Editor’s note: We understand that couples want to have at their wedding. That fun is dependent on a number of conditions being met; one of which has to be the choice of the MC(compere). Gladly we have an MC sharing a few tips on choosing your wedding MC. Isabella Akinseye will be here with all you need to know.

Hey guys! Glad to be here, as a wedding MC myself, I thought to share 8 important things to consider when choosing your wedding MC. Honestly, if you get your choice of MC right, your wedding is well on course like a smooth sailing ship. Once you get it wrong, you just might be saying a few “I’m so sorry” as you keep bowing your head in embarrassment. Your wedding Master of Ceremony (MC) can easily become a deal-breaker for your big day to pop or suck.

So to avoid stories that touch, here are 8 things to consider:

Wedding Budget

Your cash might be a big factor in choosing the wedding MC of your choice. You can get from free to millions of Naira. Expect to shell out a pretty penny if you want a big name celebrity wedding MC. They have tons of experience and their ‘big name’ can add to the swagguuu of your big day. A less well-known wedding MC can cost you much less and still deliver an excellent job. Please don’t be surprised when the talker in your family offers to do it for free. In the end, you know your pocket and how much you are willing to part with if anything.

Style of presentation

Every wedding MC has his/her own style. Some are very funny while others are formal. Some will scatter body on the dance floor that you, the couple will even begin to wonder whose wedding it is. (Side eye) you know them! They have more energy than the sun and can add so much colour to your event. In the same way, you have wedding MCs that are as cool as a cucumber; class acts with all their big English intact. It is important you know what style you are aiming for, to see if there is a fit.

Language(s) proficiency

Depending on the family or guest, the language(s) proficiency might be a non-negotiable. Just imagine having a huge proportion of people who don’t understand the major language (in this case, English), it is very easy for the wedding MC to get into trouble innocently. Let’s not forget the premium some languages like Yoruba put on respect. That is how your wedding MC will mistakenly not say ‘eyin’ and the person will use the first minute they have with the mic to scold the erring fellow. Not cool.  You can imagine what will happen if your wedding MC is speaking a lot of vernacular to a crowd filled with foreigners who might have learnt English as a second language. A good wedding MC should be flexible in their approach but don’t expect a magic trick i.e. learn a whole new language just for your wedding. Nah mehn!

Availability for your date.

You pick your date and then think your wedding MC will be forever unbooked just because of you? No, darling. You have to get in touch and confirm availability. Note that some wedding MCs might have other commitments, say a day job, so if your wedding falls within the week, they might need to take leave. So don’t be surprised if you are presented with a bill that includes a non-refundable deposit to hold down the date.

Track record.

Not every MC is a wedding MC. In fact, some people will tell you they avoid doing weddings even if they have a good track record at hosting events. So, again it is down to what you want. Do you want someone with a good track record of hosting weddings meaning you don’t mind if you see them at another wedding playing the same game they played at yours? Or are you looking for someone who is not as popular on the wedding circuit but has vast hosting experience? For example, you might choose to go for an MC with TV/radio experience if your event is going to be broadcasted live on air. You might even choose to ignore track record and choose to go out on a limb by giving a newbie MC a chance.

Extra value

Can your wedding MC deliver extra value by way of making people laugh, singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, hyping and acrobatics? If you are like the typical Nigerian that wants a little bit extra or jara as we say in Yoruba, you might be able to kill several birds with one stone. Just be mindful that a wedding MC’s preoccupation is to ensure item 1 moves to item 2 with little or minimal hiccups. Don’t confuse a comedian with a wedding MC, they are two different things. So if your wedding MC doesn’t come with any extras, they have not committed any crime. Just sayin’.

Chemistry

Do you gel with your wedding MC? Is there a connection? Does this person get you? What’s their vibe; their P? A wedding is a deeply personal event shared with family, loved ones and friends. You don’t want a wedding MC that is operating at a different wavelength or that you can’t respect and obey. There is nothing that spoils the flow of a wedding MC when the couple doesn’t cooperate. How then will you expect total strangers not to follow suit? You should have each other’s back as you’re on the same side with the same goal. A fab wedding and nothing less. Yessssiirrr.

Tech savviness

In the era of social media and online events, your wedding MC will need to be up to date with how the digital world works with all its lingo and mechanics. It’s not okay for your wedding MC to only appeal to the people in the room, they also have to think about the teeming virtual audience. And with COVID-19, the wedding MC might not even be in the same room with the couple but will still have to carry everyone along. Tough call but this might just be the future.

These 8 things are written with love by a fellow (wedding) MC, Isabella Akinseye. You can link up with her via Instagram on @isabellaakinseye.