Part two of our 'Nailing the Speech' series - for the wedding hosts. A vital role that keeps proceedings moving and the guests informed all night.
“emcee”
ɛmˈsiː/
informal - noun
1. a master of ceremonies.
Depending on who you are, you’ll have a different name for this role. Some call it the ‘MC’ or ‘emcee’ which is short for Master of Ceremonies (some more formal people and occasions will use this terminology). If you’re engaging a professional they may even refer to themselves as a compère, though that is unlikely.
Just make sure you aren’t thinking about being the freestyle of MC and start floating rhymes on the mic. It’s highly likely to be a disaster. Remember the key rule - don’t be a dick.
No matter what you happen to call it, the MC is an important role both functionally and in terms of the feel of the event. This is worth considering for grooms when they’re discussing options with the brides, as well as obviously worth noting if you happen to be the MC for your friend’s wedding.
The primary role of the wedding MC is to keep the function moving, and to make sure all guests are aware of what’s happening, what’s coming up, where they need to be and when they need to be there. Often times guests will be milling about in groups and may need to be marshalled to get into the ceremony or reception as large groups can be hard to wrangle. These times are usually without a microphone so you’ll have to be clear, loud and concise with your directions.
Shortly after the ceremony, if the bridal party have taken off for photos it will be up to you to inform the guests of the expected time frame that they’ll be away, what’s happening with the food and beverage situation at the reception as well as perhaps other details on how to get there, if it’s at another site. As long as all of the guests have the right information, everyone will be happy.
When the time comes to get the reception rolling, you’ll be kicking things off. You may have to introduce all of the bridal party in couples as they enter the party - get into the spirit of it and make sure you’re connected with the music or DJ to ensure you’re on the same page. Also check in with the bridal party to confirm what order they’re entering, although you’re likely to have gone over this at the rehearsal if there was one.
Your ‘speech’ of course will be broken up into snippets throughout the night rather than in one long go. So work in with the bride and groom to figure out exactly how many times you’ll be speaking throughout the evening and go from there - you don’t really want to be speaking for more than a minute at a time, so short stories about the bride or groom (or both) or a joke that relates to love and marriage, and it’s time to move on. You may not be the absolute star of the show, but you do have an opportunity to perform one of the most memorable roles, so put in these little bits of groundwork and it will pay off.
Key tips for the MC
- Think about a beginning, middle and end to your snippets and perhaps tie them together.
- Ask the bride and groom to see if they can provide you with some humour or insight about each speaker, this allows you to perhaps be a little harsher than you normally would, but blame the newlyweds.
- Don’t talk for too long, but maintain a ‘point’ to each of your snippets. If you’re too shy or timid to even say a few words about the next speaker or your friends, perhaps consider not taking the role.
- You should be the best ‘informed’ person at the wedding, so expect to answer questions throughout the evening.
- At the end of the speeches, say a quick thanks and let everyone know what’s happening for the rest of the evening (cake cutting, first dance etc) before signing off
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To read part 3 of our 'Nailing the Speech' series, CLICK HERE