A short maid of honour speech that says everything that matters.
Short doesn't mean thin. A tight three-minute speech can be more memorable than a sprawling seven-minute one.
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Short speeches are harder to write than long ones — every line has to earn its place and there's no room to pad. But when they work, a concise maid of honour speech is often the most impressive in the room.
What a Speech Smith speech looks like
A short sample — your speech will be personalised to your stories and people.
Three opening lines: 1. "Good afternoon. I'm going to keep this brief, because Emma asked me to, because she knows what I'm capable of, and because I respect that." 2. "My name is Jess. Sarah asked me to keep this short and I've agreed. I want it noted that what I'm giving up for brevity today is considerable." 3. "Good afternoon everyone. I'm Charlotte. Maid of honour. I have a three-minute window. I'm going to use every second of it."
Sample only. Your speech is written from the specific details, stories, and names you provide.
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Names, your relationship, a few key memories, and the tone you want — honest details make the best speeches.
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What makes this speech work
Every detail you share becomes part of your speech. Here's what to think about.
Choose one story and one quality — that's your whole speech
A short speech has room for exactly one well-told story and one clearly expressed quality. Everything else is cut. Make the choices deliberately.
Cut every sentence you could live without
In a short speech, there's no room for sentences that are nice but not necessary. If a line doesn't move the speech forward, it goes. Be ruthless.
Open strong and close stronger
A short speech doesn't have time to warm up. Your opening needs to land immediately. And your close — the toast or final line — needs to be the best line in the speech.
Speak slowly — short speeches feel shorter when rushed
The most common mistake with short speeches is rushing through them, which makes them feel even shorter and less substantial. Speak at a natural, confident pace. The speech earns more in the room than it takes.
Trust that brevity is itself impressive
A room that's been sitting through a long programme will be won over by a speaker who says exactly what they need to say and then stops. That confidence is its own form of authority.
Frequently asked questions
Two to three minutes is the comfortable minimum — enough for a proper opening, one story or observation, a word about the couple, and a toast. Under two minutes risks feeling incomplete.
Cut the setup. Cut anything that requires context before it makes sense. Cut the parts that are nice but not essential. What's left is the speech.
Not at all. A focused three-minute speech is often more impressive than a rambling seven-minute one. Brevity, when it says everything that matters, is always respected.
Yes — and the tighter the speech, the faster the punchlines come, which often makes it funnier. Just make sure each joke is self-contained and doesn't require a long runway.
Select 'short' to get a speech of approximately 250–300 words — that's comfortably two to three minutes at a natural pace.
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