Most of us remember experiences with MCs at Nigerian weddings - either a good MC who gave extra life to the occasion or the MC with the not-so-funny jokes!
As a couple, you want to make sure your guests have a good time at your event. This can be achieved with a good MC but most importantly, ensuring your MC is well prepped to deliver on your big day. A good MC should have these discussions, but if this doesn’t happen for whatever reason, do bring them up.
Background of the couple and their families: sharing details about you as a couple will help your MC bring a personal feel to your wedding - from how you met, how long you have been together and your favourite things to do as a couple. If you don’t want any of these details to be shared with guests and your family members, do let them know! Also, ensure your MC is aware of any important family dynamics e.g. divorced or separated parents, late parents/ family. This would help avoid any tense situations on your wedding day and generally keep the mood fun.
Programme of events: a key role of your MC is to ensure the event is moving as planned. Ahead of your wedding day, discuss your wedding programme and how you expect the day to run - get your planner or coordinator for the day involved in these discussions too to make sure everyone is on the same page. Do not feel like the smaller details are not important - for example, if you want a friend (or two) to give a toast at your wedding, let your MC know and give them a background on these people. Also don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions - they’ve compèred a number of weddings and probably have a good idea of what works well and what doesn’t!
Music preferences: some music choices may not work for you as a couple, whether for religious or other personal reasons. Have a chat with your MC about these preferences and don’t be afraid to go into detail - a good MC will ensure you’re comfortable on your wedding day. Don’t forget to have this same conversation with your DJ - managing this is a lot easier when everyone is in sync.
What you’re not comfortable with: as a couple, you may decide between yourselves on things you want to avoid doing at your wedding, for example, public display of affection. To avoid a situation where the MC publicly asks you to engage in these things, let them know what you want to stay clear of! The more detail you provide, the more prepared your MC will be.
Topics to avoid: not everything needs to be a topic of discussion at your wedding! If there are topics that you want to avoid because they could be controversial or it might not sit well with some guests, let your MC know beforehand - it’s as simple as ‘please can you avoid talking about politics during my wedding’. You want guests to remember having a lovely time at your wedding rather than an uncomfortable monologue from the MC.
We hope you find this helpful! We want to hear from you - are there any other things you would want to discuss with your MC ahead of your big day?