How to Write a Maid of Honour Speech

A gilt-edged opportunity to show the boys how it’s done

By Adrian Simpson, professional speechwriter · Updated June 2026

It wasn’t so long ago that it was considered pretty maverick for anyone brave enough to let a woman do the talking at a wedding. Thankfully those days are behind us and led by the American Wedding Machine, the world is at last welcoming women to the microphone. It just leaves the question: what on earth do you say in a Maid of Honour Speech? Well, this is a gilt edged opportunity to show the boys how it’s done. And about time too. Below is everything I know about writing a great one, the structure, the jokes, example lines, and a full worked example to borrow from.

Quick Links

How to Write It · What to Include · Opening Lines · Structure · Comedy · Funny & Emotional · Examples · Closing Lines · What to Avoid · Delivery

How do you write a maid of honour speech?

There’s no fixed agenda, introduce yourself, tell the bride’s story with plenty of humour, keep it to around 750 to 1,000 words, toast the happy couple at the end, and don’t bother thanking anyone.

Unlike the other wedding speakers there really is no set agenda as to what a Maid of Honour Speech should really be about, which is great in one way as it gives you so much scope and also slightly terrifying in another as the limitless boundaries can make it hard to focus. Below is a succinct guide as to how you could set it up.

• Introduction, it might sound basic but always intro yourself and preferably in a funny way.
• Story, chances are that you’re going to précis the Bride’s life. My policy is to make up what you don’t know and as long as it’s drop dead funny, people will love that it’s an obvious fabrication.
• Length, with a Maid of Honour Speech on the schedule that means there are at least 3 other speakers. So aim for around 5 to 7 minutes, or roughly 750 to 1,000 words.
• Love life, as with the Best Man, this is best avoided. There might be some great stories in there but now is not the time.
• Funny, it’s not just the Best Man who should be funny, any wedding speech without laughs is a tragic waste. Aim for one gag a paragraph. The comedy’s in there you just have to find it, not cut and paste it.
• Toast, it might seem logical that as you’re talking about the bride you should toast her. Wrong. Always toast the happy couple at the end, never individuals in isolation.
• Thanks, you don’t need to thank anyone. Keep it tight.
• The Groom, make this the penultimate thought before you go into the heartfelt friend bit. You only need about 3-4 sentences on him and it should neatly summarise just what a great guy he is and the amazing effect he’s had on your friend. If you’re struggling, just lie.

What should a maid of honour speech include?

It should include a funny introduction, the story of your friendship with the bride, a few warm words about the groom, the heartfelt ‘best friend’ moment, and a toast to the happy couple, with a laugh in nearly every paragraph.

If you want a simple checklist of what goes in, this is it, in order:

• Who you are and how you know the bride, done with a smile.
• A couple of stories that capture exactly who she is. Not a full life history, just the moments that say something true about her.
• The effect the groom has had on her, three or four warm, slightly cheeky sentences.
• The heartfelt bit, what she really means to you, kept honest and understated.
• The toast, to the couple, never the bride alone.

And what to leave out: long lists of thanks, her romantic history, in-jokes only a handful of people understand, and anything that would make her cringe rather than laugh.

How do you start a maid of honour speech? (Opening Lines)

Introduce yourself, then make them laugh by the second or third sentence, most guests won’t know who you are yet.

If I’m writing this speech I’ll be wanting to make them laugh from around the second or third sentence. Don’t forget to introduce yourself as unless you’ve made a complete spectacle of yourself at the church, most people still won’t know who you are. Then hit them with the funny.

EXAMPLES:

1. “Hello everyone, I’m Katie, Sarah’s maid of honour, best friend, and the person she’s trusted with this microphone, which, between us, tells you everything you need to know about her judgement.”

2. “For those who don’t know me, I’m Katie. I’ve been Sarah’s best friend for twenty years, which I’m fairly sure entitles me legally to a percentage of today, and definitely entitles me to give this speech.”

3. “Good evening everyone. Now, the best man has been dreading this bit, a woman with a microphone and twenty years of material. Don’t worry, Dave. I’ve only used the printable ones.”

How should you structure a maid of honour speech? (Structure)

Work chronologically through the bride’s life and keep the detail light, so the speech is easy to follow, this isn’t Facebook Live.

This shouldn’t be Facebook Live. We don’t need to know every exam passed or deluxe hotel stayed in. Work in a chronological fashion through her life and keep the detail light. If you make your speech easy to follow, you’ll have them on your side and relaxed.

How much comedy should a maid of honour speech have? (Comedy)

Plenty, people expect you to be the sentimental one, so surprise them with a laugh in almost every paragraph.

People are expecting you to be the sentimental wreck, so this is where you can stick it to them and make the best man start to sweat even more than before. EVERY speech is better for humour and you should be thinking of something funny to say in almost every paragraph. The people are there to be entertained. So entertain them.

EXAMPLE LINES to spark ideas (adapt to your own friend):

• On the bride: “Sarah has always been the sensible one of the two of us, which, I appreciate, is a bit like being the tallest jockey, but I’m taking it.”
• On the groom: “When Sarah told me she’d met someone called Tom who was kind, patient and tidied up after himself, I naturally assumed she’d got a dog. I’m delighted to have been proved half right.”
• On the groom’s effect: “I have never seen her this happy, and I was there when she got front-row tickets to the Spice Girls reunion, so trust me, that is a genuinely high bar.”

How do you balance funny and emotional?

Lead with the laughs and let the speech grow sincere as you go, earn the emotional ending by being genuinely funny first, and never undercut the heartfelt finish with one last gag.

The very best maid of honour speeches take the room on a journey: laughing along with you early, then quietly moved by the end. The way you get there is to front-load the humour while everyone’s settling in, then let the warmth build naturally as you move from the funny stories to what your friend really means to you. The single most common mistake is breaking the spell, landing your lovely heartfelt line and then immediately reaching for one more joke. Once you’ve turned sincere, stay there. Say the true thing, raise the glass, and sit down on the feeling.

What are some maid of honour speech examples?

Here’s a short worked example you can adapt, notice how it opens funny, warms up, mentions the groom, and toasts the couple (never the bride alone).

“Hello everyone, I’m Katie, Sarah’s maid of honour and her best friend since we were eleven, when she defended me from a much scarier girl in the dinner queue. I’ve been repaying her in embarrassing speeches ever since. So Sarah… this one’s for the chips.

Over the past twenty years, Sarah has been my partner in every questionable haircut, every disastrous date and every two-in-the-morning heart-to-heart. She is the most loyal, generous and ferociously kind person I know, the only friend who’d help you bury a body and then put the kettle on without being asked.

And then along came Tom. Now, I’ll admit I was fully prepared to dislike him on principle, it’s practically in the maid of honour job description. I couldn’t manage it. Because I have never seen Sarah this happy: properly, calmly, completely happy. Tom, you see her exactly as the rest of us do, and somehow you love her even more for it. Thank you for that.

Sarah, you are my favourite person in the entire world, and you deserve every single bit of today. So everyone, please raise your glasses, not to the bride, and not to the groom, but to both of them. To Sarah and Tom.”

That’s around 230 words, for a five-to-seven-minute speech you’d add one or two more stories about the bride in the middle. The shape is the thing: funny opening, warm portrait, the groom, sincerity, toast.

How do you end a maid of honour speech? (Closing Lines)

Keep the sentiment real and honest but understated, less is more, and what goes unsaid is usually the most powerful.

This is where you’ve got to do your best not to descend into a wobble of emotion. All wedding speakers are prone to it and it can be a very effective way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Keep the sentiment real and honest but less is more. What goes unsaid is usually much more powerful.

What should you avoid in a maid of honour speech? (What to Avoid)

Don’t thank the venue or welcome guests, never forget to mention the groom, don’t drink too much, and watch the length.

• Venue, Whatever you do don’t be tempted to thank the venue out of sheer desperation for something to say, or God forbid, welcome people to the wedding. By the time you stand up guests will be dropping like flies from thanks/welcome fatigue. Don’t inflict any further casualties.
• The Groom, even if you think he’s the devil in disguise, a few words about the groom are the order of the day. Thankfully most MOHs have a great relationship and it’s a great topic for you to have fun with, but it is surprising how many forget to mention the groom in their speech. However, if he’s that toxic you should really be thinking twice about accepting the gig.
• Sustained Heavy Drinking, a glass or two throughout the day to steady the ship can make things seem more relaxed and indeed often improve performance. Over step the mark, however, and you’re only going to be living it down for the rest of your life.
• Length, the length of the speech is crucial to its success. Don’t make it so short that people will be wondering why you bothered and don’t make it so long that guests are seriously considering putting a contract out on you. You should be looking at a speaking time of around 5 to 7 minutes, and anything less than 5 is looking a little on the brief side.

How should you deliver the speech? (Delivery)

Rehearse without memorising, slow right down, make eye contact, steady your shaking hands, and milk your pauses.

Very few people are put on this planet who are naturally comfortable and gifted when it comes to public speaking. The rest of us have to work at it and if your day job doesn’t involve making speeches then making a wedding speech can seem a little bit daunting. But if you can get your head around the fact the guests are all on your side and revel in the cosy loved up atmosphere, you might end up enjoying yourself.

• Rehearse, read through the speech as often as you can but never set out to memorise, or you will just send yourself crazy. If you keep reading it, the speech will naturally fall into blocks and then you can use prompt cards on the day.
• Eye Contact, remember to have as much eye contact with the guests as possible. If you end up reading it from a sheet, pause, look up and then carry on. Head buried is not a good way to engage people.
• Shaky hands, you’ll have so much adrenaline coursing through your system that no matter how confident you’re feeling your hands will be shaky. Either find something you can rest your notes on or mount your speech on something like a board to keep it steady.
• Pauses, a great speech lives and dies on its pauses. Work out where they’re going to be and milk them.
• Pace, always slow and steady, never be tempted to rush anything because if you do all the jokes and sentiment will be completely lost.
• Alcohol, a little in the run up to the speech is a good idea; you’ll be relaxed and it will take the edge off. Getting hammered will be the worst idea you’re ever going to have.

---

Want your maid of honour speech written for you?

I write funny, touching, completely original maid of honour speeches built around your friendship with the bride, the room laughing one minute and reaching for a tissue the next, all in your voice.

Order your bespoke speech today →

---