Step-by-step guide to creating your own maid of honor speech

I've found a site that says it provides written and inspirational wedding speeches -- including maid of honor speeches -- as well showing you how to tailor your speech to your own special circumstances; it certainly has a whole raft of absolutely positive reviews. They offer complete peace of mind for any maid of honor who is expected give a speech at a wedding but who is absolutely dreading it!

Have a look here and let me know what you think:

Step-by-step guide to creating

your own great maid of honor speech

Maid of Honor Toast - When Do You Make It?

You are proud to have been invited to be a Maid of Honor at your friend's or relative's wedding, and you are looking forward to the Wedding Reception -- but you are not sure what you have to do there. Remember that a wedding reception is a way of celebrating the joining of husband and wife, as well as the joining of two families. The reception usually starts with a greeting and a drink when people arrive, then everyone tucks into the food, there are several speeches, plus of course cutting the cake. Sometimes the evning is rounded off with a dance or disco.

But now you find that you have been asked to make a speech! You don't remember maids of honor giving speeches at wedding you have been to in the past! What should you say? And when do you say it? You want to get it right because it's such a special day, and you don't want to appear to be a fool!

Well, you are right to think that Maids of Honor do not always give a speech at a wedding reception. The people who make speeches (or give a toast -- same thing) at a wedding reception, and the order in which they are given, is set down by tradition only -- it isn't the law! The order I describe below can be used as guidance for what often happens at a wedding reception, but you really do not have to follow it at all closely. However the organisers do have to decide who is going to say what and when, and they have to make sure all the speakers know the order of toasts -- and that includes yours!

Tradition dictates that the speeches at a wedding reception are in the following order:

• Father of the Bride
  
• The Groom
  
• The Best Man
  

That's right -- like I said, traditionally there is no Maid of Honor speech; however, it becoming increasingly common to include one. Speeches other than these three normally come afterwards, but, again, there are no hard and fast rules, and there do not have to be any other speeches at all. Yes, if you really cannot face giving a speech you could theoretically decline, but some brides would not be happy about that.

Each of the speeches at a wedding reception normally consist of the following steps:
(a) thank the previous speaker
(b) say something nice about someone
(c) give the toast
Note that none of the toasts have to be long rambling stories, or hilariously funny. 

The Father of the Bride normally speaks first. he thanks the guests for coming, then he compliments his daughter and her husband, then toasts the bride and groom.

The Groom responds to the Father of the Bride, thanks the guests and both sets of parents, then compliments his new wife and the bridesmaids, then toasts the bridesmaids.

The Best Man responds to the Groom, he congratulates the newlyweds, reads any messages, then toasts the bride and groom.

If there are to be other speeches, they are typically as follows:

The bride thanks the guests for coming, thanks the parents and the bridesmaids, compliment her new husband, and makes a toast (it's up to her what toast she makes).

Now here is your part: you as the Maid of Honor can then respond to the bride's toast, thank the bride, compliment the ushers, and you can propose your own toast -- and it's up to you who this is made to. Your speech should be simple and straightforward if you are at all nervous about writing and giving a speech. If you want to make your speech special, then there are some low-cost options on the internet -- and for complete peace of mind, and for a special speech that everyone will enjoy and remember, and for which the bride will thank you over and over again, it is completely worth it.

Any other speakers, such as the Father of the Groom, should then follow you.

Finally, here are some quick tips on making your speech:

• Make eye contact with the guests, but especially with the bride and groom 
  
• Stand still and relax; standing with your feet slightly apart helps a lot with this
  
• Speak slowly and deliberately, a lot slower than your normal speaking speed
  
• Prepare for the speech well in advance, and use notes while giving the speech, but don't look down at your notes throughout the speech
  

As Maid of Honor, you must be aware of the place of the Maid of Honor toast in the order of things at the wedding reception, and you have to know what you are going to say. Have all these things under control and your Maid of Honor toast will be a great success! Good luck, and I hope it goes well!

---

Get Your Hands On 20 Professionally Written, Awe-Inspiring Maid of Honor Speeches, plus a Step-By-Step Guide Walking You Through Everything You Need To Know To Create Your Own Inspirational Maid of Honor Speech! Get the security and peace of mind that comes with knowing your wedding speech will be fantastic!