The bride, groom, and other members of the wedding party will typically have something called a “run sheet” which will be a detailed itinerary of the various events. Get your schedule ahead of time and keep it on you during the day. Be the militant one.
Distinguish between things you’ll need to announce into the microphone and things that might be ok to say to everyone as they come in the door, or by going around table-to-table and talking to everyone. If you label the presents table, for instance, you won’t need to make a big to-do of announcing it every five minutes when people come in.
Be willing to run last-minute errands and do extra housekeeping tasks on the night of the reception. If the groom forgot his groomsmen’s presents back at the house, don’t make him drive and go get it. Volunteer for the little things and you can make a big difference. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks. If there’s a mess to be cleaned up, enlist some lazy cousins and challenge them to a can-crushing contest. Don’t be pushy, but don’t try to take it on all yourself either. [1] X Research source
Make things as simple as possible. A wedding MC can make the night smooth sailing, or can tax everyone’s fun by being too in-your-face about the little rules. try to keep an eye on the big picture and focus on making things simpler, rather than more complicated.
If the ceremony itself takes place elsewhere, try to sit close to the back so you can jet out as soon as its over and head over to the reception hall.
Practice holding it at the correct distance so you’ll be loud enough for everyone to hear and you won’t have to go through an awkward sound-check with all the family and friends present.
Typically, the biggest announcement you’ll have to make is when the bridal party enters. You’ll need to introduce them, “The new Mr. and Mrs. _____!” When the bride is seated, let everyone know they can sit down and visit for a while.
Don’t give preliminary speeches for each speech. You don’t need to tell long-winded jokes about each person (again, you’re not the entertainment). Simple is good: “Next up, let’s all welcome the maid-of-honor!” try to wait until the dinner phase of the reception has wound down enough to get ready for the speeches. If there’s a set time limit, try to stick to it as close as possible, but don’t rush people who’re still waiting to be served so you can jump to the speeches. Let things move in a calm and orderly fashion.
Again, simple is good. Walk around to the tables and let everyone know briefly and politely: “Hey everybody! Hope you’re all having a good time! I think they’re about to do the garter toss on the dance floor in about five minutes if you want to make your way over there. "
You’ll have an opportunity to talk for a while, usually at the very beginning of the reception, before the bride and groom enter, which is when you can introduce yourself and set the tone of the evening. The room will probably be buzzing and unsettled, anyway, so don’t think about launching into that crude story about your spring break trip to Cancun with the groom.
Write down what you’re going to say, and keep your script handy on a mobile device or a notepad. Write it like you’ll want to read it, word-for-word, so you won’t have to fill in the gaps at the last minute.
Even if the speech-givers want to surprise the party with their speeches, try to find out what’s in them and let the bride and groom know. It can be somewhat embarrassing to have to listen to a crude attempt at jokes from someone at a wedding, so it’s good to do a little screening. It’s not your job to tell them not to give the speech as written, just let the couple know so they’ll be prepared and won’t be (overly) embarrassed on their night.
