Nigerian and African Weddings at home and Abroad are often spectacular occasions of multicultural expressions.
The right Master of Ceremonies (MC) can act as a curator who makes the event warm, fun, and highly memorable.
The wrong one? Let's not even think about the depth of possibilities.

Share your experiences here about hiring the best Masters of Ceremonies in the trade.

Here are are some important tips and a checklist for hiring the right MC for your special Day, authored by TV Host and experienced Wedding MC, Tosin Odunfa aka TVTosin

Your Wedding MC Check-list; Don't Be Caught Wed Without It


After he has said “I do” and she has done the same, it's almost a no-brainer that it's time for a celebration! Thus was the birth of the wedding reception; the very best of private entertainment events and one more reason for all of society to show off their Saturday best.(Yes, this now trumps the Sunday best.)

In Lagos especially, the wedding reception is most certainly a big deal that brings together all and sundry, commonly fuelled by what may sometimes appear to be an endless supply of the best bubbly from the north east of France. It can be a lively event with friends and family from all regions of time and space coming together to share laughs, smiles and gossips; reliving good times gone by and re-igniting old love, tales and tiffs. Wedding receptions can indeed be a great delight to the bride and groom but can sometimes be a source of great frustration.

It is easy for some to forget that the reason for the celebration is the twosome clad in regalia, however, one person must not and cannot afford to forget this: le maître des cérémonies; the Master of Ceremonies. It is ultimately his job to masterfully coordinate the affairs of events that ensures that the bride and groom have the time of their lives on the most celebratory day of their existence.

It is a skilled job that comes with experience but for which some of the best are thought to have a natural predilection. Thus in picking the right Master of Ceremonies for your wedding reception, you must be able to appraise the level of skill. To guide you along is the following check-list which will be of good value to ensure that you pick the right man (or woman) for the job!

If you were to lose the following list, do not fret, but try to remember the very first item:

1 Presence:
We've all heard various speakers take the podium at events and we remember that one or two speakers stand out significantly, not necessarily based on the content of their speech but more on that “Je ne sais quoi” ; that x factor that seems to light up the room.

I know you're thinking Bill Clinton, Barack Obama etc, (it'll cost you) but, look around you and think of that person whose presentations in class at the university always seemed to stand out or that person who may not be the most physically attractive but who walks into the room and everyone does a double take. If you can make sure that your wedding MC has presence, then all the rest will likely fall in place or at least, lapses will be more easily forgiven.

2 Professionalism:

You don't need to go out and hire a nine-to-five professional MC if there ever was such, but whoever you choose, with or without pay, must realise that the role of the Master of ceremonies at your wedding is a serious one (jokes aside) that requires a professional attitude and attention to detail. For instance, punctuality it an essential hallmark of professionalism; you don't want to have an MC that arrives after the bride and groom or does not arrive at all. Believe me, I have seen it happen.

3 Dress Sense:

Most weddings are formal occasions that call for all to dress to impress and it can be rather embarrassing to find that the Wedding MC may have missed the memo. The right shoes and the proper grooming complete with a smile on the figure coordinating affairs goes a long way to ensure that the bride and groom are confident that the event is in good hands. The guests are also more easily able to look forward to a good time when the person addressing them looks good and looks like he is having a good time.

It is not only important that your MC looks good in a suit or other appropriate dress for your occasion, but their overall attitude towards how they look on that day is an important factor you must take note of. Hence, do make sure to ask your MC-to-be about what he or she will be wearing on your special day, and take note of the air around their response. If you do not sense any pride or meticulousness in their description of plans for kitting-up or of their actual outfit, then you might want to think twice.

4 Sense of Humour:

Don't run out looking for that great comedian who made you laugh uncontrollably at some comedy club, show or the other. On the contrary, it has become somewhat common knowledge that it is rare to find a comedian that makes a great compère.

A good sense of humour or wit that engages people is an important tool by which a Master of Ceremonies does his bidding and thus you should look out for this trait in your wedding MC

5 Class:

It is not required that your master of ceremonies be a blue blooded aristocrat with absolutely impeccable manners, infact, that may be quite boring unless you happen to be of such pedigree or find such straight jacket proceedings amusing. Nevertheless, ensuring that your compère is of a similar social standing to that of your guests must not be overlooked.

It is easy to assume that the norms of your social circle are shared with people of all walks, until you experience the awkwardness of a situation in which your MC feels like he is on-a-roll with offensive humour.

6 Communication ability:

Unless your wedding is going to be conducted significantly in another language, it is safe to say that your MC needs to have a good clear command of the English Language. Also depending on the type and mix of guests that you will be entertaining, it is also of value for the MC to be bi- or multi-lingual.

Of utmost importance in communication is that your MC must be able to effortlessly construct sentences that are correct in both grammar and syntax. Also,while some find one regional accent more desirable than the other, the clarity and correctness of effortlessly woven diction is the internationally accepted currency of communication.

Be sure that your MC is fluent in the language he will be speaking in!

I hope that my check-list comes in handy in helping you to choose the right Master of Ceremonies for your wedding. I do wish the first letters of each item could've spelt our a nice acronym for a memory aid, but PPD SCC will just have to do.

NOTE: Tosin Odunfa aka TVTosin has served as a Master of Ceremonies at multiple weddings and is available for others in the future as his calendar permits. He can be reached by telephone on +234809 17 84757, or email info(at)thedoubleo.com

Learn more about TVTosin here including photos and videos :
http://talent.teraolive.com/tosin-odunfa-tv-personality-nigerian-wedding-mc-profile-naija/