Preparing and giving a Maid Of Honor Wedding Speech can be a huge challenge, particularly because there is no long tradition to learn from. It is only fairly recently that female members of the wedding party have been offered the chance to speak at the reception.

You can look at the conventional structure of the traditional men’s speeches when planning your own. You may be taking the place of one of the other speeches, usually the father of the bride if he is unable to speak about his daughter, although you could occasionally be called upon to take the place of the best man’s speech. If you are taking on one of these speeches then you should stick to the traditional content.

It is a good idea to write your Maid Of Honor Wedding Speech well in advance so that you can make yourself familiar with it before the big day. Try practicing it in front of the mirror, or on a friend, particularly if you are nervous about speaking in public. Even if you think you have memorized the whole thing, you should always bring a written copy with you, just in case.

If you are able, you should confer with the other speakers so that you know your speeches will work well together. This is especially important for you as the maid of honor wedding speech generally comes last and you don’t want to hear all your best lines and stories being used.

You should begin your maid of honor wedding speech by describing your relationship with the bride (and the groom, if applicable). This will be helpful for guests who do not know you personally. You might also like to mention why you wanted to speak, as there may be some guests who don’t expect to see female speakers at a wedding. If you are speaking instead of someone then you could say something about them or why they couldn’t do it themselves. If you are representing the bride’s family, then you may want to say something about her father, particularly if you are speaking because he has passed away.

You will probably want to move on to say something about the bride and your relationship with her. You could tell the story of how you met, or speak about her relationship with the groom. Depending on your own speaking style, the wishes of the bride, and the content of the other speeches, this is the point where you can tell a story about the bride which is funny, embarrassing or heartwarming. Childhood stories are usually well received, particularly if they relate to marriage.

You could also say something about the groom, or offer some wisdom on marriage in general. You should finish your maid of honor wedding speech with a toast.

The lack of conventions and etiquette when giving a Maid Of Honor Wedding Speech can be daunting, but it is also a chance to express yourself and to be more creative about what you say.