Why Book a Professional Toastmaster for your Wedding?

It is your special day and no two weddings are the same! As bride and bridegroom, you want to ensure that your wedding runs smoothly and according to your plan, enabling you to relax and enjoy the occasion with family and friends.

A professional toastmaster will provide support and expert advice on etiquette and protocol and will conduct the formalities on the day, so that all duties are performed with confidence and ease. The concept of a toastmaster at weddings in the UAE is relatively new, but something we here at Bride Club ME endorse.

Above: Toastmaster Steve, in work mode.

A toastmaster can make a big difference to your wedding by adding style and expertise, along with the care and attention needed to ensure your day runs perfectly. I booked an MC/toastmaster for my wedding in 2012 and it was one of the best decisions I made! Here, UK based-toastmaster Steve Baker gives us the low down on his job and why hiring a toastmaster can make all the difference.

What are the duties of a professional toastmaster?

Duties vary according to the wishes of the bride and bridegroom, but could include all or some of the following:

• A professional toastmaster will meet with you well in advance of your wedding to discuss all the details and to consult and advise on every aspect of the day
• Agree with you the order of proceedings and all necessary timings, formalities and requests
• Arrive early on the day to check and prepare all arrangements at the venue
• Welcome members of the bridal party and guests
• Make all formal announcements
• Organise and introduce a receiving line
• Call all your guests to the wedding breakfast
• Announce the bride and bridegroom’s arrival at the wedding breakfast
• Announce or say Grace if required
• Announce the speeches and toasts
• Assist the photographer/videographer in gathering guests
• Announce the cutting of the wedding cake
• Announce the evening music or entertainment and the first dance  

In addition to the above, a toastmaster can take responsibility for other duties on the day such as circulating the wedding book, co-ordination of bouquets and presents, liaising with the photographer/videographer and making any special announcements.

All these duties are designed to make your day even more memorable and are carried out in a truly professional yet friendly manner.

How did you get started as a professional toastmaster?

My background is in international business and I have more than 22 years’ experience at the British Chambers of Commerce, speaking and presenting at trade meetings and conferences both at home in the UK and overseas in Europe, the US, Mexico, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and India. Exporting and international trade have been my career passion and the two ingredients of travel and meeting people have always appealed to me.

The idea of toastmaster work had been in the back of my mind for quite some time and colleagues at work had often remarked that it would suit me. Toastmaster work is very similar to ‘fronting’ a meeting or event and I really enjoy the buzz of being in the middle and directing what goes on.

I wanted to do it properly, however, so I went straight to the top. I decided to contact David Collins, who is a world-renowned toastmaster and president and founder of the Master of Ceremonies Club in London. David agreed to train me so I began 12 months of one-on-one personal instruction in 2013, which included working at many of the most prestigious venues in London, including Grosvenor House Hotel, London Guildhall, Claridges Hotel and Old Billingsgate. At the end of 2013, I was invited to join the exclusive Master of Ceremonies Club.

Can you describe a memorable Dubai wedding?

In November 2014, I was especially pleased to be working at a wedding at the Dubai Polo Club. The setting was so beautiful and romantic, and all the celebrations took place outside, under a perfect Dubai sky. The job was a sheer delight (I’m available for UAE weddings during select months in the yearly calendar).

What do you like best about your job?

Weddings are my favourite occasions in my line of work. Whenever I’m booked as a wedding toastmaster, I regard it as a true privilege. I am ‘front of house’ on the most important day in the lives of two people who have placed their trust in me to ensure that everything runs smoothly and just the way they want, so that the whole day is memorable and cherished forever. You only get one chance at this, so it has to be right on the day.

The best part for me is seeing the smiles of happiness and love on the faces of the bride and bridegroom at the end of the day, knowing that everything has been just as they wished for and that I have been lucky enough to play a part in their celebration.

What advice would you give to a bride and bridegroom?

I have spoken to many couples and my experience is that booking a toastmaster is not usually one of the first things they think about for their wedding day. I really wish it was, because my work is all about what happens on the day! Leaving anything to chance risks spoiling the big day. Weddings are too important and involve too much time, preparation and expense to not ensure that everything runs just as the bride and bridegroom wish for on the day.

A professional toastmaster can be your guiding hand, not just on the day but also throughout your preparations for the wedding. By liaising with wedding planners, venue and catering staff, photographers, entertainment providers and officiants, your toastmaster becomes a single and identifiable point of contact for making introductions, announcements and presentations, as well as coping with those unexpected changes or alterations that often occur on the day.

By choosing to have a toastmaster, you will always have someone at your wedding with your interests as their sole focus!

Thanks Steve! For more information on Steve and his toastmaster services, you can visit his website here.