Almost every wedding has a Best Man who gives a speech. However, not all weddings have a speech from the Maid of Honour. So, it’s a real honour to be asked and something you can mention in a light-hearted way.

“When BRIDE asked me to say a few words at her wedding, I was really honoured. I knew I’d be responsible for the scariest 6 minutes of her life.”

Base your icebreaker on your relationship and you kill two birds with one stone. You introduce a facet of the bride and get a smile or laugh.

“Growing up together, I learned an important lesson in life. If you have a younger sister, always lock your wardrobe and hide your make-up.”

“Today is a real honour. Other than when we were both in trouble, I think this is the only time my sister has said: ‘YOUR NAME, I want you to do all the talking.’”

“I think this is the first time my sister has ever said: ‘I want you to speak for five minutes, and I won’t interrupt.’”

These lines could come not long after you’ve introduced yourself.

“There are so many wonderful memories I’d love to share, it’s hard to know where to stop. But I think I know where to start…”

“I hope my words do not sound like I’ve copied out the thesaurus definition of “wonderful”. Because BRIDE is amazing, she is brilliant, and she is fantastic. But she also has her funny little ways too, and it would be very wrong of me not to entertain you with them now.”

If the bride is usually late, use it your icebreaker.

“After today I will have to update my CV. ‘Greatest achievement in life: getting BRIDE to the ceremony on time.’”

You might wish to base your Maid of Honour icebreaker on your position in the speech roster.

“In this menu of speeches, I’m the middle speaker. So, I’m either the main course or – if things go badly – the toilet break.”

Do a quick brainstorm. Does the bride love a particular fashion house or cocktail? Or does she have an interesting job title? If it’s quite long, it could work in the line below.

“I was going to write a poem about BRIDE, but then I realised – nothing rhymes with Luis Vuitton / Paediatric Nurse / Piña Colada.”

Pull the rug from under the listeners with a little twist.

“BRIDE has always been wise. She wisely waited till GROOM had signed on the dotted line before allowing me to tell you these stories.”

Hint at embarrassing stories. This can be a nice win-win. You get a laugh, but don’t end up with anything that would discomfit the bride.

“When it comes to the stories – the good news for me is that I didn’t have to make anything up. The bad news for BRIDE is that I didn’t have to make anything up.”

Insinuate the bride is a big party-girl, even if she’s not!

“I can promise you my stories will be varied. Some of them will involve Prosecco and some of them will involve red wine. We’ll save the gin stories for another time.”

Open with something more general for a different style of joke.

“I’ve heard it’s important not to get your wedding roles mixed up. You don’t want people fed up after your speech, and you don’t want the caterers leaving them wanting more.”

If you want other wedding jokes, take a look at these original examples here.

A line about this is very relatable. You did have to write the speech (unless you got it professionally written, of course!), so it keeps things real.

“When I came to write the speech, I was totally terrified. How on earth could I capture the fun and joy of our friendship… and not use any swear words?!”

When thinking of a Maid of Honour speech icebreaker, my main tip is to use a line you’re totally comfortable with. If there’s any doubt, you probably won’t deliver it with confidence on the day. Another opinion is always helpful. Read some lines out to a friend and get their thoughts. Maybe someone who won’t be there on the day.

Get the opening few lines right and the guests will be eager for more!

If you want more tips on writing your Maid of Honour speech, take a look here. Or if you’d like your speech professionally written, here’s more info on my wedding speech writing service.