Maid of Honor Speeches – Sharing Insight
Posted on : 07-09-2011 | By : | In : Maid Of Honor Speeches
Tags: maid of honor speech, maid of honor speeches, Speech For Maid Of Honor
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You’ll probably find a lot of material online for preparing maid of honor speechs for upcoming wedding. There will be templates and forms and outlines that you can grab, fill in the blanks, and plug in the right words. What I’d like to present is a step by step guide to preparing your maid of honor speech by looking no further than inside your heart and sharing insights about the newlyweds.
1. First, you have to give it time. I like to say, “You can whip up a pretty good Campbell soup, but you can’t rush a great stew.” If you want to deliver a memorable and inspiring maid of honor speech, then you’ll need to give yourself enough time. Sorry, there are no shortcuts.
2. Reflect on your relationship with the newlyweds. Take out your scrapbooks, reminisce about all the time you spent together doing silly things, crazy things, times you shared in joy and in sorrow. Enjoy the rush of memories and feelings.
3. Find stories to tell. As you stroll down memory lane, you’re bound to remember some pretty wild and crazy stories. Write these down. Don’t edit yet; just write down everything you remember.
4. When you’re satisfied that you have all the materials you need, read through your stories again. Read them through several times, if you want. Try shifting modes: first read with your mind, then read with your heart. Allow yourself to discover the hidden meanings in each story.
5. Now select the story or the stories you want to share with the wedding guests. Limit yourself to at most three stories. These should be the ones that most represent the person you are celebrating in the speech. Be careful with the stories you select. Think twice, thrice even, about sharing stories that may embarrass the newlyweds or scandalize the wedding guests. Make sure the stories are appropriate to the audience and the occasion.
6. Read the story or stories again. If necessary, rewrite them for delivery. Make sure to emphasize the part that highlights the endearing qualities of the persons about whom you are giving the speech.
7. Now write your insight about the person, as illustrated by the anecdotes you just shared. What kind of person is he or she (or what kind of people are they, if you are talking about both the bride and groom)? How has this shaped your relationship with him, her or them? What did you discover or realize about him, her or them? Then, wrap up your maid of honor speech by telling everyone what all these mean. You can tell the audience how you feel about the person(s). You can share your hopes and prayers for the newlyweds.
8. Put it all together. You may choose to write an introductory paragraph, although it would be perfectly okay to just launch into the stories.
9. Practice. Practice. Practice some more.
On the day of the wedding, you’ll deliver a maid of honor speech that will warm the hearts of everyone present and be remembered fondly by the newlyweds.

