a wedding ceremony.

What To Do When You Give your Groom’s Speech

• Keep it clear, straight forward, and simple
• Keep it short. Three or four minutes is sufficient
• Write down down the major points on a piece of paper or a card
• Smile at the members of your audience. This is a fun event.
• Be sure not to look grim, like it’s a funeral.
• Speak clearly and loudly. Maintain your voice at a volume where everyone can hear. If there is a microphone, use it.

Do Not Do These During the Groom Speech

• Don’t mumble
• When speaking, do not stare downward or look at the ceiling
• Do not write out the entire speech, word for word. You just need some thoughts to keep you moving from one point to the next.

There are a couple basic things that men fear most: commitment, and public speaking. While this article won’t help you with the first one, it can be assumed that since you’re getting married, you’ve already overcome the commitment issue. So, that leaves public speaking, and it’s a lot easier than you think.

There are five things you must put in your groom speech in order to be considered a success -

Five Tips for the Groom’s Speech

• Be nice. Say complimentary, nice things about your wife.
• Don’t tell jokes, unless they have a positive tone to them. Remember, you have an upcoming honeymoon, the in-laws, and the rest of your life together to consider. Humor can play an important role in any speech, therefore, we will cover this topic in much greater detail in future articles.
• Do thank your new bride’s family. You will most likely be involved with them the rest of your life, so you do want to start off on the right foot by showing your gratitude to them.
  • If you do not like your wife’s in-laws, just thank them for their support and move along.
  • If indeed you do like your wife’s in-laws, then by all means express your appreciation and fondness for them. You can also thank them for inviting you into their family.
  • If there was any financial contribution offered by your new wife’s family, now is the time to say thank you for their support.
• Thank friends and family for coming to celebrate your wedding, and sharing the day with you.
• Thank the Father of the Bride.

Your grooms speech is delivered right after the Father of the Bride speech, which customarily comes first.

This gives you the opportunity to play off that speech and continue by thanking him for his kind words; then begin your speech right after him.

A Short Example

“Thanks, Robert, for your supportive words. I am honored and proud to be your new son-in-law. I hope I can live up to what you expect from me. I would also like to thank my mother-in-law, Janice, who has always made me feel like a member of the family starting from when we first met, and for helping make our wedding and reception a success. I would like to give my thanks to both of you for allowing me to marry your beautiful daughter, Alison.”

With this brief excerpt, you have: You have thanked the bride’s family, mentioned their contribution to the wedding, spoken favorably about your new bride, and come off like an all ’round great guy to your audience. And, that was just the introduction to your groom speech.

The Best Groom Speeches can be found here, Click Here!

Related posts:

1. Creative Maid of Honor Speeches
2. Free Wedding Speeches Can Help Novice Speakers
3. Creative Centerpiece Ideas