Weddings

7 Mistakes The Maid Of Honor Makes On The Reception Speech

July 25, 2017 by Blair Donovan
shefinds | Weddings

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Being the maid of honor comes with a heavy load of high-pressure responsibilities, with the reception speech falling at the top of the list. Even if you're a veteran public speaker and could strike up a conversation with a wall, the speech can still be a stressful experience. You want to write a speech guests will talk about after, so you need to avoid creating a snooze fest or trying to be too funny. While you stress over draft after draft, we rounded up 7 common mistakes maids of honor make when giving their reception speeches so you know what to avoid down the road.

 

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maid of honor speech

Telling inside jokes. You and the bride might go way back and have a running list of all the inside jokes you two have accumulated. But, inside jokes are named as such for a reason. Everyone on the outside just doesn't understand them. You might get a good laugh out of the bride if you start your speech with an inside joke, but you'll hear crickets in the background otherwise.

married couple

Bringing up exes. It might also seem funny to joke about your bride's list of past boyfriends, but reserve that for the bachelorette party. No newlywed husband wants the rundown of his wife's former love life on their wedding day.

wedding reception bar

Drinking too much. We get it, you're nervous. But that's no excuse to down five glasses of champagne right before you make your reception speech debut. If you're starting to slur your words, guests can tell you've had one too many. Keep it classy and limit yourself to a drink or two. Once it's over, though, you definitely have permission to knock back a few celebratory rounds.

wedding reception

Not using a microphone. You might think you can deliver your speech without a microphone, but you have a large audience to project to. No matter how intimate the reception venue seems, you definitely don't want the speech you slaved so hard over to go unheard. Have the bride chat with the venue or band/DJ to reserve a microphone for your speech beforehand.

wedding toast

Talking too much. We know you love the bride and want to show your support for the new couple, but concision is key. You want to keep your speech around 5 minutes or less, otherwise everyone's eyes might start glazing over. If you're a chatter box, time your speech beforehand and stick to your script during the real deal.

maid of honor speech

Not using stories. The best anecdotes from MOH speeches come from experiences shared with the bride. You can hem and haw for hours about how much you love the bride and how much she means to you...blan, blah, blah. The guests want to hear stories that actually illustrate your close relationship. Show, don't tell!

bride maid of honor

Not including the groom. The bride chose you to be her maid of honor, but that doesn't mean the speech can only highlight her awesomeness. Make sure you don't leave the groom hanging, so end your speech talking about both parties of the couple.

 

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