All Things Wedding MC

You spend hours of time, loads of energy, and a lot of money making sure your wedding day will be perfect. As you work to bring your plans together, your wedding will begin to develop a personality. Usually the personality your wedding takes on is a reflection of your own. As the primary source of communication to all wedding attendees, a professional MC conveys this personality to everyone. Though this person will bring their own unique charisma to the table, it is important to find a professional who will accurately represent you, your fiance, and your wedding vision! Follow this guide to make sure you feel confident in the MC you select!

This guide is divided into 3 sections:

Things to know and consider prior to booking a wedding MC
Questions to ask an MC prior to booking
Ways to maximize your MC’s services

Things to know and consider prior to booking a wedding MC

What is an MC? An MC (Emcee), or Master of Ceremonies, is essentially the voice of your wedding. They are the liaison between you, your vendors, your timeline, and the guests. Not to be confused with a coordinator, who communicates between you and your vendors to make sure everything is running smoothly and on time, an MC communicates between the coordinator and guests to keep everyone informed of what will happen next. In addition to making important announcements, they typically also provide an element of entertainment to the guests.
You need someone to MC. The role that an MC plays is a big piece of what separates a wedding from any other event. Even if you aren’t interested in hiring an MC as an entertainer, someone will still need to be designated to make announcements. Without an MC the guests, or even you, might not know what to do at any particular time. For example, the MC will direct people from one area to another (ceremony, to cocktail hour, to reception, to dancing, etc.), release tables to take turns at a buffet, announce when the bar is open and closed, introduce special events (i.e. the grand entrance, special dances, toasts, etc.), and bring energy to the dance floor!
Typically your musician will double as, or provide, an MC, but this isn’t always the case. Typically the DJ or lead singer of a wedding band will serve as an MC. If they don’t personally act as an MC, they usually offer an MC as an add-on to their services. Sometimes these professionals don’t include or offer options for this service, and you will need to find a professional on your own. In some cases, even if your musician can MC, a separate professional may be necessary if announcements need to made in multiple languages. When booking a musician, inquire about their MC work, and/or request an MC that is bilingual if necessary.
Professionals specializing MC work usually have a very specific style. Some people specialize in wedding MCing, but it is more common to find an MC who specializes in events as a general category. While anyone MCing will have their own “microphone voice,” professionals who specialize in this kind of work tend to have more niche styles. A professional MC may host game night at a local bar, fashion shows, bingo nights, drag shows, standup comedy shows, etc., all of which require a niche persona. This means they are likely to have a specific MC style that may or may not work for you. You can judge this based on samples of their work they provide, how they speak on the phone, or by attending an event they are hosting prior to booking.
Some MCs double as musicians; proceed with caution. Not to be confused with musicians who double as an MC, some professional MCs also dabble in music on the side and may want to do a performance at your wedding. Again, be sure to check out samples of their work to make sure this is something you are comfortable with! Sometimes it works out amazingly, and they offer an incredible show to guests. Sometimes it goes less than stellar. Do your due diligence and make sure any performance they will do will go over well with your specific crowd.
Some MCs double as comedians; proceed with caution. MCs are almost always at least a little funny and charismatic. This makes for a great host! Guests don’t want to hear a monotone voice making bland announcements. Often lack of character allows for announcements to go unheard, as even an amplified monotone voice is easily lost in the noise of the crowd. However, there is a difference between a little bit of charming humor and a full on stand up routine. Even if you love comedy and a full stand up routine sounds awesome, make sure that their sense of humor is in line with what you envisioned for your wedding!
An MC is an entertainer, but they shouldn’t steal the show. As the host of your wedding, an MC is expected to provide entertainment for guests. This may include walking around to guests and asking them questions about the newlyweds, encouraging guests to dance, or making announcements in an upbeat and engaging way. There is an incredible finesse required to provide entertainment without making the day about themselves. This is easily avoided by checking out their work prior to booking!
MCs don’t usually provide their own sound equipment. Since it is unusual for MCs to provide their own sound equipment, you will need to source this elsewhere. Typically your DJ, venue, or wedding band will provide the sound equipment. Make sure that whoever is providing sound equipment is on board with sharing. If none of these vendors are supplying a sound system, you will need to source it elsewhere so music and announcements can be heard throughout your event space.
Meet with a potential MC you are interested in on the phone or in person and pay attention to their speaking voice. Listen to the cadence of their voice. Pay attention to their energy, word choice, personality, and overall sound they produce when they speak. This will provide a lot more insight into their MC style than any single question ever could. If the person is engaging, interesting, and professional in a meeting, there is a good chance those qualities will carry over to their MC work.
Don’t just read reviews, read into reviews. An MC may have five stars across all review platforms, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are a good fit for you. While this is true for all vendors, it is especially true for MCs because their work style is so subjective. Look for trends in the reviews that can provide a little more insight into what this professional's work style is like. For example, if you see multiple 5 star reviews that consistently say something to the effect of “they playfully teased all of our guests and did a lot of funny celebrity impressions,” recurring throughout reviews, that person is probably going to perform similarly at your wedding. Other couples may have loved this and left all five star reviews, but if the thought of your guests being the butt of a joke and having to listen to celebrity impressions all night makes you cringe, that professional isn’t going to be the right fit for you.

Questions to ask prior to booking an MC

Basics-

Are you available on my date?
Can you work within my budget?
Do you require a deposit? How much?
When is the balance due?
What is your preferred method of payment?
What is your cancellation policy if I cancel?
What is your cancellation policy if you cancel?
What is your rescheduling policy if I need to change my date?
What is the backup plan if you are personally unable to fulfill your contract due to a last minute conflict?
Are there any additional fees, such as travel fees, that are not included in the package price?
Are you licensed?
Are you insured? Does the insurance cover all of your staff and property?

Experience & style-

How long have you been a professional MC?
Do you specialize in a certain type of event?
How long have you been MCing weddings?
How many weddings have you MCd?
How would you describe your MC style?
What makes you stand apart from other MCs?
Are you open to hosting games or special events we have planned?
Do you offer any additional services or typically do special performances?
Have you worked at our venue before? (Hint: This is particularly important if the venue includes a house sound system. An MC that is familiar with your venue and their system will be familiar with how to start up the system and quicker able to troubleshoot, should any issues arise.)
Have you worked with our musician(s) before?
If applicable, can you make announcements in English and another language? (Hint: Typically at multicultural events a special MC will be hired to make announcements so that all of the guests can understand. Usually these MCs will make announcements in English and your preferred language, but some MCs will only make announcements in the language you have specifically hired them for. This can pose an issue if some guests don’t speak this language, and creates the same problem they were hired to alleviate in the first place! Make sure that someone is available to translate for guests so everyone is in the know for important events!)
Can we see videos of you hosting a previous event or attend a live event that you are MCing?

Logistics-

Do you provide your own sound equipment?
If you do provide sound equipment, will our guests have access to your microphone for speeches/toasts?
If we decide we want the party to last longer, can we add extra hours onto our package on the night of the wedding?
What is the rate for additional hours?
Do you require breaks?
Do you require a vendor meal?
Will you MC any other events throughout our wedding weekend?

Ways to maximize your MC’s services

Set up a phone or in person meeting prior to the wedding to go over all of the details. It is important that the MC is well versed in all of your wedding day plans so they can do their job to the best of their ability. In order to set themselves up for success, most MCs will require either a phone or in person meeting prior to your wedding to go over the details. If they don’t require a meeting, arrange one yourself! Everyone will be better off if the details are reviewed together in advance. This meeting will be most beneficial within the final week or two of your wedding. As you finalize planning details, slight things may shift. Set up your meeting with your MC as close to your wedding as possible (without it being so close that the MC doesn’t have time to prepare and you feel overwhelmed with a lot of last minute to-do’s) to ensure they are receiving the most finalized and accurate information regarding your wedding plans.
Send the MC your timeline prior to having a final details meeting with them about your wedding plans. This will give the MC an opportunity to look through the timeline and prepare any questions they may have for you. The MC will need to be familiar with the timeline to make sure they understand the flow of the evening, when to make announcements, and, on the day of your wedding, know when to check in with your coordinator and other vendors to make sure everyone is ready for the next scheduled event prior to making the announcement.
Specify how you, the newlyweds, would like to be referred to. Your MC will be announcing, at least referring to you, several times throughout the evening. Make sure you specify what you’d like to be called as a couple. While traditionally newlyweds used to be referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. [man’s full name here]” that isn’t always the case anymore. With so much variation in who can be married and the dynamic between couples shifting, weddings have come a long way from the days where new couples were introduced as “Mr. & Mrs. John Smith!” Some other alternatives include just your first names, “the newlyweds,” “the Smith’s,” “John & Philip Smith,” etc.
If you need your MC to announce any names, spell the names out phonetically. Even simple names get mispronounced on occasion. An easy way to avoid this is to write out the phonetic spelling next to the names so the MC knows exactly how to say the names (i.e. Mary = M-air-ee). Write out your name, your fiance's name, and your last name(s) phonetically so the MC pronounces them correctly all evening long. Even if you talk to your MC many times and you and/or they say your names repeatedly, it is YOUR special day and your names are worth guaranteeing correct pronunciation! Usually more than just the newlywed’s names will be announced at some point during the wedding. Important guests will give speeches and often newlyweds want to include additional people in the grand entrance (i.e. the wedding party, immediate family members, sponsors, etc.). Provide these names in writing with specifications on how to pronounce them, so everybody’s name is announced correctly!
Thoroughly discuss any announcements your MC will need to make. Prior to the wedding, you will likely plan and predetermine specific announcements that will need to be made. Make sure to provide these announcements in writing to your MC. The timeline is the perfect place to write out the specific announcements so the MC can track exactly when announcements are intended to be made. Be sure to discuss all of the announcements with your MC. Let them know if you want the exact wording you have provided, or if they have a little leeway on what should be said.
Let the MC know ahead of time when to NOT speak. Some people only want the MC to speak when it is time for designated announcements. Others want entertainment all throughout the event. Many people want something in between. If there are any times throughout the night you’d rather the MC keep to themselves (i.e. special dances, the duration of dinner, the duration of cocktail hour, etc.) let them know ahead of time. If the MC isn’t given any specifications of when to keep quiet, they may feel the need to fill in gaps by telling jokes, narrating special events (i.e. “wow look at that twirl,” “Oh they’re going for dip,” “smash the cake!!”, etc.), or engaging guests on the microphone (i.e. inquiring about how they know the couple, asking for a random guest to provide relationship advice, asking for a quick impromptu speech from a random guest, etc.). All of these examples are fairly typical of an MC, so they can’t be blamed for doing any of this if they haven’t been told otherwise!
Discuss specific jokes, questions, games, etc. that you’d like included with your MC. If there is anything specific or out of the norm you’d like included at some point at your wedding, let the MC know! If you want any games, specific forms of guest engagement, or other out-of-the-norm approaches to entertainment make sure the MC knows ahead of time so they can prepare accordingly! While the examples listed under #6 are not out of the norm for MCs, they also shouldn’t be expected unless you specify you would like them to engage and entertain guests in these ways.
Be sure to inform the MC of any “don’t breach topics.” If there is anything that should never, ever be brought up with your family or guests LET THE MC KNOW! There is nothing worse than an MC making a statement, telling a joke, or asking a question and it being followed by a dramatic, awkward pause amongst the crowd! The best way to avoid this is to let them know about any “don’t go there topics” ahead of time. Even if it feels like an overshare, it will be better for everyone in the end if the MC knows what topics to avoid.
Specify who should and should not be given a microphone. It is fairly common for a distant relative or friend to suddenly become inspired and want to give an impromptu speech at a wedding (especially once the alcohol starts flowing). Some couples are happy to open the floor to anyone who wants to give a toast, while others strictly want to stick to the planned speeches. There are any number of reasons for either of these approaches, but if you anticipate any guests becoming an issue, make sure your MC knows who, under no circumstances, should never get a hold of the microphone.
Provide all information in writing. While a phone or in person meeting is of the utmost importance, it is equally important to write down all instructions, wants, dislikes, etc. for your MC. While it is important that information is provided in writing for all vendors, it is especially important for your MC, because their mistakes are amplified (literally, via the microphone). If your caterer forgets to set out appetizer plates, they can quickly fix the problem with minimal guests noticing. If your MC messes up your last name, everyone will be aware. Your MC will likely be pouring over your written notes prior to the wedding in order to prepare, but will typically bring all of the notes with them to make sure everything is going the way you discussed! Little details are much more likely to slip by the wayside if they don’t have written notes and are simply trying to remember everything you said in a phone conversation! This will also help if your coordinator or a guest approach the MC to inquire why they are or are not doing something. If the MC has specific instructions in writing that they are not supposed to tell jokes or engage with guests during dinner they can prove they are doing their job exactly as you wanted!