How to MC a Wedding Like a Pro

by Chris Brower
Last Updated: January 2, 2024

Being a wedding DJ isn’t just about playing music. Wedding DJs are typically asked to also MC the wedding.

The MC (also called the “emcee”) makes any important announcements throughout the night, such as events about to happen, instructions for the guests, and anything that directs the flow of the night.

If you dislike public speaking, this may fill you with dread.

What should I say? And what if I say the wrong thing? Do I have to do a lot of speaking and really “whoop” up the crowd?

The good news is good MCs don’t say all that much!

They make any necessary announcements throughout the night but don’t blab on and on. They don’t make endless jokes or embarrass the couple or demand the attention be on them.

So let’s look at what makes a good wedding MC. A complete wedding MC script is included later in this post.

Good Wedding MCs

Here are some common traits of good wedding MCs.

They make guests and the couple feel welcome. They’re friendly and speak enthusiastically on the microphone without being over the top or disingenuous.
They speak sporadically and only when necessary. They’re not frequently interrupting the music unless it’s absolutely essential.
They keep people informed of things about to happen, such as the first dance, cake cutting, last call, etc.
They speak clearly into the microphone. They don’t rush. And they repeat important announcements, as it often takes some repetition for things to click with a crowd.

Luckily, it’s not that hard to MC a wedding. You don’t have to be an amazing public speaker or a dynamic entertainer. You simply have to say a few announcements throughout the night. We’ll get into those in a bit.

The Wedding MC Is Not the Wedding Officiant

Remember, the wedding MC is not the same as the wedding officiant. The wedding officiant is the person who leads the ceremony and marries the couple. During the ceremony, the officiant may offer their advice on love and marriage. They may speak to each spouse individually or call on them to fulfill certain behaviors in their marriage.

This is not the wedding MC.

You are not the one marrying the couple. You’re there to lead the party and the reception portion of the night. You don’t need to share your advice on love. I don’t think couples even want that. That’s simply not the wedding MC’s role.

However, I know some MCs who do like to share the couple’s story during the reception – how they met, how they got engaged, etc. This can make for a nice moment. I’d recommend keeping this story brief – just a few minutes maximum. And make sure it’s something the couple actually wants.

Something like this – the couple’s story – might better be delivered by a wedding party member during the toasts/speeches part of the night. This is because the groomsman or bridesmaid likely knows some of the story firsthand because of being there/knowing the couple for years.

However, you as the MC are likely an even better speaker – you’re a professional after all – so you may do it better.

If this is something you’d like to do when you MC a wedding, be sure to check with the couple ahead of time. For one, you’ll need to actually learn their story. Ask them some simple questions and then put it together into a cohesive story:

How’d you meet?
When did you know you loved the other person?
What happened at the engagement?
What things do you love best about each other?

Etc.

Some of these questions are good to ask each person individually, without the other partner witnessing it. This can make for a nice moment during the reception.

**Do People Even Like Wedding MCs?**

When booking wedding DJ jobs, always ask your potential clients what they’re looking for. But make your question even better: Ask what they have liked or disliked about weddings they’ve been to.

I’m continually amazed – though actually not amazed at all – that the #1 thing I’ve heard people say is they can’t STAND wedding MCs who talk on the microphone too much.

Yet many wedding DJs still haven’t gotten the memo.

They insist that people love their emceeing and continue to dominate weddings with their banter.

They try to get people to dance by constantly bugging them with annoying attempts at whooping up the crowd or calling out people, rather than just playing awesome music.

They demand too much of the focus on themselves instead of keeping it on the couple – the whole reason they’re there in the first place.

Now, it’s not that couples don’t want MCs at all. No, they just want an MC who’s not going to be, well, bad.

Bad Wedding MCs

Let’s dig into some examples of bad wedding MC behavior.

Frequently interrupting the music, trying to whoop up the crowd.
Joking around too much, particularly outdated/sexist jokes (“Whoa, who’s wearing the pants now!”) and other cringeworthy comments.
Promoting their company during announcements (beyond simply sharing their company name). This can include asking, “All the engaged girls to raise their hands,” and then handing out business cards. (I’ve heard of this happening.)
Talking for too long. Announcements should be brief and to the point.
Mumbling announcements or not making them clear enough so people are lost what’s happening.
Embarrassing people. “Come on, Kyle, I know you’re gonna dance to this, buddy! Get out on the floor, man! We’re waiting!”
Treating the night as a one-person show or some sort of standup routine. MCs can make jokes, sure, but remember why you’re there.

No wedding guest has ever left a wedding and thought, “Gee, I wish that DJ had talked more.” No. Doesn’t happen.

The only exception would be if important events weren’t announced, so people were lost what was happening.

Remember, people are there to celebrate their friends and family and party. They’re not there to hear some random person’s thoughts on love or bad attempt at being Jerry Seinfeld.

But again, it’s not that wedding MCs should never talk or that you should be robotic and humorless. No, no, no. But keep your emceeing professional and good and don’t interfere with people having a great time.

And some couples actually do want the wedding MC to talk a lot and really whoop up the crowd. Learn this in your initial meeting. If so, well, okay, go for it!

Basic Microphone Etiquette

If you’ve ever seen someone give a toast at a wedding, you know that most people, for some reason, don’t know how to hold a microphone and speak into it correctly.

They hold it a foot away or gesticulate wildly with their arm. They clear their throat into the microphone. They cup the top of the microphone as if they’re in a rap battle.

So here are some basic microphone reminders:

Hold the microphone close to your mouth. Very close! Like an inch or two away. Don’t gesticulate with that arm.
If you do need to shout into the microphone – maybe the couple asked you to do a pump up, sports-style wedding party introduction – then it does make sense to pull the microphone a little farther away from your mouth. You don’t want to overwhelm the microphone and cause it to distort or sound muddy.
Still speak up. While, yes, your voice is now amplified, it’s important you speak up and do it clearly. This makes it much easier to get a clean sound.
Don’t speak on a mic standing in front of a speaker. It’ll feedback and create an annoying screeching sound, and people will shriek in horror.
If you need to cough or sneeze or any sort of mouth/nose noise, lower the microphone far away and turn your head. Hearing people harumph or sniff on a microphone is not a pleasant sound.
Make sure the microphone is off when you’re not talking into it. Sounds obvious, but you don’t want to set it down and then it picks up random sounds on your table or you talking with other people. All wireless microphones come with an on/off button. Wired microphones not as much, but some do. I use the Shure SM58* wired microphone, which comes with an on/off switch. Your other option is to simply mute that channel on the mixer or turn it all the way down when not in use.

Where Should the Wedding MC Stand?

There’s debate among wedding DJs: Where should you stand when you MC a wedding?

Should you stand in the center of the floor or at your DJ table?

Should you walk around some while speaking, as in, working the room a little more?

There’s no one right answer. However, I prefer generally standing at the DJ table so I can make any microphone adjustments right then and there.

I always soundcheck before the wedding, but maybe now that the room is packed, the microphone volume is too low or too high. Maybe it’s feedbacking a little. Being at the DJ table lets me makes adjustments right there.

I have multiple microphones – and you should too! This enables me to speak at a microphone at my DJ table and introduce someone who is standing far away holding a separate, wireless microphone. This comes in handy when people are giving wedding toasts. That way I’m right at the table and can adjust their microphone levels based on how they talk into the microphone.

Ready for the complete guide to becoming a wedding DJ? Here you go.

Wedding MC Script

Okay, let’s get into more what to say.

Each wedding has its quirks, but many follow a similar time frame and have similar announcements you can expect to make.

Here are common announcements arranged in a typical chronological order.

If you’re new to wedding DJing and emceeing and you don’t know what events typically happen, I recommend first reading the aptly titled What Happens at a Wedding Ceremony and Reception?

Note: If you’re wondering why I say “we” rather than “I” in the announcements, it’s because weddings should be a communal event. Ultimately, say whichever makes the most sense to you (“they” or “the couple” could work in some instances, such as “The couple invites you to get your picture taken at the photo booth.”).

Typically, though, you should avoid “I,” as in, “I invite Lola and Jackie to do their first dance,” because it just sounds odd (this day isn’t about “I”), even though, yes, “I” is the one doing the inviting at this moment!

Wedding Party Grand Entrance

Generally, the first thing you’ll be asked to announce is the wedding party’s grand entrance into the reception.

As this is the very first thing you’re saying on the microphone, I like to start with, “We’d like to thank everyone for joining us today.”

And then you may need to corral people to their seats: “It’s about time to welcome in the wedding party, so we invite you to take your seats at this time.”

And then, well, you might need to say that a couple times!

Sometimes people take a long time to finally find their seats. If so, it’s okay to repeat the instruction.

Once it’s time to start the introduction, “And now it’s time to invite in our wedding party!”

Introduce the members of the wedding party in whatever manner the couple wants. Usually it’s by pairs. If so, your announcement could look like this:

“Starting with Gabby Hughes and Ramit Mehta!”

Keep this up for any future people. “Up next, Melissa Frasier and Devon Johnston.”

When you get to the newlyweds, put even more pizazz into it: “And finally, the reason we are all here today . . . may I introduce to you, the new Mr. and Mrs. Rodriquez!”

Once all the applause has died down, it’s not a bad idea to reiterate. “So once again, we want to thank everyone for joining us today.” You can add another line or two (“We know some of you came a long distance, so thanks!”) but keep it brief.

Some couples may want a different sort of introduction. I recently did a wedding where they wanted a sports-style grand entrance. For each person, I read off some “stats” and spoke with a lot of energy, as if I were a sports announcer. “And now, coming all the way from Ann Arbor, Michigan – he’s the head football coach at a high school and enjoys cooking . . . Ryan Smith!”

Dinner

Often, dinner begins next.

If there’s a blessing/prayer beforehand (usually done by someone else), simply set it up, “And now the father of the bride is going to lead us in a prayer before dinner.”

Once the blessing is done, make any important dinner announcements. This is something you’ll need to work out with the couple ahead of time – what kind of dinner is it (buffet vs. plated)? And if it is a buffet, how do they want you to excuse tables?

Commonly, it goes like this:

If it’s a buffet…

If guests can go any time after the wedding party: “Dinner is now ready. It is a buffet. We’d like to invite our wedding party and their families to get in line first. After that, everyone else is free to get in line at any time.”
If you’ve been asked to excuse by table: “Dinner is now ready. It is a buffet. We ask that you please wait to get in line until your table has been excused. I’ll be announcing table numbers for when your table may get in line, so please sit tight until then. At this time, we’d like to invite the wedding party and their families to get in line for dinner.” And then once the line has gotten short enough, “Tables 1 and 2, you may now get in line.” And so on.

Once everyone has been through the buffet line, I sometimes add, “If you’d like to get seconds, feel free to get in line now.”

If it’s plated…

This one’s easy. You can just say, “At this time, we’d like to welcome everyone to dinner. You can just sit back and relax, because the food will be brought to you.”

Toasts/Speeches

Typically, once dinner is over, members of the bridal party/the couple’s family may give toasts (speeches). After you’ve gotten everyone ready to give their speech, I announce to the crowd, “At this time, we’d like to do a few toasts, starting off with our best man Justin.”

You can then introduce each speaker before they give a toast or merely let them pass the mic and do it themselves.

Cake Cutting

If the couple is cutting the cake: “And now we’d like to invite Vince and Rochelle to cut the cake.”

When cake/dessert becomes available for other guests, you can say, “Cupcakes are now available at the cake table, so help yourself!”

This announcement may come right after the couple finishes cutting the cake or a little later (whenever it becomes available).

First Dance

When it’s time to do their first dance: “And now we’d like to invite Patty and Leslie to do their first dance.”

I’ve seen some wedding MCs who talk during the first dance. “Oh, how great are they!? Let’s make some noise!”

Oh dear.

Let them have their moment without interrupting!

Once the dance is over, I often say something like, “Congratulations” or “Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

When the dance is over, it’s okay to speak again. But during the dance, stay quiet.

Dances With Parents

Similarly, for any dances with parents (Bride and Father, Groom and Mother, etc.), I simply say, “And now we’d like to invite the father of the bride to dance with Mia.”

So, their title – father of the bride, mother of the groom, uncle of the bride, step-mother of the groom, etc. – and with whom they’re dancing (using the bride or groom’s name).

Anniversary Dance

First, invite all the married couples to the dance floor. “Now we’d like to invite all the married couples to the floor so we can find out who’s been married the longest.”

Start the song. Let maybe a minute go by without saying anything. Then excuse the first couple from the floor, which will be the married couple. If you want an easy joke that always gets a laugh, say something like, “Any couples who have been married less than, oh, let’s say, four hours, please leave the floor.” (Obviously, make sure the ceremony was in fact within the last four hours. If not, adjust the time.)

Let another 20 seconds or so go by, then up the number: “If you’ve been married less than two years, please leave the floor.” Keep going, increasing it by five or so years, depending on how many couples remain. You want your remaining announcements to span the rest of the song (with 15 or 20 second gaps in between until things get near the end, where it’s okay to speed up your announcements).

Once you get into 30 or 40 years, the dance floor will usually have thinned out considerably. Particularly when there are just two or three couples left, you can reduce the increments between your announcements and the years: “Okay, how about 41 years? . . . 42 years? . . . 43 years?” Because it’s a bummer when there are two couples left and you say, “45 years” and both couples leave the dance floor. Reducing the last few announcements to one year at a time lowers this chance.

Once it’s the last couple, you can ask them how many years they’ve been married and then announce that: “47 years, let’s hear it for them!”

Let them dance another few seconds and then fade out the song.

Open Dancing

For the period where it’s open dancing – anyone can dance – simply announce, “And now we’d like to invite anyone and everyone to the dance floor” or something similar.

If there are any important announcements, go for it:

“Glow sticks are out on the table by the dance floor. Help yourself.”
“Let me know any song requests you’d like to hear.”
“Be sure to check out the photo booth.”

With all announcements, keep them brief. No one loves a long interruption where the wedding MC gives a rambling speech. People are ready to party, not listen to you talk.

If there are any further activities throughout the night, you’ll announce those. Then you can bring it back to open dancing with something like, “And now we’d like to again welcome anyone and everyone back to the dance floor.”

Bouquet Toss/Garter Toss

For either the bouquet toss or garter toss, you can make a similar announcement:

“It’s time now for the bouquet toss, so we’d like to invite all the unmarried girls to the floor.”
“It’s time now for the garter toss, so we’d like to invite all the unmarried guys to the floor.”

Often, people need a little coaxing to come to the floor, especially the males for the garter toss (who often couldn’t look less enthusiastic…). So it’s okay to add in a little more: “Okay now, don’t be shy. Come on…”

With either of the tosses, it’s fine to be a little more humorous. “Okay now, no shoving…” But avoid any sexist or creepy jokes. That goes for the whole night, of course, but the garter toss is usually the most risqué part of the night. Just keep your comments to yourself.

As people line up, announce, “We’ll do a count of three.” You want to get everyone ready, plus make sure the bride or groom doesn’t toss it too soon.

Once enough people have come to the floor, “Okay, are we ready? One . . . two . . . three!”

After someone has caught it, I usually throw in a “We have a winner!”

Shoe Game/Newlywed Game

Some couples do an activity where they exchange one of their shoes, sit in chairs back-to-back, and then lift the shoe (theirs or their spouse’s) to indicate who they think is the answer to the question. This is known as the shoe game (sometimes called the newlywed game).

For example, say the question is, “Who’s the smarter one?” If the bride thinks it’s her, she’ll raise up her shoe. If she thinks it’s her husband, she’ll raise up his. And the groom will do the same.

When they disagree (i.e., hold up a different shoe than their spouse), it can make guests laugh.

I introduce this with, “And now it’s time for the shoe game so we can learn how well the couple knows each other. Jasmin and Marcus have now exchanged shoes. I’m going to ask a series of questions. If they think the answer is Jasmin, they should hold up one of her shoes. If they think it’s Marcus, they should hold up one of his. So let’s see how well they know each other.”

Here’s a list of basic questions. Feel free to adjust them for the couple. It’s not a bad idea to ask ahead of time for the couple’s individual interests and quirks and what they do for work. You can then create questions specific to them.

Who made the first move?
Who was the first to declare their love?
Who’s more romantic?
Who’s the best driver?
Who’s a pickier eater?
Who’s more likely to steal all the covers on a cold night?
Who spends more time staring at their phone?
Who’s more likely to start an argument?
Who’s more likely to finish an argument?
Who’s more likely to fall asleep during a movie?
Who’s funnier?
Who’s messier?
Who’s smarter?
Who’s more likely to scream at the sight of a spider?
Who’s more likely to cry during a sad movie?
Who’s more likely to lose their keys/wallet?
Who’s better at keeping secrets?
Who would last longer on a deserted island?
Lastly, who do you love the most in all the world?

It’s generally good to end with “Lastly, who do you love the most in all the world” to end on a sweet note. Of course, some couples will still give differing answers, which can make for a funny ending too.

The shoe game/newlywed game is a chance to add some funny comments, if it makes sense to do so. If the couple are often giving differing answers, you could say, “Uh-oh. Hmm, okay…” or “Ouch!” and so on.

Dollar Dance

Like the shoe game/newlywed game, it’s good to give an explanation of what the dollar dance is so people understand what’s happening.

“And now we’d like to do the dollar dance. How this works is for a donation of your choosing—$1, $5, etc.—you can dance with the bride or groom for a little bit, and the idea is the money will be used for their honeymoon. We also invite the maid of honor and best man [or whomever] to the dance floor at this time. If you’d like to dance with the bride, please get in line by the maid of honor, and she will collect your money. If you’d like to dance with the groom, please get in line by our best man, and he will collect your money.”

The dollar dance typically takes a few songs. Play as many as the couple wants.

It’s a good idea to decide with the couple ahead of time (such as days before the wedding) about how many songs they want:

As many songs as necessary to get through everyone in line, or
A set number and then the dollar dance ends.

If it is a set number and then the dollar dance ends, but people are still in line, you can say something like, “That’s going to do it for the dollar dance. Apologies that we didn’t get to everyone in line, but you’ll still have other chances to dance with the bride and groom the rest of the night.”

If everyone in line has now danced with the bride or groom, and there are no more left, you can simply announce the next event of the night. “And now we’d like to welcome everyone back to the floor to dance.” Or whatever’s happening next.

Last Dance

Before you play the last dance of the night, say something like, “Now it’s time for the last dance of the night. We want to thank you again for joining us and sticking around to the end.”

When that song is over: “That’s going to do it. Thanks again for joining us tonight.”

Other Announcements Throughout the Night

Each wedding has its random announcements that may come up.

Common ones include:

Last Call – Like a bar, weddings often have a last call—when the venue’s bar will stop serving alcohol. It’s a good idea to check in with the bar to determine when this is and if they want you to make an announcement. “Last call for the bar. I repeat, last call for the bar.”
After Party – Occasionally, the couple has arranged for an after-party, often at a nearby bar, so you should announce any instructions: “After the wedding, we invite everyone to join Kyle and Kim at our after party at Tanner’s, which is just one block away . . .”
Send-off – Following the last dance, you might be asked to announce instructions for the guests to “send off” the couple. This usually means telling guests to head to the front entrance and grab a sparkler or confetti or whatever is being done. “It’s time now to send off the couple, so we invite everyone to head to the front doors and then outside. Be sure and grab a sparkler.” I often make this announcement before the last dance (“After this song, we invite you to…”) and then repeat it after the song ends (“And now we invite you to…”).
Shuttles – For weddings that have hotel shuttles, keep guests informed. “The next hotel shuttle will be here in 15 minutes, so if you’d like to take that, please head outside at that time. We’ll also have another shuttle at 11:30.”
Lost Things – People love losing things at weddings. A guest may bring it up to the table. In between songs, announce, “We found a red cell phone in the women’s room. If you’re missing it, we have it here at the DJ table.”

Wedding MC Reminders

Whoa, it sounds like a lot, right?

It’s true there are several announcements you may need to make throughout the night. But luckily, each can be very short.

Remember to:

Speak clearly and slowly into the microphone.
Use humor only when appropriate.
Keep the focus on the couple, not you or your wedding DJ business.
Repeat important announcements. People need to hear things multiple times, such as dinner announcements and instructions for the send-off. “It is a buffet, and I’ll excuse by tables, so I ask that you please sit tight until I call your table number. Again, just sit tight until you hear your table number called.”

Conclusion

Good MCing is an important part of being a wedding DJ. It can take some practice to get good at it. And if you're nervous about public speaking, it can seem like a scary prospect. Luckily, a lot of the announcements are simple and to the point. Print out a script and read from it until you feel more comfortable.

And if you have a good grasp on how to MC a wedding and are ready to improve your skills, I recommend reading Easy Ways to Improve Your Wedding MC Abilities Right Now.

*If you click the product links and make a purchase, we earn a commission. This helps pay for this website and other expenses. This is at no additional cost to you.