Hiring the right MC

How important is having a Master of Ceremonies (MC) for your party? And should that person be in addition to the DJ and or Band leader.

In my opinion a good MC is the most important person you hire. He will after all be running the party. One of the things to look for in your MC is the ability to multi task – kind of like a catcher in a baseball game. He has to be aware of the group and read them quickly. Within the first 20 minutes of the party this person should know your party and what music to play throughout. If you go with a band he can be the Band “Leader” if you decide on a DJ hire one that offers you a separate MC as these are 2 very distinct jobs with distinct functions and the last thing you want is someone running back and forth between dance floor and his equipment or worse yet, someone who stays put behind a table all night.

Make sure your MC is good at public speaking and that you like his voice cause you will be hearing it all night long. He should be able to have the ability to memorize well. A personal grievance of mine is when the MC has the mic in one hand and his cheat sheet in the other standing on the edge of the dance floor reading his notes. He should not be reading them he should know them! If you were at a play would you want to see the actors reading their lines from the script?

Your MC should be able to interface and communicate with the banquet manager and your planner. He should be able to watch the event and know when the food is finished being served, where people are in their meal and when to turn up and down on the heat.

Most importantly he should also make sure that before announcing the first dance he has the bride and groom in the room and that he has both the photographer and videographer present. You do not want to have to repeat the first dance because the photographer was in the bathroom. – The same principle should be applied to all the formalities of the day. I find it completely frustrating when I am at an event and something gets announced and then the guests have to go on a scavenger hunt looking for a bride or groom, parent, grandparent …. It is really important for the MC to be on top of his game and communicate with all necessary parties prior to announcements. And if there is a planner involved he needs to communicate with them and they will make sure all people necessary are present.

Have a relationship with your MC beforehand. Make sure he knows you and your family. Meet him a few times- email him your favorite songs and the things you do not want to hear. Let him know if he should take requests from the crowd. Communication before hand is so very crucial. Make this person your friend- but please respect their boundaries. I know you may want to call him at midnight, every night leading up to your party, but stop and think for a minute- would you want someone calling you at this time of day/night? How you guys relate prior will make all the difference to the energy of the night. Now on the day of- leave him do his job! Micromanaging him never makes the party better!!!

USE A VISION BOARD TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR WEDDING

So you just got engaged, how exciting!? When I got engaged I remember the first thing I did was pick up the phone to call my mother screaming. I think today’s bride is no different. It is such an exciting moment until the fear hits. Now what? How do I plan a wedding? What do you do first? How do you choose a date? Where do you start looking? Of course you may turn to your soon to be husband, unfortunately this is probably not a good first place to go. He may want to help but let’s face it, most men are perfectly happy just showing up. The thing that makes a man happiest, is when his wife is happy and leaving him to watch sports. (It has taken me at least 21 of 22 years of marriage to figure this out).

So, after you finishing calling, texting and emailing all your family and friends take a deep breath. The fun is about to begin. Today it is even easier – look to your computer. If you aren’t that familiar with the internet then make friends as this methods of research will make a lot of good resources readily available.

Now, to do it the old fashioned way- for me much easier- head over to Barnes and Noble or your favorite news stand and stock up on all your favorite and not so favorite bridal magazines. And start clipping, tearing or bookmarking everything that you like. You may want to start a vision board so you have all your ideas and favorites in one handy place available at a glance. To create a vision board all you need is an 11 x 17 or larger poster board, glue and/or tape scissors magazines and your time. You may want to create a binder and put all the images in sleeves and carry around the binder. The thing I like about the vision boards is first all your favs are right out in front of you in 1 spot without having to search thru pages- You may want to make a few boards until you narrow down your exact dream.

Good luck, have fun and get creative. After all it is your day!