The MC is the Master of Ceremonies for your wedding day. This role, often doubled by your DJ, involves a variety of duties and is essentially the “host” for the reception. This person is responsible for providing the bride and groom support by assuring that the events of the day run smoothly, as a wedding has many different moving parts. To accomplish these tasks the MC will make announcements to guests and vendors, ensuring that everybody is well informed and where they need to be when they need to be there.
What are some specific announcements an MC might make?
The MC will introduce the wedding party and wedding couple to the reception hall, announce cake cutting, release tables for dinner, organize and introduce toasts, welcome special dances to the dance floor such as first dance, father/daughter and mother/son dances, last call at the bar, the last song of the night and any special instructions for an exit.
What makes a good Wedding MC?
A good MC will speak clearly, know how to talk on a microphone, have an adequate sound system for the room they are in, dress appropriately for the wedding and always approach the mic with positivity.
Do you need an MC at your wedding?
Here in Wichita, Kansas I’ve never seen somebody besides the DJ function as an MC but I know that some people do hire or volunteer a family or friend to take the role. I could see that at a very simple wedding reception with just a dinner and small group of people that the possibility of an MC may not be necessary. In most cases, however, I do highly recommend an MC to facilitate the flow of the evening and make sure guests are well informed so things don’t get boring or stale. Speaking for my market, if you are hiring a DJ I would also consider their experience and capabilities as an MC. There are so many roles that a wedding DJ provides besides rocking the party.
My Style of MCing
I think the important thing for an MC is to be themselves. Long gone are the days of somebody talking in a fake “announcer” voice. Although you do want to speak clearly and with projection, your own voice almost always works best. Some MC’s are very energetic, like to get out in the crowd and can be very entertaining. Kudos to those who can pull it off but more often than not it doesn’t land with guests.. My style of MCing is pretty straight and to the point. I only talk on the microphone if I need to. I find that talking too much or announcing things that don’t really need to be announced makes the guests lose trust in you and they don’t pay attention when you talk. There might be some MC’s out there that are good at cracking jokes but I’ve found that for the most part, guests are not impressed with whatever the DJ thinks might be funny at the moment. I stay away from it. It goes a long way to speak slowly and wait 2 or 3 seconds after your initial “ladies and gentlemen” to continue with what you are going to say. I almost always repeat what I said and end with a “thank you”.
Side Note
During the dance, especially if things are going well on the dance floor, think really hard whether or not you really want to have your DJ/MC announce something that will lead your guests off of the dance floor.