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

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.

However, writing a maid of honor speech doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re prepared with your speech idea, and take the time to write a great wedding speech before the big day, you won’t need to stress.

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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How to Write a Maid of Honor Speech

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.

Be Genuine

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!

Maid Of Honor Speech Topics Blueprint

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?

THE COUPLE

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.

IN THE END

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.

Maid of Honor Speech Outline

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.

Maid of Honor Speech Examples

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.”