7 Things NOT to Say in Your Maid of Honor Speech

Why didn’t Cosmo make a DON’T page for weddings?! And we don’t mean outfits. We mean speeches . . . and nothing, absolutely nothing is more stressful for a maid of honor (not even dealing with the many waves of bride’s emotions) than delivering a speech that will do her best friend proud.

Yes. One of the toughest parts of writing a maid of honor speech is not what you say. It’s what you don’t. So before you turn on the microphone do a sound check here first . . . .And never, ever, ever do any of these don’ts!

1. DON’T skip out on your bond.

Sure. She’s your best friend and you knew her back when she swooned over the Backstreet Boys, had enough Aquanet in her hair to single handedly put a hole in the Ozone layer and didn’t tell her parents that the time she slept over at your house . . . you were really just covering for her so she could go see a movie with that kid they hated, Bobby Cagle. But no one needs to know.

2. DON’T go PG-13.

Grandparents, pastors and kids are likely to be at the wedding reception . . . even if they aren’t, not everyone will have the same sense of humor as you. So make sure that you steer clear of offensive material, swear words and off color stories.

3. DON’T bring up past relationships.

It could backfire even if it’s a jab at an ex that explains why the bride or groom is so much better than “Jane Doe. Who wants to remember the past on their special day anyway?

4. DON’T be Debbie Downer.

Steer clear of depressive topics. Keep it light and joyful!

5. DON’T tell jokes you can’t be sure won’t offend someone.

While something might be funny to the audience it might not be so funny to the groom . . . if he’s the butt of the joke. Remember to be respectful. A good rule of thumb is to tell only jokes that will have them “laughing with you”.

6. DON’T go over ten minutes.

If the crickets start chirping before your speech is through you might want to consider cutting it shorter.

7. DON’T be rehearsed.

Sure a little practice is great but nothing is better than wearing your heart on your sleeve. Avoid being too stuffy by just being real. Go with the flow. Feelings are, after all, what give the words meaning.

If you still need a little more help determining if you are on the right track check out our other Maid of Honor speech tips and much more here.