How To Be A Wedding MC
How could I feel so excited one minute and then absolutely terrified the next? Easy, my niece had just asked me to be the wedding mc at her forthcoming nuptials. That sudden burst of pride was replaced by panic. I was left thinking "what exactly does a wedding mc do".
A wedding mc (emcee) is the Master of Ceremonies for the reception and as such his or her role (yes, you can get a female wedding mc) is to ensure all the events at the reception flow.
A wedding mc's duties will normally include:
1. welcoming the guests to the reception;
2. introducing the parents of the bride and groom and the bridal party;
3. announcing the arrival of the bride and groom;
4. introducing the speakers, and thanking them afterwards;
5. reading any telegrams of congratulations;
6. inviting the happy couple to cut the wedding cake;
6. raising a toast to the bride and groom;
8. inviting the happy couple to take the floor for the first dance of the evening;
9. encouraging all the other guests to take to the dance floor;
10. encouraging the guests to mix, this may include organizing some party games;
11. staging the throwing of the bridal bouquet;
12. organizing the farewell circle and any guard of honor;
13. announcing the departure of the bride and groom;
14. if wedding gifts have been on displaying at the reception, ensuring they're all packed away; and
15. closing the evening by thanking everyone for coming and wishing them a safe journey home.
Okay, that's what a wedding mc does but I still didn't know "how" to do it. Despite the reassurances of the bride-to-be I knew I needed help if the reception, and my niece's big day, was going to be a resounding success.
I think I'm a fairly good social mixer but could I tell jokes? Did I know any jokes? How do you make the various events flow rather than seem regimented? How was I going to cope with nerves?
I so wanted the guests to have a memorable evening but I didn't want to be the memorable story (with people recalling all the things that went wrong).
I did some research and found the "Wedding Toasts Made Easy & The Wedding MC" book package. This was just what I needed. It was jam packed with information. In fact, everything I needed to know about how to mc a wedding. With every page I turned, I was feeling more positive. I knew that, if I followed the tips and advice in this book I COULD be a wedding mc.
Result? Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. So many people said, genuinely I think, that it what the best wedding party they'd been to. And yes, I enjoyed it too. In fact, I had a great time being the wedding mc.
Tom Whiteford
p.s. I've been able to take some of the skills I learned in the "Wedding Toasts Made Easy & The Wedding MC" book package and use them at work. My boss has commented on how professional my presentations are and I've been getting great feedback from clients and colleagues. That book has really been worth its weight in gold!