Top Ten Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Maid of Honor Speeches for Your Sister

Writing a maid of honor speech is a big deal, but even more so if that speech is for your sister. With the pressure to be ‘perfect’ funny, or even to say something great about your sister, you might have no idea where to start. For most women, the best idea is to relax, take it slow, and try to think of something they would like their sister to say at their wedding.

Here are the top ten do’s and don’ts of writing maid of honor speeches for your sister.

10. Don’t Say Anything to Embarrass Your Sister

While it might be funny to say something very embarrassing about your sister, she probably doesn’t want to hear it on her big day. No matter what it is, and no matter how relevant, you can keep it locked up until later. In fact, even if you bring it up at the reception after more people have had something to drink you are less likely to ruin her day. Keep your speech humor geared towards things that will make her laugh, not blush in shame!

9. Do Write 80-90% of the Speech About Your Sister

You do have to talk about the groom, but chances are the bridegroom is already going to do that. Mention the groom briefly, perhaps say how he is welcome into the family, talk about how they met, or talk about how you hated him at first sight, but don’t write too much about him. You are there to support your sister so talk about her!

8. Don’t Talk for Too Long

It might be tempting to write a 12 page speech but most of the time its better if you can remember it and read it in a few minutes. 350 to 500 words is about optimal length, with the shorter number being better. While you should always bring a paper with your speech, you will get extra points for reading from memory so try writing a short speech and memorizing it.

7. Do Include Your Own Personality

Whether you are funny, emotional, or don’t really tend to show too much emotion, you should never write a speech that causes you to act unnaturally. If you are not normally funny, your speech doesn’t have to be funny either. Make sure you are comfortable with the speech, and comfortable reading it as naturally as possible.

6. Do Consider Using Poetry

Many women have trouble writing a great deal in their maid of honor speech for their sister, but there are plenty of poems that can be included and read aloud. Poems can be any that have personal meaning, or any that talk about a sister to sister relationship. You can feel free to choose or write your own, but remember to make it short.

5. Do Check Online Examples Before Writing Your Own

If you don’t know what to write then you might be interested in reading what other people wrote before reading your own. Check online for examples of maid of honor speeches for sister. Read up and consider it your homework for her big day.

4. Do Include Reminiscence

It’s always a great idea to talk about your sister when you were young. When did she first say she wanted to get married? Who was her first crush? Did she have a dream guy? You can bring all of this up for a few laughs, or happy tears, talking about how your sister got to where she is now.

3. Do Rewrite Your Speech Several Times

Writing a speech once is fine, writing it two or three times is better. Make sure you go over the fine print of the speech, analyze how certain words or phrases might be taken, and then rewrite it until its perfect. You can likely take a few weeks perfecting the speech so make sure you utilize the time to make sure her day, and your speech, are beautiful.

2. Don’t Forget to Practice Aloud

While you shouldn’t practice your speech aloud in front of your sister, you should practice aloud. Consider standing in front of a bathroom mirror and reading your completed maid of honor speech until you can say it naturally, without laughing, and with emotion. The idea is to present the speech as clearly as possible so more practice is always good. You can also analyze any problems with the speech while reading aloud and edit them before the big day arrives.

1. Include Something Special

As the sister of the bride, you likely know more about her than anyone else, even her soon to be husband! Try including something to evoke your bond of sisterhood in your speech. Whether talking about something you did growing up, something you shared, or even long ago secrets, you can make your speech unique, beautiful, and precious to your sister. Writing maid of honor speeches for a sister isn’t hard so long as you think about what you want to say, and then practice until it is perfect.