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Only during the modern ages was the maid of honour speech integrated into the other three customary wedding speeches. Because it is quite new, rules regarding structure and content are still lacking. Nevertheless, there are vital ingredients to creating this speech, these include the following.

The opening lines – You can do whatever you want with your introductory lines. You can crack a joke, cite a meaningful quote or thank the audience for their attendance. No matter how you choose to open your speech, this should be followed with a brief introduction about yourself. Many people in the audience may not know you, for their sake and for yours, introduce yourself. To do this, you need to say your name and briefly explain how you are related to the bride. After a little introduction, give your thanks to the bride for selecting you as her maid of honour and maybe drop hints why you accepted the invitation to deliver a speech.

The main points of the speech – The maid of honour speech is a speech that is especially to the bride. In fact, except for the introduction and some brief reference about the groom and the wedding, the entire body of the speech talks of nothing else but the bride. It essentially gives the listeners an insider’s scoop to the bride’s character, experiences and a female’s perspective on the relationship between the groom and the bride. However, in the recent years, many maids of honour have veered towards describing the couple as friends observe them.

Anecdotes about the bride and the groom are mentioned into this part of the speech as well. A quick word on choosing anecdotes – choose ones that are in good taste. Avoid choosing ones that talk about experiences that are best left unsaid.

The body of the speech is also where maids of honour talk about their perception of the occasions’ significance to the life of the couple. Personal views and opinions are also allowed here.

The conclusion – After a few short anecdotes come the conclusion of the speech. While there are no rules to follow in ending this speech, it has become customary for maids of honour to end their speech with an encouraging message. These can also end with best wishes for a happy life together that are condensed into a poetic but short line. These final remarks are often mentioned to encourage the couple to look forward to their wonderful future. This part can be customized however depending on what you, as the maid of honor, think appropriate.

The ending toast – Once the speech is over, the a toast is offered by the maid of honour on behalf of the bride. The toast can take the form of a regular toast or a funny but meaningful message.

Although the maid of honour speech could be funny, most happens to be sentimental. More often than not, it remembers precious little memories while encouraging the newlyweds to look ahead for a happy future together.