Delivering a heartfelt, yet well-put-together mother-of-the-bride speech is no mean feat. So ‘hats off’ for putting yourself forward! There really is no better way for a mom to truly celebrate such a momentous occasion than to share a few carefully crafted words about the happy couple!
We know that during traditional wedding receptions, it is the father of the bride who speaks on the wedding day. But there’s no reason why mom shouldn’t raise the roof with a speech and raise a glass along with it.
Whether you’re the mother preparing to deliver the speech, or it’s your mom who wants to stand up. Delivering the perfect mother of the bride speech is not easy. Even a seasoned public speaker would certainly find it difficult to keep their emotions at bay, while also conveying just how elated they are.
There is no need to panic though! We’ve got all the tips and advice you’ll need to pull off the perfect toast and celebrate the moment in just the way you dreamed of.
How to Write & Deliver the Best Mother of the Bride Speech
The perfect mother-of-the-bride speech should welcome the assembled wedding guests to the celebration. While also honoring the, now, married couple. Here’s how to put together your wedding speech.
How Long Should a Mother of the Bride Speech Be?
We know you could easily fill a full hour and a half talking about your beloved daughter, and sharing just how happy you are with the partner they chose. But your guests may not be as receptive as you’d like.
For us, any prepared wedding speech should not be longer than 5 minutes. Whether you’re the best man, the groom, or the hilarious maid of honor. If you’re speaking for over 5 minutes, guests will lose focus and get bored.
Short and sweet is the golden rule of public speaking, and with this in mind, we would suggest your speech should last between 3-5 minutes. And don’t forget to add pauses for laughs, and possibly happy tears…
What Should be Included in Your Wedding Speech?
The main aim of speeches at weddings is to welcome guests and celebrate the couple. A perfect mother-of-the-bride speech should be no different. But it’s also nice to include a few heart-warming words about your precious daughter. How proud you are of her, and maybe a few anecdotes that sum her up as a person.
It’s also important to share how happy you are with the new member of the family. Welcoming them into the fold, and perhaps telling your loved ones a little story about when you first met them.
If the bride’s father is still in the picture, then it would be fitting to pay tribute to him too. If, however, they are not around, then don’t feel pressured into involving him in such a happy moment. On the flip side, should the father of the bride have passed away, then your wedding day speech would be a fitting occasion to honor him.
Just remember to keep the moment joyous, and not shift focus too much onto the remembrance of those you’ve lost. It’s not easy, but that’s why it’s good to plan your speech in advance, as you’ll find it easier to strike a healthy balance.
When is the Mother of the Bride Speech Delivered?
There is a traditional order of speeches at weddings, and it’s up to you whether you choose to follow them, or not.
Traditionally, the first person to speak would be the father of the bride, followed by the groom. If you are taking the place of the father, then it would seem fitting to go first. However, if you’re both making a toast, then it’s up to the two of you who goes first, or second. We think mom should go first! But it’s your call.
When both parents are speaking, it’s best to tailor the length of your speeches accordingly. Making sure that, when combined, you’re not talking for more than 10 minutes.
Why We Believe There Should Be Mother of the Bride Speeches
Traditionally, women do not speak publicly during a wedding day. Those duties are left to the father, groom, and best man. But this is the 21st century, and there’s no reason why mom, bride, and maid of honor cannot share how they feel about this day. Along with some juicy embarrassing stories!
The wedding of a child is one of the biggest moments in a parent’s life and a chapter that mothers deserve the opportunity to reflect on. They have gone through their journey, sacrificed so much for their baby girl, and now should be their time to show just how much the bride means to them.
Life experience is another gift mothers should feel free to share with the wedding party. Words of wisdom from someone who’s been there, and done that, must be encouraged and given pride of place within the collection of wedding toasts.
Mom’s Wedding Speech Outline
Here is a basic mother-of-the-bride speech template, which should help you draft out a layout for your toast.
An Introduction
Most guests will know who you are, but it doesn’t hurt to properly introduce yourself to everyone. Starting off with something this easy should calm your nerves, and help you flow into the next section.
A Warm Welcome
Share your appreciation for the guests, and let them know how pleased you are they made the effort to come.
Share Your Thoughts About the Bride
Your assembled guests would love to hear some funny stories about your precious daughter, as much as they would any emotional moments you would care to share. Now is the time to speak about the beautiful memories you have together, and honor the happy woman she is today. Oh, and say how beautiful her wedding dress is!
Share Your Thoughts About the Spouse
This person may be stealing your daughter away, but they deserve at least a few nice words said about them! Share how you met, why you’re happy they’re now in your life, and why you believe they’re ‘the one’ for your daughter.
Offer Some Wisdom or a Few Funny Words, or Both!
Take this moment to share the wealth of your knowledge, while also entertaining the crowds! If you’re not naturally funny, don’t force it, but feel free to throw in some one-liners, or hilarious anecdotes, with a side order of worldly wisdom.
Raise a Glass
Finish your toast by raising a glass to the happy couple, and delivering one last line that will either crack everyone up or stay forever in their hearts. No pressure then!
Mother of the Bride Speech Tips
If public speaking is not necessarily your thing, or you just need a few pointers to guide you – this mother-of-the-bride advice should help.
Write it from the Heart, Not Google
We’re offering tips and advice, not mother-of-the-bride speech examples. And this is because it can be very tempting to just copy and paste your toast from the internet. But by doing that, you’re not being genuine.
We know it can be hard to come up with entirely unique, non-cliched lines about the love you have for your daughter. But it’s honestly worth pushing through and attempting to connect with your audience. Speak to them almost as if it were a one-on-one conversation.
Don’t cloud your mind with thoughts of making an entire room laugh, or making them feel something. Just concentrate on one person, and go from there.
Try to Keep Yourself Together
This is, of course, an emotional moment. And it is more than ok to shed a few tears. However, if you can barely speak because the waterworks are coming on so strong, that’s really hard to watch.
Be yourself, show how deeply happy you are, but don’t overshadow the moment.
Practice…
The key to (almost) keeping a lid on your emotions, is practice. Practicing your mother-of-the-bride toast multiple times to yourself, and with others, will help to give the words less meaning, but in a good way!
What we mean is, the more you learn the speech, the more it ends up feeling like a bunch of words. Rather than hard-to-say-out-loud emotions.
Practice will also help you in understanding how long you’re speaking for, and where to add the pauses.
Don’t Read Your Speech Out Loud
Make flashcards to help you remember the key points of your speech, rather than have the whole thing in front of you. If it’s there, and you get nervous, you’ll just read it, and it’ll be rather dull to hear…
It’s Not All About Your Daughter
We know she’s the best, but there’s a whole other person sitting next to her, and they deserve to be mentioned too. Not only that but the parents-in-law should also be thanked. They’ve spent time, possibly money, helping this big day happen, so be sure to include them too.
Get Insider Info from Her Network of Friends
Surprise your precious daughter with a few stories, or anecdotes about her childhood that she doesn’t know you know! Nothing truly embarrassing, or shocking, but something that might cause her to lose her beautiful bride coolness for a moment!
