How to Give a Maid of Honor Toast

The maid of honor has some serious duties to fulfill, and the toast for the bride is one of the most important. Since the maid of honor is the bride's dearest friend or relative, it is important that she let the bride know that the honor of her position at the wedding has not been overlooked. In order to give the best toast, there are a few steps you should follow and some important tips to keep in mind.

Instructions

1. Focus on the bride. While the best man will focus on the groom and the wedding guests should focus on the bride and groom as a couple, your job is to make sure the bride knows just how special she is to you.

2. Prepare your speech ahead of time. You may want your toast to have a spontaneous-sounding delivery, but winging it isn't the answer, as you may get flustered speaking in front of all of those people. Though you should deliver your maid of honor toast from memory, it never hurts to keep some notes handy on index cards.

3. Give your speech while you're sober. Everyone knows that the reception is all about having a good time, but no matter how confident you feel, you should avoid giving any kind of speech after you've had a few drinks. You may feel confident, but you may look like a fool to everyone else.

4. Start off by introducing yourself and letting everyone know what your relationship is to the bride. People will want to know why the bride chose you to support her at the altar.

5. Let your personality work for you. If you're a natural comedienne, go ahead and sprinkle some jokes into the toast. However, if you're the more serious type, jokes may not go over well especially when you're nervous. You may do better sticking to a very sentimental and serious message.

6. Speak up. Woman are particularly notorious for speaking quietly, especially when they are feeling nervous or intimidated. If you aren't assisted by a microphone, remember to let your voice carry to the back of the room, so everyone can enjoy your toast.

7. Look the bride in the eye. You may be tempted to speak to the crowd, but your toast is for the bride. Let her know you're speaking from your heart by making eye contact.

8. Keep a tissue nearby. It's almost guaranteed that one or both of you will cry during the toast, so keep a tissue tucked in your sleeve or nearby on the table to deal with that runny nose and avoid damaging your makeup.

9. Cut your toast as short as possible. You probably have a lot of ground to cover in your relationship with the bride, but keeping it short will make a much better impact than a long description of your relationship in grade school.

Tips & Warnings

• Run to the restroom and make sure you look the part before you give your maid of honor toast. Smooth down any stray hairs, check your dress, freshen your makeup and make sure you have nothing stuck in your teeth before standing up and calling attention to yourself.