Maid of honor speech: [Bride] and [Partner]
Before you write
When you speak | |
Microphone | |
Time, at 130 words a minute | |
Names to get right | |
Her one quality | |
Off-limits |
See an example speech (about 2 minutes)
Opening: Good evening, everyone. I'm Priya, Maya's college roommate. For three years I watched her alphabetize a refrigerator. Thank you to Linda and David for tonight, and to all of you for coming.
The story: It's eleven at night on the shoulder of Route 9. My car has died, my phone is at four percent, and I've sent Maya exactly one text: “stuck.” Forty minutes later, headlights. Maya gets out with a thermos of tea, a jacket she borrowed from her neighbor for me, and a printed list of every tow company within twenty miles. In alphabetical order. She'd already called three of them.
What it shows: That's Maya. When someone she loves is stuck, she doesn't send a sad face. She shows up with a plan.
The turn: When Maya first told me about Sam, she didn't make a list. She just said, “He's easy to be around,” and she sounded calmer than I'd ever heard her. The first time I met Sam, he was helping her move, and he'd labeled every box before she got home. In alphabetical order. Sam, thank you for showing up for her the way she shows up for everyone else.
The wish: Maya and Sam, I hope your car never breaks down. And if it ever does, I hope you're in it together, with a thermos and a plan.
The toast: Would everyone please raise a glass? To Maya and Sam.
The speech
1. Opening · 40–60 words
Who you are, one picture of her, and thanks to the hosts.
Good evening, everyone. I'm [name], [Bride]'s [sister / roommate / friend].
2. The story · 150–200 words
Start in the middle, with a time and a place. End on what she did.
3. What it shows · 30–50 words
That's [Bride].
4. The turn to [Partner] · 100–130 words
How she talked about them, the first time you met, and when you knew they fit.
When [Bride] first told me about [Partner],
5. The wish · 40–60 words
A concrete wish that calls back your story.
[Bride] and [Partner], I hope
6. The toast · 20–30 words
Would everyone please raise a glass? To [Bride] and [Partner].
Before the day
Read aloud with a timer, three times
The prep, the example and the part headings deleted, or the headings kept small as signposts
Read by one person who knows both families
Printed in 16 to 18 point type, double-spaced, pages numbered
First and last lines known by heart
Asked who introduces you and where you'll stand
A full glass in hand before you stand up