How to MC a wedding

So someone has asked you to MC their wedding. It’s a genuine compliment, because couples think hard about who gets the microphone. It’s also completely normal to feel a bit sick about it.

The good news is that MC’ing well has very little to do with natural talent. It comes down to preparation, a few good habits and a plan for when things go sideways. Here’s the whole job in one page.

Know what the job actually is

The MC is the host of the reception. You welcome the guests, tell them what’s happening and when, introduce the people who walk in and the people who speak, and move the night from one part to the next so it runs roughly on time. You’re also the person the venue, the DJ or band and the photographer come to when they need a decision, so the couple can enjoy their own wedding.

It helps just as much to know what isn’t your job. You’re not the celebrant: in Australia the ceremony belongs to the authorised celebrant, who has to say certain words for the marriage to be legal. You’re not the planner, so the flowers, the buses and the seating chart aren’t yours. And you’re not the entertainment. The speakers and the dance floor are the entertainment, and your job is to set them up and get out of the way. There’s more on this in what a wedding MC does.

Sit down with the couple

About six to eight weeks out, book a proper catch-up with the couple over a drink. You’re after four things:

• The plan. The running order, who’s speaking and in what order, the songs, the traditions they want and the ones they definitely don’t.
• The people. Who’s in the bridal party, which family members need care, and who can make decisions on the night if you can’t reach the couple.
• The stories. How they met, the proposal, what their friends tease them about. This is where your best material comes from.
• The no-go zones. Exes, family tension, divorced parents, people who’ve died. You don’t need the full story, just where the edges are.

Record every name you’ll need to say, and how to say it. Getting someone’s name wrong at their own wedding is the mistake people remember.

Learn the running order

Most Australian receptions follow the same shape: canapés while the couple has photos, guests seated, your welcome, the entrances, the entrée, a round of speeches, the main, another round of speeches, the cake and the first dance, then the dance floor. The food drives everything, which is why the venue coordinator is your best friend on the night.

There’s a full sample timeline, with the reasons behind it, in the wedding MC run sheet guide.

Write it down

A script is what lets you relax, look up from the page and enjoy the room. Write everything you’ll say, in order, and keep it short. Put the name last when you introduce someone, because the name is the room’s cue to clap. Carry it on numbered cue cards, not your phone. Learn your first three sentences by heart, because that’s where the nerves hit hardest.

You can borrow a word-for-word wedding MC script and change it until it sounds like you.

Brief the speakers

If anything goes wrong at a reception, it’s most likely during the speeches. About three weeks out, contact every speaker and tell them where they are in the order, roughly when they’re on, and how long they’ve got. Three to five minutes is plenty for most speeches. On the night, find each speaker during the canapés, give them a five-minute warning before they’re on, and show them how to hold the microphone.

Get the microphone right

If the room can’t hear you, nothing else matters. Hold the microphone just below your chin, about two fingers from your lips. Keep it there when you turn your head. And stay behind the speakers, because walking out in front of them is what causes feedback. There’s a whole guide on how to hold a microphone, written by someone who designs them.

Arrive early and be the person

Get to the reception at least an hour before the guests. Meet the venue coordinator, the DJ or band and the photographer, do a sound check, and walk the room so you know where the toilets, the bar and the exits are.

Then, on the night, be the person who makes the call. When the couple are late back from photos or the kitchen is running behind, someone needs to work out the options and take the couple one short question with a recommendation attached. If there’s no planner doing that, it’s you.

Keep it light, and keep it moving

You don’t need to be funny to be a great MC, but a little humour goes a long way. Use specific details about the couple and the day, keep inside jokes to one at most, and steer clear of exes, money and anything you wouldn’t say in front of the couple’s nan. The wedding MC jokes guide has more.

Go easy on the drinks until the formal part of the night is done, check in with the couple before each new part of the night, and remember that some things will run late. That’s normal. Your job is to keep the night moving and quietly nudge it back on schedule.