Duties and Responsibilities of the Master of Ceremonies at a Wedding

The master of ceremonies, or MC, is an integral part of a formal wedding ceremony. The responsibilities of the master of ceremonies are varied will depend on the formality and type of wedding as well as the preferences of the bride and groom.

One large part of being an MC is making sure all wedding participants are in their proper positions and the receiving line is set up correctly. The basic format for a receiving line is as follows:

Mother of the Bride
Father of the Bride
Mother of the Groom
Father of the Groom
Bride
Groom
Maid of Honor
Best Man
Bridesmaids
Groomsmen

The master of ceremonies is also responsible for directing any guests to special seating and, after everyone has taken their seats, announcing the bride and groom.

Then, the master of ceremonies should introduce everyone at the head reception table and welcome all guests to the wedding.

The MC also announces the serving of the meal, then afterwards, begins introducing the speeches. It is the job of the MC to make sure the speeches are in the proper order and adhere to time constraints.

The master of ceremonies also is the person to give the toast to guests that could not attend the wedding. If any cards, notes, letters or messages have been received from absent guests, now is the time to read them. After the speeches, the MC is to announce the cutting of the cake and the first dance of the bride and groom.

Basically, it is the job of the master of ceremonies to keep the wedding and reception running smoothly and announce all events at the wedding such as meals, speeches, dances, and the tossing of the traditional bridal bouquet.

At the end of the reception, the MC announces to the guests that the bride and groom are preparing to make their exit and all goodbyes should be said.