The Wedding MC
A Complete Guide to Success
for the Master of Ceremonies

It’s the big day. The rings are exchanged. The Bride looks radiant; the Groom looks dapper; and their parents are bursting with pride. Everything is going according to plan. The reception facility is buzzing with professional caterers, photographers and musicians. Weeks of work have gone into orchestrating the event.

Yet the emcee – the one person who plays an absolutely critical role in the evening’s success – is already on his fourth trip the bar and turning his tux pockets inside out searching for the names of the people in the wedding party that he jotted down on a cocktail napkin half an hour ago.

Today, when the average cost of a wedding runs around $20,000 (most of which goes to the reception), couples can’t afford to hinge the event’s success on an inept and ill-prepared Master of Ceremonies.

Many couples assign that job to a professional disc jockey. But unless that individual is paid considerably more than his or her normal fee for orchestrating the after-dinner dance, their performance as the Wedding MC may not meet the couple’s expectations. After all, time is money in their business, and few professional DJs are going to spend a lot of additional time in “personalizing” the event unless they are paid extra.

Tom Haibeck, author of The Wedding MC handbook, recommends that couples consider asking someone close to them – the Best Man, an old friend or a family member – to “represent” them in hosting the wedding reception. “They can add an element of warmth and authenticity to the event that no paid professional can ever hope to duplicate,” says Haibeck. “If they are given the required direction and take the time to properly prepare for the role, they will often do a better job than a slick DJ – primarily because they are highly motivated to shine before their fellow friends and family members. They also share a genuine history with the Bride & Groom – and can relay the kind of personalized, anecdotal stories that wedding reception guests love to hear.”

Haibeck wrote the book as a primer for anyone thrust into the role. With more than 75,000 copies now sold, it would appear his advice is being well-received. It’s a quick read – just 96 pages – and offers a concise, to-the-point approach that has proven exceptionally popular to readers around the world. It’s filled with wry humor, practical tips and solid advice to help the MC through every part of the event – whether the reception is a full-blown, formal affair in a lavish ballroom or a casual afternoon in a friend’s backyard.

The book is based on Haibeck’s experience in helping to plan and emcee hundreds of weddings, meetings and special events during his 25+ year career as a public relations consultant. As such, he walks readers through the manner in which a professional event planner coordinates an event – from the need to work with the bridal couple in plotting the evening’s agenda to how to welcome guests, introduce speakers, acknowledge the head table and other special guests, make toasts and keep the evening moving.

The books also contains helpful tips on how to deal with those pre-speech nerves, proven methods to add fun and flair to the event plus a compendium of suggested wedding toasts, one liners and famous quotations on the subject of marriage.

Haibeck makes it clear that the MC is the conductor, not the featured performer. His or her main function is to keep the reception on track, on schedule and in accordance with the bridal couple’s wishes. They need to treat the event as a celebration to honor the bride and groom (rather than a seedy roast more appropriate for the bachelor dinner). He also cautions against the use of a lot of inside humor that only a few people will appreciate.

“It’s a good idea to keep the after-dinner speeches to around 30 minutes in total, with individual toasts clocking in at no more than five minutes each,” counsels Haibeck. “To go beyond that time period is to risk losing your audience – they’ll all be at the bar!”

He also suggests people take an anecdotal approach to humor (rather than trying to tell long-winded jokes that become exceedingly difficult to tell before a large audience). “And if you’re compelled to launch a few zingers, be sure to balance that with a few self-effacing remarks about yourself.”