How to Make your Maid of Honour Speech Epic
Have you ever been to a wedding where the maid of honor performs a rap instead of a traditional speech? Last week, a video surfaced of maid of honour Jennifer Gabrielli doing just that at her sister Nicole’s wedding at La Costa Resort in California.
While not every maid of honour will be comfortable writing and performing a five-minute rap, here are some tips for creating an epic maid of honour speech inspired by this amazing video.
Start with How the Couple Met
The maid of honor is usually the bride’s best friend—sisters are best friends too—so they inevitably have an interesting story to tell in regards to their first impression of the groom. Talking about the maid of honour’s interpretation of how the couple met is a great way to capture everyone’s attention and make the speech interesting and personal. In the featured video, Gabrielli talks about how her sister and brother-in-law met online. Because it’s a rap, it’s hard to understand what she’s saying, so the story gets lost. To make your story meaningful, make sure it is clear, short, and fun.
Stand Out
While it was impossible to hear all the words in Gabrielli’s rap, there were some lines that got stuck in viewers’ heads because of the Eminem beat playing in the background. To make your speech fun and memorable you will need a few ideas that help your moment stand out from all the other speeches at the wedding. Gabrielli was good at singing and she was clearly comfortable with a microphone, and it worked for her. Play up your own strengths! If you’re funny, write some jokes; if you’re artistic, create some props; if you’re tech savvy, create or edit a video to share with guests. If you don’t want to do anything that elaborate and you still want to stand out, tell a personal story and include lots of shout-outs to guests.
Be Confident
Gabrielli’s rap is impressive because of the way she presented it. She was in-character and confident; and if you want an epic speech you have to be self-assured. The best speech I’ve ever heard at a wedding was by one of the guests who grabbed the microphone after he had a few drinks. He wasn’t drunk, but he was inhibition-free and confident enough to share a hilarious story about his childhood with the couple. He finished the speech by saying that he looked forward to making more fun memories with the bride and groom. To master the microphone you have to come prepared and you have to be sure of yourself.
If you want to make your speech stand out, all you have to do is be personal and write something honest, heartfelt, and entertaining. Even if you can’t rap like a pro, you can still blow everyone away. Good luck!
Jillian Zacchia is a contributing writer to The Bridal Guide.
