Master of Ceremonies

You may have been asked to be the Master of Ceremonies (MC) at a friend or family member’s wedding, or maybe you’re considering hiring a professional MC at your own wedding. So, what does an MC do?

The main role of the Master (or Mistress) of Ceremonies is to co-ordinate the ceremonial part of the wedding celebrations – namely the speeches and cutting of the cake – and to do whatever else is necessary to make the reception run smoothly. This usually entails liaising with the venue’s staff about catering and serving requirements (ie which tables eat when), calling the guests together for speeches, introducing the key players and calmly handling any little drama that may come up (eg lost and wailing children; Grandad’s teeth in the fountain – you know how it is!)

For those who’ve been asked to be an MC, and to reassure the bridal couple, let me set the scene and take you through a typical scenario.

The wedding has been held earlier and guests are now arriving at the reception. They will mix and mingle, catch up with old friends, and meet new family, before enjoying the wedding feast, speeches and ensuing fun.

You, as the MC, will be already at the reception to meet and greet the guests, making sure they have refreshments, and explaining which table they’ll be sitting at for the meal and where to put presents and cards etc. Eventually, the bride and groom arrive to rapturous applause and more personal congratulations.

The venue’s catering manager catches your eye and give you a pre-arranged signal that you they are all set, and the food is ready to serve.

You stand somewhere very obvious (say, beside the top table where the bridal party will sit), give a fairly sturdy wine glass several sharp taps wit a fork to get everyone’s attention, and announce in a booming voice (being an MC is not for the timidly spoken):

“Hello, everybody. I’m your MC for today, as I think most of you know. Right now we’re about to start the meal, so if you could please take your seats. And, for those who haven’t already found them, the toilets are out the door and to the right…’

Once everyone is seated, you can tap the glass again, get up and announce the order of events.

‘We’ll be having entrees, followed by the main course. And after that, we can all sit back and enjoy the wedding speeches.

These will be followed by a leisurely dessert, some relaxation, music and dancing… and a bit later on we’ll adjourn to the foyer to read out some messages and formally cut the cake.’

You get the ideas. The meal then gets into full swing…

Fast forward to the end of the main course

By now, everyone is feeling replete and relaxed, having caught up on each other’s news, views, illnesses and children. There’s the general contented burble of conversation and laughter, and now it’s time for the speeches.

As MC, you main role now is to warm up the audience and briefly introduce each speaker. Above all else, you call for and lead the applause as each nervous speaker gets up to start their speech.

Another important tip – rather than just announce the beginning of the speeches, it’s a good idea to say:

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the wedding speeches are about to begin… so please make sure you’re sitting where you can see, your glasses are full for all the toasts…and we’ll begin in a couple of minutes.’

Now, allow a good 10 minutes for toilet visits, preparation of cameras, and moving of furniture etc. Once everyone is fairly settled – you’re on!

In a nutshell!

Get to know each speaker so you can introduce them with a few sincere, well-chosen words
Give the audience plenty of warning when the speeches are about to begin
Be brief, positive and enthusiastic – how you feel about the speaker is how the audience will feel
Remember to call for the applause, having done each introduction
Lead the applause yourself. This is important – the audience will happily follow.
Thank each speaker, and segue smoothly to the next speaker
Be ready and willing to help organise other aspects of the wedding and reception
Be prepared for anything that might happen – it will!
And finally, enjoy yourself. You’ll be great!