Diary of a Maid of Honor

by Jennifer Crone

Being a wedding planner I have definitely had my share of phone calls and emails regarding bridal nightmares. I’ve had brides with dreams that their groom shows up with an orange tuxedo, or their dress comes out of the bag filthy dirty.

But this week I had my first wedding nightmare, and I’m here to tell you it’s not just the bride who suffers from these midnight terrors. I dreamed that everything went wrong on the day of my sister’s wedding. First of all, most of the dresses were missing from my parents house, and my slip kept changing mysteriously to different lengths. In the limo on the way to the venue (which it turns out was at my local high school, not the beautiful vineyard that my sister chose) we realized we were missing shoes and had to run into the  mall to grab some.

Once we got to walking down the aisle there were empty beer bottles and discarded cups lining it and they tipped over and made a mess as the party walked down the aisle. And when we got to the end, random wedding guests were standing there in our places! I also forgot to write my Maid of Honor speech and realized, to my dismay, that there was no schedule and everything was running in chaos! This bad dream brings about a couple things:

1. I need to insist on making (or at least approving) a schedule for my sister’s wedding.
2. I need to get cracking on writing my speech! I have heard some great speeches and also some not so awesome speeches, so I have a pretty good idea of how to give a little funny, a little sappy, and a lot of love to the newlyweds. This week’s project is to write my speech — at least draft 1.

Until next week,

MOH

The Maid of Honor Speech – with Love and Laughter

Manic Mondays by Jessica Ozrek

Your day is going to be magical and many words are going to be shared.  Be sure to rest easy with love and laughter during your Maid of Honor’s speech.  Here are some tips to get what you want.

1)     Let the Maid of Honor know ahead of time that you’d like her to give a speech.

2)     Be sure to express how much her sharing some words means to you.

3)     Let her know if there are any topics you’d prefer she not bring up.

4)     Let her know the timing of her speech and how much time she’ll have.

5)     If she declines, gracefully ask another bridesmaid, cousin or friend.

6)     If you have a Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor, invite them both to give a speech.

In helping your Maid of Honor prepare, here are some tips to create a memorable speech.

1)     Think of special moments you’ve shared with the bride and touch on one or two of them.

2)     Mention any qualities you admire or what she means to you.

3)     Highlight a positive memory of the bride and groom – when they first met and her feelings for him, when he proposed, a nice remark that made an impression on you.

4)     Be yourself – if your speech is heartfelt, it’s bound to bring tears, if you are naturally funny, allow your humor to come across.  Just don’t exaggerate or embarrass.

5)     Stay away from any taboo topics: past relationships, religion, politics, sex.

6)     Practice in front of others to be sure the topics are appropriate and the flow feels right.

7)     Bring the speech on note cards.  This will help you feel confident and stay on course.

8)     Keep it short and sweet.  This is the bride’s special day and you’re an important part of it!

For more tips, please email or phone Private Receptions.  We’re here to make your wedding experience wonderful!