The origins of proposing a ‘toast’ at celebrations dates back to the 17th century, and a toastmaster (also known as a master of ceremonies or guardian of etiquette) has been a traditional fixture at Royal and formal social events for centuries.

Today, most weddings are formal occasions and during the wedding reception require someone to co-ordinate, direct and announce the ceremonial procedings such as the receiving line, speeches and cake cutting ceremony.

The Professional Toastmaster

There are many benefits to having a professional toastmaster at a wedding. A professional toastmaster wears ceremonial clothes (most noticably a red tail coat) thus adding to the pomp and splendour of any wedding. Experience in dealing with formal occasions brings the toastmaster’s skills in to play, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of a wedding reception. They discreetly go about duties and provide confidence and a calming influence on the bridal party. Toastmasters are also experts on wedding etiquette and protocol, which will ensure that the members of your bridal party who have roles to fulfil during the reception do so in the right order and without embarrassment.

When considering a professional toastmaster, check to see if they belong to one of the local or national profesional bodies. These can be found in the Yellow Pages or through the internet.

Alternatives to using a Professional

Some reception venues provide a member of staff to act as a toastmaster. If your venue does not provide this service and your budget does not stretch to a professional toastmaster, an alternative is to appoint a guest to stand in. Traditionally the best man performs this role, although this may be an opportunity to give another person a position of responsibility at the wedding. Perhaps there is a good friend who could not be a best man or bridesmaid, or a sibling or guest who is accustomed to public speaking.

Roles and Duties

The toastmaster, whether professional or amateur, is responsible for keeping the reception running effortlessly and to time, ensuring that events happen in the right order. A toastmaster will liase with the bridal party, the venue staff and the catering staff to ensure that everything happens when it is supposed to. Managing these elements will result in a seamless feel to your celebration.

As well as time keeping, the toastmaster introduces guests to their hosts at the start of the receiving line, and announces meals, speeches, toasts and cake cutting.  They may also help guests to find their seats for the wedding breakfast. Having someone with responsibility for these elements of the reception will ensure that the event runs smoothly, eliminating pauses where the bridal party and guests aren’t sure what’s happening or what to do next.

Daytime wedding receptions normally have a specified end time, so that the room layout can be rearranged for the evening celebrations. A toastmaster will keep events moving so that evening guests will not feel as if they are walking into the end of a previous party. The presence of an unbiased, authoritative third party could also be of assistance if there is a fear of arguments or bad feeling between guests. A quiet word in the ear of a loud or disruptive guest can do much to diffuse a potentially explosive situation.

Many bridal parties feel that a toastmaster removes some responsibility from their already burdened shoulders. People already nervous about making a speech do not have to contend with announcing the order of the day to the guests as well, meaning that the bridal party can relax and enjoy the celebrations, safe in the knowledge that someone has an eye on the clock, the formalities and the guests.

If you decide to use a professional toastmaster you may wish to let your guests know by including this in an information card within your wedding invitations.  The Designer Card Company can produce matching information cards to insert inside your wedding invitations, which can include useful information on the venue (some venues disallow things like confetti, bubbles and high heels, for example, so it can be useful to inform your guests).  For more information please contact the Designer Card Company.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 at 6:39 pm and is filed under Wedding News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.