Our groom style and planning expert Simon Daykin of GutsyGroom fame stops by to share some tips on choosing the all-important wedding mc

If chosen correctly, your wedding mc will keep the reception and wedding toasts running smoothly

Now that the two most important people in the wedding have been confirmed (That would be you and your bride) it’s time to choose the person (or people) who are going to run things from behind the podium.

The Master of Ceremonies (or MC as they’re often called) is quite important because they will be the one(s) making sure the introductions are done and the speeches run on time. But they also tell the funny stories about you and your bride to keep the audience warmed up between speeches. Other than the wedding planner, they run the show for those few hours they are up there at that podium.

But they can also kill the atmosphere, embarrass you or your bride and generally screw up the whole thing.

Choosing An MC Is As Important As The Wedding Colors Were To Your Bride

I want to give you some tips on choosing your MC because there are certainly some things you need to think about when planning your wedding. Take note, pay attention and choose wisely.

Who Knows You, As A Couple Best?

Did a mutual friend introduce you to your future wife?

Has there been someone there every step of the way from the first date to the wedding day?

Is there someone who right away springs to your mind?

If the answer is yes, odds are you have found a pretty great MC. Usually your first choice is the best. It is very important to pick an MC that knows both you and your bride. Sometimes this can mean having 2 MC’s, one from your side and one from the brides.

Hey You, Potty Mouth!

It is important when choosing someone who is speaking at one of the biggest days of your life to be sure they will perform appropriately. Make sure the MC follows a few simple rules.

1. No swearing- This just isn’t the time or the place for the f-bomb.
2. Keep the stories clean. If there are some off color stories to be told, do it at the stag or another function. Red faces of laughter are fine, not of embarrassment.
3. Don’t get hammered- I’m not saying they can’t drink, but drink in moderation. After they’ve done their duty there’s hours left to party.
4. Unless it’s a pre-arranged joke…keep your pants on! – I only mention this because we’ve seen it happen before. It’s not so funny when only a few people get the inside joke.

You need to choose a person who you can trust to obey these rules and not think it would be funny to go up there in front of your family, and your new family and launch into a profanity laced tirade about how much fun spring break in Mexico was back in the day.

Respect, Respect, Respect

It is important that, no matter how good the friend is to you, they must also respect your bride.

Having a buddy get up there and make fun of your bride, your relationship or how no one thought you guys would ever last is not cool. This goes as well for the bride’s MC if you are someone on her side do it.

If you’re really worried about who you’ve chosen after reading this article you could have final say on any stories or speeches your MC is giving. You want to remember the day for how special it was, not for the off collar things said that only one person in the room thought was funny.

One Too Many for the Bridal Party?

Is there a person you wanted in your bridal party but you just couldn’t swing it?

Well, now you can invite them to be part of the wedding as your MC for the evening’s festivities. It will include them in the evening, make them feel very special and get them involved in all the parties (yes, you should be inviting your MC to the stag, the wedding party dinner and yes, they should get a thank you gift as well).

So a last word of advice, after you have chosen your fantastic MC, and they have accepted. Sit down with them to knock a few ideas around. Let them know what you expect of them and let them know you are available if they want to run any ideas by you.

The Wedding MC: A great read for all aspiring mc's

I recommend you purchase this book to give them some help if it’s their first time as an MC:  The Wedding MC: A Complete Guide to Success for the Best Man or Event Host by Tom Haibeck

The Man Registry has partnered with American Bachelor Party to provide our grooms and best men the very best bachelor party planning advice. They join several other top wedding industry specialists on The Man Registry’s expert groom panel.

American Bachelor Party (twitter @mybachelorparty) currently provides bachelor party planning in New York and Atlantic City. They will soon be expanding to Las Vegas and beyond. Their party planning packages include recommending top bars, clubs, hotels, adult entertainment, and more. Their expertise comes from years of planning bachelor parties in New York City.

Their advice to The Man Registry’s grooms will range from the bachelor party guest list to party destinations to keeping costs down.

Cheers!

Came across this hidden gem on YouTube. Why doesn’t this thing have 3 million views yet?

Enjoy!

A few things that stick out after viewing:

1. The guy walked up to the Rocky theme. Classic! Nothing like stealing the glory.
2. This guy hasn’t been drinking cocktails, he’s been doing shots. Hey, at least he admitted it.
3. 2:38 – F Bomb. There it is.
4. 3:46 “Bla bla bla”

There is now an open offer for this guy to write a guest entry for us with a guide to destroying the Best Man toast. Somebody make this happen!

Cheers!

We go way back with Big Rob from @drinkinggames. We’ve convinced him to share some of his legendary drinking game advice with the grooms out there who want a memorable bachelor party. So without further ado…

This looks familiar..

So you’re celebrating the last moments of your freedom, you and your boys are up for a night on the town.   If the best man does it right, he’ll get the gang primed and ready to go even before you hit the bars or bus.  Asking from experience, who’s got the funds to hit the bar in high gear sober?

Pregame It:

Get your buzz going early with an hour of power, it’s one of the best ways to start off the night.  Unless you’re drinking alone or at a family reunion, then it’s just sad. Throw in some shoulders or thumper, because nothing beats seeing your friends make a fool of themselves.

If the bachelor pre-party starts to accumulate more people – bust out a cup, quarter, and ice tray and play some Moose. (Editor’s note – this is one of our favorite games for after hours at TMR) It’s the quintessential stand around the table and makes-your-friends drink game.  It’s ridiculously addictive and so easy to play even your future brother-in-law’s friend that is in his seventh semester of community college can follow along. All you need to play is an ice tray and a large bowl. It’s best if everyone playing is drinking something different.  Set up the pieces as shown below and have everyone pour a bit of their drink into the bowl. Take turns trying to bounce the quarter from the table into the ice tray. If the quarter lands in the right column of the ice tray, you give out drinks. If it lands in the left column.. you drink. If someone is unlucky enough to bounce the quarter into the bowl – everyone must yell “MOOSE!.” The last one to do so has to drink the bowl…and it’s mixed contents.

Ice tray and bowl. It doesn't get any easier.

Bar:

By the time you hit up the bar you should be feeling like George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven; a confident cougar magnet hanging with your mob of friends.  Keep the dreamin’ alive by playing some more bar appropriate games avoiding the dice, quarters, and cards.  Make use of the sports playing on the TVs around the bar to aid in your intoxication and invent drinking rules for certain sports.  Use your friends as a source of your drinking pleasure by singling them out by their catch phrase or every time the text someone.  Involve the whole crew by making each other only refer to people by nicknames.

Hey look at me - it's my bachelor party!

As always tip your bartenders, and be aware of your surroundings; I’m sure you don’t want the bridegroom in a fight with a 300 pound biker named Curly.

The Aftermath:

Grab some Waffle House, regale each other on the night’s events, and make drunken promises to do it again.

For daily tweets on new drinking games and reminders of old favorites, follow @drinkinggames on Twitter. If you’re not using Twitter – start! And while you’re there, follow @themanregistry as well.

Follow The Man Registry on Twitter

Have you been asked to be Best Man in an upcoming wedding? Congratulations – it’s quite an honor, but you’ll need to remember that this is about a lot more than giving a speech and planning the bachelor party. While both of those jobs are important, it’s the little things you do for your buddy that he’ll truly appreciate. The groom will be under a tremendous amount of stress in the weeks and days leading up to the wedding. Here are some of the big things you can do that will ease the Groom’s mind and solidify your position as Best Man.

Learn your responsibilities and you may just end up earning this patch.

Organize the Bachelor Party – No brainer here. Giving the groom a memorable last night out with his buddies is one of the most important things you’ll do. Check beforehand on the groom’s thoughts regarding strippers and heavy drinking. If you’re planning on dinner before the party begins, it’s always nice to include the fathers and younger siblings who wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to be a part of the party. Another growing trend is holding a grooms shower earlier in the day.

Write your speech – Let’s face it: We’ve all seen some “interesting” Best Man speeches in our lifetimes. Your goal is for your speech to be remembered for its classiness, rather than for the number of many embarrassing stories you can share with the groom’s unsuspecting family and loved ones.

Assist the Groom with wedding planning tasks – Help the groom and his family decorate for the rehearsal dinner, arrange the wedding transportation, and help out-of-town guests with directions. This might not sound very fun,  but it’ll be a huge help to the bride and groom.

On the day of the wedding, be the groom’s right-hand man – From the time he wakes up; you need to be at the groom’s side, keeping him focused and on task. If the wedding is later on in the day, you may have time to take him out for breakfast or a quick nine holes. In the hours immediately prior to the wedding, help him get dressed, drive him to the church, and give him a pep talk. He’ll undoubtedly thank you for calming his nerves.

Remember your Best Man duties – Keep the rings safe and sign the marriage license as a legal witness to the nuptials.

The Reception – We all know how much fun you can have at a wedding reception (especially one with an open bar). After you give your speech, you’ll surely want to let loose – but remember that it’s important that you’re able to help a little after the party is over. You may be asked to drive the couple to the hotel or to the airport. If not, the bride’s family is always appreciative of extra help in cleaning up and packing gifts into cars.

Your final job – If the bride and groom are bolting early the next morning, you’ll be needed to return the groom’s tux to the rental shop.This is a great gesture and one that will surely solidify your standing as BEST MAN!

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Create a grooms registry, purchase groomsmen gifts, and get advice for grooms at TheManRegistry.com