The idea of the MC is often a forgotten piece of the puzzle when it comes to your wedding day. A model MC guides your audience through the event and allows you to enjoy and absorb the moment you have been so busily preparing for! Automatically people see assigning an MC as a burden, an effort for one of their loved guests. But that is not the case at all! With all of our wedding planning experience, we are here to chat you through some important tips and tricks when organising the MC for your next event.
MC or Master of Ceremonies: The official host of the event! Someone who addresses the crowd and announces throughout the evening.
Should you hire an MC or have a friend do the job?
When it comes to choosing an MC, there are two schools of thought, using a professional MC or someone you know. A professional hired MC brings the benefit of experience and added polish when it comes to performing in front of a crowd. Plus there is an increase in multi-talented MC’s! It’s not uncommon to have hired MC’s that can also DJ or play live music in between their MC duties. Which can give you extra bang for your buck. Hey Jack are the perfect example of this! With the option for their talented DJ’s to take on the MC duties of the night. The flip-side can be because they are not as familiar with you and your partner specifically, say like a friend or loved one, you might find those funny and cute little anecdotes about you both missing. There’s nothing like a good tale at the couples expense to get the crowd involved! But a great professional MC (like Hey Jack) will make the effort to get to know you so this isn’t noticeable to your guests. And hey, you might just gain a friend!
Julia and James chose the perfect MC for their day, Julia’s brother Adrian. How could you not be confident leading a crowd in that suit!
Using a friend or family member carries the strength of familiarity and comfort for you and your guests. Generally by using someone you know it allows them to engage the audience in a more casual way, which can help make the room a much more comfortable atmosphere. It is a day celebrating love after all! But it’s important to make sure this friend or family member is confident and captivating when leading the crowd. We all have that one friend that springs to mind, and it’s usually for a reason! So making sure they are comfortable in front of your guests and crowds is a must!
Now let’s talk tips and tricks!
Word up your MC prior to the event
You wouldn’t start a job without finding out what is involved first! The same goes for anyone with the wonderful duty of MC. A helpful tip is to meet up with your MC prior to the event and let them know what you’re looking for. This will help them plan accordingly, and also help them be aware of anything different you might be throwing their way! Allowing them a copy of your run sheet is must-have to let them know the flow and timings of the day. Also, take this time to go through the pronunciation of everyone’s names. There is nothing worse than the awkward pause as someone struggles to sound out a name in their mind. You want them to feel confident and informed as they introduce everyone. From there it is up to the MC’s intuition and their ability to gauge the audience early to find the right kind of humour. Like anything, everything is good in moderation and humour is no different!
Dana’s brother Aiden was ready for anything during their Bridal party entrance, even an impromptu selfie!
Humour!
It is safe to say everyone wants an MC that has humour in their artillery. What is more satisfying than seeing all of your guests laughing and beaming up at you. Knowing they are having fun and enjoying your wedding day! A great MC can be the key to make this happen! Ensuring they are weaving thoughtful and inclusive jokes throughout the night really gets the audience involved and livens up the room. But keep in mind it’s important to stay equal when talking about the loved up couple. The MC wants to ensure they are providing equal attention to both you and your partner. When executed well, this converts the room from two sides of different families & friends into one big happy family!
Antionette’s brothers Matt and Jono had the whole room laughing. Who said you can’t have two MC’s?
Get yourself a fabulous on the day coordinator
A valuable sidekick for the MC is a quality on the day coordinator. As with many things, it’s the little things you don’t notice that allow everything to run smoothly. An on the day coordinator prides themselves on making sure this happens! Their role in helping ensure the many background activities are running like clockwork provides the MC with an opportunity to put their energy into entertaining the crowd. Allowing for an epic and flowing event to take place! If choosing a loved one as your MC, having an on the day coordinator also allows them to still be a guest! After all, they must be pretty special to you to have received such an important role in your day. So leave the on the day coordinator to worry about run sheets and timings. Your MC can relax with a drink knowing that the coordinator will come and find them when it’s time to grab the mic! If you want to know more we have an amazing blog going into the importance of an on the day coordinator which you can find here!
Find yourself an MC that creates this vibe for your Bridal entrance! Kristyn and Adam dancing their way into The Wool Mill‘s feasting hall.
To help you decide on the path you choose to take, you cannot really go wrong with either option! If you’d like a more formal MC who can move seamlessly through the night a hired MC may be the way to go. This obviously comes at a cost but you have a bit more control on what you are getting. On the other hand, if you’re keen on a slightly more personable and relaxed tone for the night, that friend who you feel has a good knack for public speaking may be worth reaching out to! You may just need to shout them a drink or two!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Nudo acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises their continuing connection to the land. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders both past, present and emerging.
Nudo is a dynamic team of planners and designers (and shoulders to lean on), effortlessly guiding you through your wedding journey step by step. Taking the time to understand your vision and what matters most, whilst also taking care of the million small (and sometimes tedious) details that you don’t have the time for. And when the day comes, we bring it all together to create the kind of experience your guests will rave about for years.
If you’re looking for a wedding planner and stylist in Melbourne and would love a team of dreamers and doers on your side to guide you through the journey step by step, drinking glasses of bubbles, and making wedding planning fun, then head to our contact page to chat to one of our friendly team.