Maid of
Honor Speech – Stacy O’Neill
Good
evening everyone! My name is Stacy and for those of you who don’t know, I am Sarah’s
little sister. I want to apologize in
advance for this speech because I am not a public speaker and am actually quite
nervous. If everyone can just bear with
me I will try to make this speech as painless as possible for everyone.
I’ve
spent a good amount of time working on this speech. Quite a bit of that time was spent just
staring at the computer screen. I had no
idea where to start. Then I realized
what better a place to start than with my sister. Sarah and I have known each other for a
little over 20 years. I think back to
when I was little and I wanted to be just like her. I remember rocking out to N’Sync cds and playing
Mario Kart with her. As we got older she
became more mature and I was just the weird little sister. Sometimes though, if I was really lucky,
she’d let me sleep in her room with her after she got home from hanging out
with her friends. Those were the nights
I lived for. She was my role model. I
looked up to her in every way possible.
She was this cool, independent woman and I wanted to be just like
her. Even after she moved away she
always kept in touch me. She was always
telling me the new things that happened in her life. I loved it.
I
remember hanging out with her at my grandma’s and she casually let it slip that
she was seeing someone. Chris, this is
where you come in during the speech. I
have never seen my sister act so giddy.
Every time her phone dinged she would get this huge smile on her face
and giggle to herself. For five hours
she went on about this guy. I’m not
kidding. Five straight hours was spent
talking about this guy. I’m pretty sure
Sarah recited every word Chris ever said to her. I had never seen my sister like that. Whenever I talked with her after that she
just had new stories about him. The way
my sister acted was that of someone in love.
I knew it early on, but of course I didn’t tell her. I wanted her to figure that out on her
own. When Sarah told me Chris was coming
for Christmas I got excited. Finally I
could meet this mystery man. I mean
sure, I had talked with Chris on the phone, but meeting him in person was
totally different. I even practiced what
I would say to him. You know, what are
your intentions with my sister? Do you
like her? If you hurt her, I will hurt
you. Those types of things. Then Christmas Eve at my nana’s came. I walked in and saw my sister. She was glowing. She pointed to this man across the room and was
like “That’s him over there.” So of
course I walked over and put out my hand for a handshake. Yeah, Chris went in for a hug. He just acted like we knew each other. That’s when I knew he was serious about my
sister. There was no need for intimidation;
I knew I’d see him again. A few weeks
later I got a phone call from Sarah. She
said Chris proposed and well you all know the rest. I mean, come on, we are at their
wedding. I think I can save you all
those details.
When
I look at Sarah and Chris I see two peas in a pod. I have never seen two people fit so well
together. They share the same dreams and
aspirations. They would literally do
anything for the other person. They
share the same values and hopes. Through
major life changes and everyday hurdles, Sarah and Chris have shared a mutual
love and trust. They both understand
that a relationship requires commitment and compromise. These qualities will no doubt come in handy
as a married couple in years to come.
Speaking
of handy qualities, I thought I should offer some words of wisdom to the newly
married couple about married life. For
those of you who are skeptical about my knowledge, don’t worry, I went to an
outside source for this. Isn’t the
internet the next best thing since sliced bread? I searched high and low and found quite a bit
of advice. I stumbled upon this poem
called “All the Things I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten”. I thought these life lessons would apply
perfectly to Sarah and Chris’ marriage.
So here are my words of advice:
Wash
your hands before you eat
Don’t
hit people
Play
fair
Say
you’re sorry when you hurt someone
Put
things back where you found them
Share
everything (including the bedcovers)
Clean
up your own mess
Don’t
take things that aren’t yours
Flush
I
cannot stress that last one enough.
I
myself would also like to add a few tidbits of advice for a successful and
happy marriage.
Always
remember to say those three important little words……”You’re right dear.” And if
you’re clever, you’ll always have the last word. However, if you are very clever, you won’t
use it. Remember a marriage is made in
heaven, but the maintenance work is to be carried out here on earth.
We
are all gathered here today to celebrate everything that Sarah and Chris have
found in each other- a best friend, a lover, a teacher, a playmate, and a true
partner for life. As you both sit side
by side through this roller coaster of life, may you remember to scream from
the peaks, hold hands through the dips, laugh through the loop de loops, and
enjoy every twist and turn you face. The
ride is better because you both share it together. Individually you two are pretty remarkable
people, but together you are complete.
May you both continue to grow in love, not forgetting the importance of
forgiveness, understanding, and tolerance.
Most importantly though, may you always remember the love that brought
you together today – a love so strong that you decided to share it forever in
each other’s company. Today you are joined
together as man and wife to commence that long and wonderful journey of growing
old together.
On
behalf of the bride and groom, I would like to thank everyone for sharing their
special day. It is a true milestone in
their lives and I know they are both very thankful. On behalf of myself, thank you for being a
trooper through this speech. I would
like to now share this short poem by Ogden Nash before I wrap this up.
To
keep your marriage brimming,
With
love in the loving cup,
Whenever
you’re wrong admit it,
Whenever
you’re right, shut up.
Now
it gives me immense pleasure to invite you all to stand and raise your glass in
a toast to Sarah and Chris.
May
your lives continue with equal joy. May
your love be like the wind, strong enough to move the clouds, soft enough to
never hurt, but always never ending. Oh
and Chris, a happy wife, makes for a happy life. To Sarah and Chris and love, laughter, and
happily ever after!
