MC Speeches

Good communication between you and your Master of Ceremonies will ensure that your MC speeches - and your reception as a whole - live up to your expectations. Here are a few things that you should be sure to convey to your MC:

* Emphasize your desire for the MC speeches to be well-thought out, organized, and rehearsed, but also sound natural and extemporaneous. You Master of Ceremonies should be able to introduce each of your guest speakers as if introducing a life-long friend.

* Ask your Master of Ceremonies to retain possession of his/her notes throughout the reception rather than leaving them on a stand or table near the microphone. For back-up, ask your Master of Ceremonies to place a copy of the MC speeches and notes in a secure place (such as in a folder or on a clipboard placed under the cake table) or in the custody of another responsible person.

* Be sure to let your Master of Ceremonies know who is authorized to speak and for how long. Ask your MC to prompt guest speakers to be sensitive to time constraints. It is a good idea to suggest that your MC develop a special signal that will alert your guest speakers when there is, say, 1 minute remaining in their allotted time. Similarly, suggest that the guest speakers know to acknowledge receipt of the MC's alert through the use of a second signal. These signals will help to keep your reception moving along rather than getting bogged down by a long-winded speaker.

* Despite everyone's best efforts to stay on track, delays may occur. Work with your Master of Ceremonies to develop a contingency plan should your reception appear headed for overtime. Consider the following questions when devising this plan: Will the remaining speakers be asked to shorten their speeches? Will the time allocated to other reception activities be shortened? Will one or more activities be eliminated, entirely? Will last-minute arrangements be made to extend the length of the reception? Once you and your MC agree upon the essential elements of the plan, ask your Master of Ceremonies to communicate the plan to those who may be affected and to coordinate with all appropriate parties should you need to implement your back-up plan.

* It is possible that you may sign a contract with your Master of Ceremonies before you've made all of your wedding reception choices. Maintain an open dialogue with your MC and remember to inform your Master of Ceremonies of any additional choices that you make - as you make them. These may include decisions regarding your wedding theme, your wedding colors, your flowers (as well as any significance they hold for you), any special slogans you might want to use, any props that you feel would be useful or fun to incorporate, and the suggested attire for your reception (as well as any special requests regarding your MC's attire).

* Before your Master of Ceremonies begins working in earnest on the wedding speeches, make sure you've thought about any quotations, jokes, thank you's, anecdotes, poems, or other recitations that you want to have included in your MC speeches. Don't forget to communicate those special requests to your MC well in advance of your wedding date.

* Of course, your Master of Ceremonies will need to know the gist of what each speaker will be saying. Provide your MC with the contact information for each speaker so that your MC can reach out to and coordinate with the guest speakers. Similarly, provide your Master of Ceremonies with the contact information for any other wedding professionals with whom you wish your MC to liaise.

By opening and feeding these lines of communication with your Master of Ceremonies, you help to ensure that your MC speeches, guest wedding speeches, and wedding reception activities meet your expectations of an ideal wedding.

Cheers!