Why hire a professional MC?
More celebrants are expanding into MC services, recognising the natural flow between ceremony and reception. We asked the talented Precious Celebrations to explain why this dual approach creates such seamless celebrations.
The number one thing that all couples want for their wedding reception is that the wedding has a super fun vibe to it. This doesn’t mean that it has to run like a drill sergeant operation, but it does need someone to help you implement it – keeping to schedule, ensuring everything flows and managing the unexpected seamlessly.
And that’s where the professional comes in.
Your cousin / uncle / boss might be great on a microphone or manage a lot of people during their day job, but does that really translate through to your day?
As a professional MC, it is my responsibility to make sure that not only are things running on time, but that you’re enjoying it too. Here are some ways that we can do this.
Helping you coordinate the run sheet.
Run sheets are hard! How are you supposed to know how much time is needed for the ceremony or for speeches? If you’ve never done this before, it can be one of the most daunting tasks when it comes to planning a wedding, up there with setting the initial budget. This goes double if you’re coordinating the times given to you by the venue, your photographer, your videographer and your gran who doesn’t want to be out past 8pm.
We can also help fill in the gaps and make suggestions that they might not have known or thought about. Do you know how long you want or need on the dancefloor? Do you know what get-to-know-you games you could be playing, or how they will go down on the night? Now it’s true – some people absolutely love to sit down on Excel and work it all out (and if so, Ivory Tribe’s MG Guide is a great place to start), but that’s not everyone’s jam. When you have a professional MC, we can help you structure a tight run sheet where everyone is happy and you get a magic two hours on the dancefloor at the end of the night.
We are there when things go wrong.
What happens if on the day the kitchen is running behind, or the speech giver has gone AWOL? What do you do if Dad has had a few too many and doesn’t want to give up the microphone? This is where we can step in and help. By making sure everyone is where they need to be, or has someone that can step in to help make decisions, a professional MC will be there putting metaphorical sticky tape over all of the cracks that might appear, without you even seeing them.
We’re looking out for you.
It’s not just the expected things that we can help with. In my role as MC, I have taken on many unexpected duties – from emptying out cans of cider and replacing them with cans of water when the bride was pregnant and didn’t want anyone to know yet, to sewing up the pants of a guest who split them getting into that awesome dance move. At the request of the couple, I’ve subtly broken up conversations on the politics of refugees after the Balkan war, and I’ve made sure that the grooms had a moment away from the big crowds so they can regain their composure.
I’ve given brides hugs in bathrooms when they’ve missed their gone but not forgotten mums, and I’ve driven bridesmaids to get the bride’s other pair of shoes when her feet have been bleeding from the ‘comfortable’ heels she’s been in all day.
Not everyone is good in a mini crisis, but hiring someone who is will help in those times.
We can help bring the VIBE!
Was the meal excellent, and everyone’s falling a little bit asleep after the roast potatoes? Are you unsure how to get everyone from the sit-down meal to the dancefloor? Or maybe you don’t want to shuffle a two-step to the entire song. This is what we do. My final act of pretty much every wedding reception I’ve been a part of is getting everyone up onto the dancefloor in a calm, but bossy way. It means that I’m the bad cop to the couple’s easy-going good cop, but it also means that the reception has the vibes. The photographer and videographer are happy as they’ve got the photos of the whole day and can storytell from getting ready to the dance floor.
But it’s more than just this. It’s getting people psyched for speeches, it’s keeping an ear out for what’s being said and encouraging it along the way. As a groom’s parents recently said to their son, “She’s just everywhere!”.
Your wedding is a big – and likely expensive – day. Get someone in to be able to help you along the way for the entire reception and leave nothing to chance.
Looking for that perfect person to be your MC, hype human and event coordinator? Many of our celebrants offer MC services and would love to chat, including the incredible Precious Celebrations.
