maid of honor speech friend
February 24th, 2010 | by admin |
I don’t want to give Maid of Honor speech…Advice?!?
My best friend asked me to be her maid of honor….and I really really do not want to give a speech. I’m very shy and she is having 500 people at her wedding and i could barely give a speech when i was in school to a class of 20 people!! My question is…how bad would it look if i didnt give a speech? I mean I told her how i felt and she didn’t really say anything. I’m her Maid of Honor and her aunt is her Matron of Honor, and I’m sure her aunt will say something. So does that make it look less bad if I don’t say anything? Are there Maids of Honor who didnt give speeches? Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!!
Tphi and Sami both gave good answers. Instead of giving a “speech” tell a story about how you met and maybe your first meeting of her fiance/new husband. Giving a speech can be scary, but remember you’re speaking on something you know very well, your best friend. Keep it short and be sure to wish them happiness at the end. Even if you only got up and said, “Mary (or whatever your friend’s name is), I love you and am so happy for your and Bob (or whatever his name is). I wish you every happiness.” And that’s it, you’d have done a nice thing. My tip to people who are afraid of public speaking is to look at people’s hair line, instead of in their faces. It appears you are making eye contact, but doesn’t seem to make you as nervous. However, be sure to look your best friend in the face.
One last thing, at my own wedding, my Maid of honor was REALLY nervous. She had her husband give the speech for her. He started out by saying, “Adrienne is sure to cry, so I’ll speak for both of us….” He had his arm around her and it was very sweet.
I will also say that it isn’t required for the maid of honor to make a speech, so if you talk with the bride, I’d clarify if she expects of you. Ask something like, “Mary, are you anticipating I’ll make a toast or short speech at the reception?” If she says, no, you’re off the hook. If she says yes, accept gracefully. Don’t make her feel guilty by saying, “but you know I hate to speak in public”. Just accept it and do your best. If you are sincere, it doesn’t really matter what you say or how you say it. Some of the sweetest speeches I’ve seen are where the speaker cries. Best of luck to you.
