The MC (Master of Ceremonies) for your wedding reception plays a very important role in the flow of the entire evening. The MC has to ensure the wedding reception starts and continues on time and has smooth transitions between each occurrence. Additional responsibilities are making sure to lead your guests away from a cocktail reception to the reception, making announcements for the arrival of the bride and groom, announcing the serving of dinner, the cutting of the wedding cake, the banquet toss, the garter toss and any other aspect of your reception.

Once you choose the MC for your wedding reception, give them this article to get advice on how to do a great job.  To the MCs: If you are unable to keep track of the various events, you will lose the guests as well as the bride and groom.  Make sure you’re adequately prepared and take our experienced advice…

Preparation

Talk to the bride and groom prior to the wedding day to find out more about their interest and perform accordingly to their wishes. Get an itinerary or schedule of occurrences for the reception program so you can be aware of what’s going on. Think about how to keep your guests entertained so that they can remember you as the best wedding MC and may refer you to other weddings.  If you come across any names that you are not sure of, ask the bride or groom in regards to pronunciation.

Make them Laugh

Making the bride and groom laugh is your main responsibility and the easiest way to keep them entertained. Try to come up with a couple of wedding jokes or play some wedding games. You can also remind people of their favorite TV shows and bring up spoofs from those episodes. When you run out of jokes or games, you can always turn your microphone to the bride or groom’s friends and family members as they are all good sources for stories about the couple. Make sure your jokes are appropriate for all the guests including the bride and groom’s parents, kids, and elderly guests as well. Never tell any stories about a previous relationship that the bride or groom has had – even as a joke, it’s not going to be funny on their wedding day.  Feel free to over-exaggerate stories to illicit a reaction out of the bride and groom or the guests.

Checklist

• Obtain background information of the bride and groom will help you with your performance during the wedding reception
• Gather background information about the wedding speakers will help you introduce them at the wedding reception such as their relationship to the bride and groom, how they know them, and how long they’ve known them for
• Prepare the wedding reception notes, NOT line by line details, that will help you keep track of the various events running on time
• Prepare the wedding MC’s run sheet which consists of the name of the wedding speakers and other detailed information than the wedding reception agenda
• Prepare your material such as wedding jokes and wedding games
• Check the reception venue set up to ensure that the venue is properly done before the wedding guests arrive, feel free to contact the wedding coordinator or hotel catering manager to obtain a layout of the venue for that night
• Make sure your dress code is presentable and that you look happy to be there

As a wedding MC, you have to be calm and prepared for the unexpected issues because it is a live event and things can go wrong and additions can be made.  The biggest thing is that you need to look and feel confident and be ready to have fun.  If the guests get the vibe that you don’t want to be there, it will reflect in your performance.  Enjoy your own entertainment!