should we hire an emcee for the wedding reception?
The flow of the wedding reception is very important because it keeps the mood going throughout the night, thereby keeping the guests from leaving early. You cannot just go in there, have a party and see how it goes. That is the reason why there are emcees. If you have the budget, I would suggest hiring a professional emcee. Sometimes it comes as a package deal with the DJ. When the pandemic hit, entertainers had to think of ways to be able to earn more money, and at least catch up from the 2 years of non income. SO, what I’ve been seeing now, is that the DJ would sometimes be the emcee for the whole event. Sometimes they even provide different packages, like photobooth rental or candy bar etc. They would give the bride and groom discounts for bundles like.
When hiring a professional emcee, it would be best to watch them at a different wedding first, or maybe watch a few videos of the way they emceed before. This will give you a clear cut image of what they would be like at your own wedding. You don’t want to end up having an emcee that’ll either put your guests to sleep, or be so lively that your reception will feel like a circus. You need to find one that’ll balance the mood.
I’ve attended a wedding before where they hired 2 drag queen comedians as emcees. They were funny, and very entertaining, but I kind of felt like it was more of them having a show, than being Emcees. There were moments where they roasted some of the guests, which made the guests laugh, but personally, I find it inappropriate for a wedding. For an office party, yes definitely, but for a wedding, I think you need the emcee to stick to a semi formal approach? Do you agree with me?
3 Things to look for:
Professionalism - even just setting up a meeting date, if they are already cancelling or rescheduling, or always late, avoid them. Unless their reason is valid. You’d want someone that you know will be very dependable, and being on time is a key factor in an emcee, because it shows that they are organized, and they can manage their time pretty well. It’ll reflect on how they will handle the flow of your wedding reception.
Looks - this is not about hiring someone really pretty or handsome. I am not talking about the face value, although, I’d actually want you avoid someone who is way too good looking because then everyone’s attention will just be on them. I know mine will be if I attended a wedding with an Emcee that looks like a model. LOL. What I meant by looks is connected to number one. They should look professional. They should know how to dress appropriately depending on your wedding reception venue, right? They should at least look neat and tidy. When I say tidy, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have tattoos, or piercings or any visible body art, I am saying that they should look literally clean. Like they shower. You might say, “well duh, of course they shower”, but you never know. I’ve been to an event, not a wedding, but an office party, where the Emcee looked drunk, and smelled. He wasn’t drunk though, just looked like it. SO unkempt and unprofessional. He made the whole event very awkward and boring, because nobody was really paying attention to him.
Price - you know what I always say in this blog, right? If you have the budget, then it’s your wedding, it’s your choice. Spend that money. But expensive doesn’t always mean quality. So look around. Check their resume, their past events, their references. Make sure that you get what you are paying for, because hiring professionals can be costly. In this case, we know that the more popular ones, would definitely cost money, but then they might just be perfect for your wedding reception. If you have some budgetary constraints, maybe put ad out that you’re “looking for an up and coming emcee, willing to pay accordingly”. You might be surprised at hoe many “millennials” might contact you. Some of them looking for extra cash. There might be someone out there who’s a natural, even without much experience.
If you don’t have any budget at all, just ask someone you know. Maybe a friend or a relative, who’s willing to step up and be your emcee for the night. Tell them, they don’t have to buy you a wedding present. LOL.
They can actually be more effective as emcees because they know you very well, so they have a lot of things to talk about, especially when they need to fill out a dead air during the night. They can share some memories and anecdotes with the guests. Another good thing about getting an emcee that you know is the fact that they probably know most of the guests too. SO they’d be very comfortable around the guests, and vice versa.
The key to getting the perfect emcee, is just basically looking and testing. You don’t immediately hire the first one you meet.
Lastly, ask yourself this question when you first meet and get to know them:
DO I want to be friends with this person?
IF the answer i yes, they I guess that’s a good gauge. Hire them!!
