48 habits top wedding MCs have (but never talk about)

1. Remember your responsibilities: to bring order to the event, to energize the audience and to encourage the event to flow.

              

          BEFORE THE DAY

2. Meet the couple before the wedding day.

3. Ask the couple or the event organizer to nominate one person to be your coordinator during the reception.

4. Write notes of what transpires during the meeting.

5. Email a record of what was discussed to the couple and event organizer.

6. Get a draft program of the reception.

7. Ask for the chairman’s profile if you are the one to do the introduction.

8. Visit the reception venue before the big day to familiarize yourself with the layout of the space (location of the high table, entrances and exits).

         

          THE NIGHT BEFORE

9. Get your clothes, shoes, accessories, business cards and notes ready for the following day.

10. Sleep early.

         

          BEFORE THE RECEPTION

11. Attend the religious service and observe everything.

12. Head over to the reception venue in good time so you can prepare sufficiently before the reception begins.

13. Meet with the members of your event team: the coordinator, venue manager, DJ, ushers, waiters, caterer and security.

14. Call your team members by name instead of referring to them by their roles.

15. Give a copy of the program to all your team members.

16. Go over the program with the event coordinator.

17. Be on friendly but professional terms with DJs.

18. Establish a signal with the DJ so he automatically lowers the music when you have to talk.

19. Welcome the early guests and thank them for attending.

20. Pass out your business cards as you introduce yourself.

21. Ensure that the ushers seat guests at their assigned places.

22. Get the waiters to serve guests with cold drinks before the bridal party arrives.

23. Make sure the people responsible for the opening prayer and introducing the chairman are present.

24. Check from the DJ whether the couple has selected a particular song to herald their entrance.

         

         DURING THE RECEPTION

25. Be at least 2 steps ahead of the program so you can improvise when unexpected changes occur.

26. Ask the guests to stand up and clap to welcome the couple when they make their entrance.

27. Make sure you mention the person’s place of worship if the opening prayer is by a religious official.

28. Introduce the chairman briefly using the P- E-N formula to inform guests of the person’s credentials (Profession-Experience-Name).

29. Politely tell the DJ to change the music or lower the volume if the occasion demands it.

30. Read out the names of the champagne popping team 2 or 3 times before inviting them to do their work.

31. Remember whose day it is: the couple’s. You are not the star of the event.

32. Make positive comments about the beautiful bride and her handsome husband.

33. Make frequent announcements pointing out the location of the gift table and encouraging guests to give their presents to the people at the table.

34. Make sure the caterer is ready before you invite guests to eat.

35. Invite the bridal party to serve themselves first.

36. Invite those closest to the buffet table to serve themselves and then spread out towards those further and further from the buffet table.

37. Make sure guests have their glasses before the champagne bottles are popped open.

38. Tell the person who opens the first bottle of champagne to serve the bridal party.

39. Encourage guests to clap after the proposal of toast and the response to the toast.

40. Ask the bride if she has a special song for the couple’s first dance and check with the DJ if it’s available.

41. Invite the guests to join in the dancing after the first dance is over.

42. Be prepared to persuade someone to dance with you if guests are shy about joining the couple to dance.

43. Make several announcements for all the single ladies to get ready for the bouquet toss.

44. Make the bouquet toss dramatic.

45. Ask for a Vote of Thanks only if you have to end the reception.

46. End the reception by thanking the audience for accepting the invitation.

 

         AFTER THE RECEPTION

47. Join the bridal party when they line up to greet departing guests – if you didn’t handle the reception well, this is no time to slink away home.

48. Pass out your business cards once again.

 

P.S. Want more tips? Go to www.HowToMCanyEvent.com to get my eBook

11 Questions Every Event Organizer Should Ask

Are you an event organizer? Want to hire an MC? Here are 11 questions you should ask potential candidates. The reasons for the questions are in brackets.

1. Are you available?

2. What is your fee (To determine if you can afford their fees)

3. When can you meet us to discuss the program? (Determines their readiness to consider the job; the sooner the date the better)

4. When was the last event you emceed? (To see if they are actively working or living on past glories; competent MCs are usually busy)

5. How many events like this one have you handled? (To gauge their experience)

6. What do you think is your role? (To see if they understand their role which among others is to control the event, introduce speakers, provide smooth links in the program and bring energy to the event)

7. Why do you think you should get the job? (What sets them apart from their competition?)

8. What kind of information do you need for the job? (Background to the event, draft program, speaker profiles)

9. How early will you get here on the day of the event? (At least an hour before arrival of guests is a good answer)

10. By what other means can we reach you? (Second phone number, email address)

11. Do you have any questions? (To cover anything that was missed in the previous questions)

Why getting wet is bad for you

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

This is the Serenity Prayer by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It could as well be the Master of Ceremonies’ motto when things are just not going to plan. The most important tool you can ever have in your toolkit is the right attitude. You need it to handle all the ups and downs that are typical of the profession. Some things you will have the power to control, others will remain firmly out of your power. How you handle the elements you cannot control is critical if you want to make your event a success.

Imagine you have been hired to MC a garden birthday party. 150 guests have been invited. You arrived at the venue in good time. The decorator has transformed the garden into a paradise of green, white and silver. The musicians are lounging around after a successful sound check. The caterer is arranging the platters on the buffet table. The bartender is lining up an assortment of bottles of liqueur. The DJ is snapping his fingers as he mixes in another smooth jazz tune. All is set for a night of celebration. Then… Out of the sky…a single drop.

That’s not rain is it?

The event organizer looks up, clearly concerned. Most of the tables have been set out in the open. True, it has been grey all day but the forecast said nothing about showers. The first guests are due in fifteen minutes. From a few drops, the light drizzle turns into a steady downpour. This is the kind of rain that can last for hours. Now the organizer is in prayer mode seeking a spiritual intervention to make the rain go away.

You are the MC. You are in charge. What do you do?

Take Action & Reassure

Since you cannot control the weather, worrying about it will not help. Your only course of action is to concern yourself with what you can change, and that is the venue.

Suggest to the event organizer that you move the party away from the rain. This could be the veranda or even indoors. Think about it. What is the most important element of a party? The food and drinks? The entertainment? Maybe. But nothing really happens without the people. They are the central element. Wherever the people are, that is where the party will be happening.

So reassure the organizer that in spite of the rain, it is still going to be a great event. Take the unexpected change of venue in your stride. Your guests will be thankful for not getting soaked. They will be grateful you thought about their welfare. If the rain continues, stay under the shelter and get on with the show. But if it eases up, by all means get back outside and party!

I once hosted a garden wedding reception which was being threatened by rain. To ease tension, I asked if there were any prayer warriors around who could pray for dry weather. A man stepped forward and declared that he had just finished praying – we had just an hour to complete the reception before the heavens would pour down. True to his word, as soon as the event was over, a rainstorm sent all of us scampering for shelter. How our prayer warrior achieved what he did is probably a topic for another book.

“Don’t worry about the weather or the government.” — Italian proverb

How to draw up a Program fast (2 of 5)

Opening Prayer

Most social events in Africa start with ‘Opening Prayer’. Corporate events may or may not open with a prayer. Check with your client or the event organizer to see what the culture is. Do not try to force an opening prayer into the program. If the lack of it offends your sensibilities, remember you are a professional with a job to do, not a religious referee.

A state function will start with the national anthem when the president gets onto the dais after which the opening prayers are said. Some state functions in Africa will incorporate Christian, Muslim and traditional prayers so make sure you allocate enough time to cater for them.

Purpose of Gathering

The ‘Purpose of Gathering’ tells the audience what the event is about and why it is important for the audience. Often, the MC speaks on this item but sometimes a person closely connected with the event may deliver remarks on the purpose of gathering. If the organizers want you to be responsible for this part of the program, make sure you get a prior in-depth briefing so you can speak with authority.