Do you need to write a maid of honor speech for your sister?
Queue the overwhelm, anxiety, and panic. Writing a wedding speech for your sister is the most challenging part of being her MOH.
Lucky for you, I’m a professional wedding speech writer. I work with the sister of the bride to craft custom maid of honor speeches.
As you prepare to write your maid of honor speech for your sister, consider these tips.
Tip #1: Think About Why Your Sister Asked You to be Her Maid of Honor
Was it always an unsaid thing that you’d be her maid of honor? Or were you surprised that she asked you?
Really consider why your sister asked you to be her maid of honor. Why you and not one of her friends?
As you contemplate this question, you’ll reflect more deeply on your relationship and bond. Tapping into this energy is a great place to start the speech writing process.
Tip #2: Write from the Viewpoint of Being the Big Sister or Little Sister
Consider your age difference and how this affected your relationship growing up.
Were you the protective big sister who interrogated every date your sister brought home? Why do you feel happy with the person she decided to marry?
Were you the little sister that looked up to the bride throughout your childhood? Describe what qualities you admired in her and how you still admire her as an adult.
Tip #3: Think About Trips You’ve Taken Together
What vacations or road trips have you two gone on together? Travel stories are a great source of speech writing inspiration.
Think about the times when your plans did not work out. What happened? How did your sister react in that moment? Why is that memory special to you now?
Example:
My sister and I had planned this huge trip to Paris together to celebrate her college graduation. We thought it would be fun to tour the city on scooters. Sounds idyllic, right?
Wrong. We ended up getting lost outside of the city and had to figure out how to get back to our hotel in the middle of a torrential downpour.
It wasn’t the quintessential Parisian moment I had hoped for, but I’ll never forget the look of pure excitement mixed with panic on my sister’s face that day.
The great thing about a story like this is it accomplishes two things:
It provides an entertaining story that will captivate your guests.
It allows you to introduce a theme. In this case, your sister thrives when plans fall through and she still has fun. Now you can tie this idea from your story into the concept of marriage.
Tip #4: Remember Your Childhood Arguments
What did you two constantly fight about? Has this changed or do you still argue about stealing each other’s clothes?
Everyone loves a window into what the bride was like as a child. These playful stories can be your way of telling a before and after style story.
Tip #5: Use Themes to Organize Your Speech
Discover common themes to tie your speech together.
Here are some theme examples to consider:
Loyalty
Kind-heart
Thoughtfulness
Forgiving
Passionate
Ambitious
Inspirational
Funny
Themes are a creative way to connect one story to the next and to tie all of your anecdotes together so they have greater meaning.
For example, a camping trip can just be about a camping trip. Or, it can be about how resourceful your sister is.
Tip #6: Just Write The First Draft
Don’t judge yourself. Set your perfectionist tendencies aside so you can just start writing.
Know that the first draft won’t be great but you can edit a poorly written page, you can’t edit a blank page.
So, begin. Get out of your own way and get your thoughts down on paper. It will be a start and you can move forward from there.
Tip #7: Put on Your Editor’s Hat
Now that you’ve written the first draft, edit your work. What’s flowing? What’s not serving the overall idea? Can you cut anything that doesn’t feel emotionally impactful or relevant?
Delete, delete. Rewrite, rewrite.
Tip #8: Balance Humor with Sentimental Tones
Most of the maid of honors that I work with want their speech to get some laughs but they also want their sister to feel really special and loved.
To do this, use what I call the 90/10 rule: 10% of your speech should be playful and humorous while 90% of it should be more serious and sentimental.
Tip #9: Write a Killer Last Line
People may not remember everything you say during your maid of honor speech for your sister but they will remember the last line...if it’s a good one!
Close with a last line that has emotional punch. Even better if your last line mirrors an idea that you introduced earlier in the speech.
Tip #10: Practice Reciting Your Speech for Your Sister
Writing the maid of honor speech for your sister’s wedding is half the work. The other half? Delivering it.
To deliver a knockout MOH speech, practice reciting it out loud three to six times.
Focus on your speech pattern. Are you loud enough? Are you pausing for effect in the right areas? Are you changing the inflection in your voice for certain words?
It helps to practice in front of a friend. This will provide you with constructive feedback and encourage you to overcome any nerves you might have around speaking in front of people.
Tip #11: Hire A Maid of Honor Speech Writer
You do not have to attempt to write a wedding speech for your sister all by yourself. You can work with a professional to write your maid of honor speech.
You should consider collaborating with a writer if you’ve ever thought…
I’m overwhelmed with writing a maid of honor speech for my sister.
I have so many stories and I have no idea how to connect them.
My sister is so special to me but I don’t know how to deliver a speech that will do justice to how I feel.
I have so much anxiety just thinking about having to give this speech!
Get in touch and I promise, I’ll write a maid of honor speech that your sister will adore.
