How to MC a wedding
The time has come, your friend or family member is getting married and you have received the call to ask, “will you be our MC?”. You gladly accept, excited and honoured to be asked, the phone call ends and then the panic sets in. You begin to think, “Oh no, how do I MC a wedding?”. You start to think of all of the times you attended weddings, what was funny and what was strangely out of place. Then you search Google for “How to MC a wedding”, this blog appears and you feel an overwhelming feeling of relief, because now you will know how to MC a wedding by the end of this blog.
The MC’s role on the night
As MC, or Master of Ceremonies, you basically have two main jobs:
Announce the bride and groom, speakers and bridal party members
Help keep the night’s proceedings to time
How you do these two things is completely up to you, which brings us to the golden rule: “Just be you”. If you are not a naturally funny person, don’t feel the pressure to be funny.
Keep your cool, check-in with the DJ, Photographers and other suppliers on the night to let them know you are about to announce something and remember to enjoy yourself.
The MC has to announce these moments during a wedding
Throughout a standard/classic wedding, the following moments are usually announced by the MC.
The bridal party entrance
This is the first official duty of the MC. Just before you get everyone up and ready to cheer the bridal party in, introduce yourself and go through the housekeeping. This is where you let the guest know about the smoking area, emergency exit and the location of the toilet for any guests who are yet to find them.
The speeches
The speeches usually form around the meals of the night. Most nights look like this:
Bridal party entrance
Entree is served
First round of speeches (usually the Father of the Groom and the Father of the Bride)
Main meal is served
Second round of speeches (Maid of Honour, Best Man, Groom)
Cake Cutting
First Dance
Second round of speeches (Maid of Honour, Best Man, Groom)
This is the time to shine. As MC, you will introduce the bridal party up to the mic so they can make their speech. Always make sure the photographers know before this is about to happen so they can prepare. Before you introduce the speakers, you can give a mini introduction about who each person is and sometimes tell an interesting story to help warm the crowd up.
Cake cutting
At this moment, you will bring the happy couple up to cut the cake. Make sure the guests stay seated for the photos, then you can introduce the guests up to take photos when ready.
First dance
Depending on how the room is set up, you may have to bring guests up to the dance floor or get everyone to sit down. At this stage of the night, the alcohol has been flowing and the guests are likely getting rowdy. Ensure you round up the smokers and stragglers and give the guests a 5 minute heads up if there are a lot of them moving around. Once the room is settled, introduce the bride and groom to the dance floor and then invite the guests to join when suitable.
Bouquet toss
If this goes ahead, you just have to round up the single ladies and bring them to the dance floor. Then comes the 3,2,1 countdown for the bride to toss her bouquet into the crowd.
End of the night
The night has now come to a close. As your final duty, it is to bring everyone back to the dance floor for one last song, so the couple can say goodbye to all of their guests.
Tips for an MC
After seeing many MCs on the mic, the crew at Majestic Wedding DJs recommend the following for anyone taking the MC role on the night:
Match the energy or ‘be the energy’ on the night. Your tone and excitement will make the night, so make sure you have fun.
Be loud and clear. Many MCs speak softly and get shy. Take a breath and make sure you are nice and loud so nana in the back can hear you.
Keep the suppliers in the know. Communicate with the people who are working on the night. They will help make your life easier and you will be helping them when you let them know when you are about to introduce a moment during the night.
Don’t get too drunk. A sober MC is a good MC. If you want to get on the drink, pass the mic to the DJ after the first dance has commenced and you will be able to party on.
Your professional Perth MCs and DJs
Majestic Wedding DJs have spent the decade MCing and DJing weddings in Perth. If you are looking to have a wedding reception that runs smoothly and has the dance floor moving, then drop us a request on our booking page.