What does a wedding MC do?

When someone asks you to MC their wedding, they’re handing you the part of the day they have the least control over. They’ve spent months on the venue, the food and the playlist, and on the night they’ll be sitting at the bridal table with no way of steering any of it. You’re the one who steers it for them.

The job in one paragraph

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 and nobody is left wondering what’s going on. 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 stay out of the logistics.

What the guests need from you

They need to know what’s happening. People relax when they know when dinner is coming, when the speeches are on, where the toilets are and how they’re getting home.

They need to feel welcome. Plenty of people will only know one half of the couple. A good MC talks to the whole room as though everyone belongs there.

They need the night to keep moving. Receptions lose their energy in the gaps: the twenty minutes where nothing seems to be happening, or the speech that runs fifteen minutes over. Keeping the night flowing is your job.

The duties, in order

• Meet the couple six to eight weeks out to learn the plan, the people and the stories
• Get the run sheet and fill in your part of it
• Brief every speaker on their slot and their time limit
• Write your script and rehearse it
• Arrive early on the day, meet the venue coordinator and the DJ or band, and do a sound check
• Welcome the guests and do the housekeeping
• Introduce the bridal party and the couple
• Introduce each speaker, and take the microphone back afterwards
• Call the cake cutting, the first dance and any special dances
• Make the practical announcements, like dessert, last drinks and transport
• Keep the night on time, and make the call when something changes
• Close the night and send the couple off

What isn’t your job

You’re not the celebrant. In Australia, the ceremony is run by an authorised marriage celebrant or minister, and there are words they’re legally required to say. In the UK it’s a registrar or the officiant at a religious ceremony. Unless the couple asks you to do something before or after the ceremony, it belongs to the celebrant.

You’re not the wedding planner. The planner or the venue’s function manager looks after the suppliers, the setup, the seating chart and the day as a whole.

You’re not the DJ. The DJ or band runs the music and usually the sound system. Agree early who makes which announcements.

You’re not the entertainment. The speakers, the couple and the dance floor are the entertainment. Set them up, then get out of the way.

Who you’ll work with

Person	What you need from them
The couple	Their wishes, a check-in before each part of the night, and a decision only when one is really needed.
Venue coordinator	The food timing, which drives everything else.
Planner, if there is one	The latest run sheet, and who to go to when something changes.
DJ or band	Song cues, a working microphone and an agreed signal.
Photographer	Nothing, except that they’ll love a heads-up before each big moment.
Speakers	To be in the room when called, keep to time, and hand the mic back to you.

When the job starts

The job starts the day you say yes. Most of the work happens in the six to eight weeks before the wedding, which is good news, because preparation is the part you control completely. The night goes well for MCs who’ve done the groundwork, and very little of it comes down to being a natural.