Original Article www.weddingcost.net
Being a Wedding MC isn’t really everybody’s idea of good fun. You probably felt honored to accept the job when asked by the bride and groom, and the position comes with a sense of responsibility that you’ll feel sure you can carry off, but I’d bet there is also a looming feeling of dread.
Honestly, there is no need to worry, and I’m about to share with you some wedding MC tips that will make the whole thing go smoothly and make your wedding MC day a real success.
As master of ceremonies, I’m sure that first and foremost on your mind will be the fact that you’ll need to do a lot of the public speaking. This doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds, and it’s really not necessary to give a wedding MC speech but we’ll get to that later. But first things first. You’ll be leading the way in ushering the wedding guests to the reception and introducing the bride and groom. You’ll need to be confident and forthright, while retaining a little of the charm that probably got you the job in the first place!
Remember, how you behave and handle the situation reflects totally on the bride and groom, so you’ll need to think carefully about exactly what you’re going to say and when. These are an essential part of the wedding MC duties. Keeping one eye on the clock and the other eye on the guests is essential and if you crack this one thing, half of your job is already done.
Also essential to your success is working together with the best man to ensure that the day goes smoothly and to alleviate any undue stress from the bride and groom. They don’t need the hassle of having to deal with drunken hecklers during the best man’s speech or sorting out the problems that the wedding caterers are having with so and so’s vegetarian meal. It will be your job to intervene and come up with a plan of action in all these types of scenarios.
The best way of avoiding unforeseen problems in the first place comes with sitting down with the bride and groom well before the wedding day and planning the day right down to the last detail. You should have notes of key times such as pre-reception drinks, reception and introduction of the bride and groom, dinner time, all of the speeches times and in what order. PLANNING! Yes, I’ve said it again, but this one key task will help to prevent 95% of possible problems from occurring! Basically, you’ll need to write out your own wedding MC guide.
You’ll also need to be entertaining and jovial. While all the seriousness of what you are dealing with is ticking away in your mind, the last thing you’ll want to be doing is giving off an aura of stress and anxiety towards the guests. And this goes for the bride and groom, too. You’ll need to use your skills as a charmer and draw on some light-hearted comedy and banter to keep both the guests and the bride and groom at ease.
Remember, though, that this is their big day – not yours. So don’t go the full whack with the comedy routine. Being a funny wedding MC is an art in itself, and far too often folks have been seen to go well over the top, probably due to nerves. If this kind of smart humor does not come naturally to you, I’d suggest checking out the wedding MC jokebook.
You’ll also need to have decent material if you do choose to give a wedding MC Speech. As with the jokes, you’ll need to memorize twice as much material as you’ll actually use during the speech, because you can rest assured you’ll hit a hiccup and forget something you were going to use. Treat this like you did an exam in school. It’s well worth the preparation and learning things by rote until you can recite your speech backwards and standing on your head. A wedding MC speech is not actually a part of the traditional wedding toasts so don’t feel compelled to write an epic novel. Just keep things simple.
To save overly embarrassing the bride and groom or members of their family, get your material straight from the source. Sit down with them and go over funny stories that you can use without them feeling that you’re overstepping the mark. You shouldn’t go this part alone and it’s much easier to get stories from the bride, groom or their families instead of making it all up yourself.
I’ve listed below a number of key points that will make up your duties as a Wedding emcee.
You’ll be expected to do some, if not all of the below, and as always, if you have any problems or are not sure of exactly what you’re expected to do, be on the safe side and ask the bride and groom at your pre-wedding planning meeting. Also note that the exact order of doing things can differ and is not rigid. Again, you’ll need to go through these points with the bride and groom. The traditional order of wedding speeches is no longer necessarily adhered to and may sometimes be got rid of altogether. It really is up to the bride and groom how they want the speeches to proceed so you’ll have to be flexible.
Just remember that it is your duty to confer with those giving speeches on the day. Give a gentle reminder of time constraints, try to calm any nerves and impress upon them that overly crude stories will probably not be welcomed. Also try to ascertain the content to ensure that the same similar stories are not repeated.
I’ve also listed some resources that are well worth the small investment to help your day as a Wedding MC really go well. You’ll see that there’s nothing to worry about as long as you take the time to think things through and plan well before the occasion. Good luck and enjoy!
Wedding MC Duties
Before Dinner
- Checking the audio and microphone set-up for speeches before the arrival of the guests
- Introducing yourself and welcoming and ushering of the guests to the pre-reception refreshments
- Introduction of the bride and groom to the reception (This is often done to music which should be chosen by the bride and groom)
- Ushering of special guests such as close family and friends of the bride and groom to their dinner tables
- Announcing dinner to be served and seating arrangements and sending guests through the receiving line
- Introducing the person saying grace before dinner
After dinner
- Introducing the parties at the head table to the guests
- Introducing the person who will toast the bride (usually the father of the bride)
- Introducing the reply toast of the father of the bride (if he didn’t toast the bride)
- Introduction of the groom’s speech
- Proposing of toasts to the bride and groom’s families
- Introducing the Best Man’s speech
- Relating messages of thanks from the bride and groom
- Acknowledgement of guests and especially those who have travelled far
- Alerting the guests to the cutting of the wedding cake
- Announcing the after dinner refreshment arrangements
- Introducing the bride and groom’s dance and inviting guests to dance afterwards
- Announcing the throwing of the bride’s bouquet
- Announcing the departure of the bride and groom
