Your Marriage Celebrant, Your Wedding DJ, or Your Mate - WHO Should MC your wedding?

I often see Perth wedding DJ's and Perth marriage celebrants talking about the pitfalls of having a "non-professional" MC at your wedding - ie a friend or a family member, and while they make some very good points, I thought I'd try to get to the bottom of it once and for all - who should MC your wedding reception?

YOUR MARRIAGE CELEBRANT

Pros: they speak in front of large crowds all the time, so if you've chosen well, they'll have no issue holding the room and keeping the your wedding reception flowing smoothly - not just for the guests, but for other suppliers too, particularly your venue, caterers, and your photographer and videographer. If your MC doesn't know about things like giving a 5 minute warning before speeches to get everyone in place and give your photographer time to set up, it can cause unnecessary delays and frustration.

After having been at your ceremony, They'll also be familiar to your guests , which will help them command attention one they get on the mic.

Cons: Even though they were at your ceremony, none of your guests will know them well, which will make it harder for them to calm the room and command attention when they need to. That being said - they've still got a microphone and can roam the room and engage their audience if they're confident enough doing so!

YOUR WEDDING DJ

Pros: Again, they do this all the time and will likely have no issue commanding attention when they need to. If they know what they're doing, they'll also be familiar enough with wedding receptions to assume the role of timekeeper and give suppliers warning before moving things along. They'll also be there to the very end of the reception, which means it's the same person making announcements all night. If your celebrant is your MC, they'll likely be gone by around 9pm.

Cons: Being confined to the DJ booth can make it a little harder for them to get and hold everyone's attention, although some DJ/MC's will make the journey out of their booth, they'll usually still need to be there if they're playing music for things like bridal party entry and first dance. Unless they're also your celebrant (nudge/wink), they also likely won't be at all familiar to your audience, which can make it more difficult for them to command attention.

YOUR MATE

Pros: you can have someone that many or most of your guests will know and love. Not only does this allow them to more easily command attention, but it makes ad-libbed and funny interactions with guests much more likely. They can more easily introduce moments throughout the night like bridal party entrances, speeches with anecdotes or jokes, because they know you and your guests, and this adds a warmth and intimacy that's hard to beat with a professional, no matter how good they are.

Cons: even if they've done a wedding before, they'll need to be reminded of the little things to make note of as a wedding MC that keep suppliers prepared. And as a guest they'll probably be drinking, so you'll need to find someone who you can trust to keep it under control until their duties finish, which is usually once the dancefloor opens up. There's also even the chance that even if they're good at it, they might not really want to do it. It's a responsibility, and they might just wanna relax the whole time and party.

So who should MC your wedding? In my opinion, if you're unsure about the abilities of that friend you might ask to MC, just get a pro to do it, be that your marriage celebrant or wedding DJ. But - if you've got one of those friends who loves being the centre of attention, always gets a laugh, and is well-liked amongst your people, you should hit them up! A pro is a safe bet for sure, but all the very best wedding MC moments I've seen have been from the warmth and familiarity that can only come from someone you know.