With your DJ
Wedding MC in Michigan
The MC side of your Menzo Weddings DJ booking: your grand entrance, toasts and the cake, announced clearly and on time by someone who's planned the night with you.
Katie & Dennis's reception, Revel Run
The best man is at the microphone, the photographer is already in place, and the kitchen is holding the salads for four more minutes. A good wedding MC is the person your guests barely think about, because someone is quietly keeping the night moving.
The wedding MC comes with your Menzo Weddings Wedding DJ and MC booking. It isn't an add-on: the DJ who plays your night is on the microphone for it too, so the announcement and the music happen together.
Menzo Weddings provides wedding DJ and MC services across Michigan, from Ann Arbor and Metro Detroit to Lansing and up north. Founder Dave Menzo has been performing since 2001 and has played Michigan weddings for more than a decade, and he's been running events for even longer. Before Menzo Media, he was a travelling event manager running events across Michigan, then spent ten years as an account executive running client projects, budgets and timelines. A wedding reception is a timeline with a lot of feeling attached, and keeping it on track is the part of the MC's job most people don't see.
What's included with your wedding MC?
- Your grand entrance. Your wedding party introduced by name, each on their song, then the two of you.
- Toasts and blessings. Each speaker introduced and handed the microphone in the order you choose.
- Dinner. Tables called to the buffet, or a welcome before plated service, timed with your venue.
- Every big moment. First dance, parent dances, cake, bouquet and garter if you're doing them, last dance and send-off.
- The timeline. Kept with your planner, venue and photographer, so each moment happens when everyone's ready.
- Names said right. Every name checked with you before the day.
Because the MC is part of your DJ booking, it works the same way if you add DJ plus live music, ceremony music or a cocktail-hour set. If you have another setup in mind, tell us about it when you check your date.
What does a wedding MC do?
The MC is the voice of the reception and the person who keeps it on schedule. They make the announcements, but most of the job happens between them: checking with the kitchen before calling dinner, making sure the photographer is in place before the cake, finding the best man before his toast, and noticing when the room needs a moment before the next thing.
Good MCs keep it short. Your guests came to see the two of you, not the person at the microphone. The job is to make sure everyone knows what's happening, then get out of the way. For a full breakdown, read our guide: what does a wedding MC do?
Which moments does the MC announce?
Your venue, your dinner service and your traditions set the order. These are the moments most receptions have:
- Welcome. A short word once most of the room is seated: where the bar is, and that you'll be in shortly. Meanwhile your wedding party lines up outside the doors, in order, with their songs ready.
- Grand entrance. Each pair introduced by name on their song, then you.
- A welcome or blessing from your family. Introduced, then handed over, with the microphone ready and the music down before they stand.
- Dinner. For a buffet, tables called in turn, usually starting with the wedding party and grandparents. For plated service, just music people can talk over.
- Toasts. Each speaker in order, photographer in place, music back up after each one.
- First dance and parent dances. Announced, then the song, then an invitation for everyone to join you when you're ready to open the floor.
- Cake, bouquet and garter. Timed for a moment when the floor could use a breather.
- Last dance and send-off. A call for the last song, then directions for the exit: where to line up, when the sparklers get lit, and which way you'll walk.
Sample wedding MC announcements
Here's roughly what announcements sound like. These are examples only, with placeholder names. The real wording is written with you, in a tone that fits your wedding.
The grand entrance
"Good evening, everyone. If you could find your seats, the wedding party is about to join us. Please welcome the maid of honor, [name], and the best man, [name]."
"And now, for the first time as a married couple, please stand and welcome [your names]."
Toasts
"Before dinner, a few people would like to say something. First, the bride's sister and maid of honor, [name]."
Dinner
"Dinner is ready. We'll start with the head table and grandparents, and we'll call the rest of the tables one at a time from there."
Opening the dance floor
"[Your names] would like everyone to join them on the dance floor. Grandparents, this means you too."
The send-off
"This is the last song of the night. After it ends, please head outside and form two lines along the path. Sparklers will be handed out at the door."
Wedding storyGenna & Frank
The Oakley, Holly · 2021See the wedding
How does your MC work with your planner, venue and photographer?
Most of an MC's work happens in the minute before each announcement. Before the toasts, we check that the photographer is in position and the speakers know they're next. Before dinner, we check with the venue captain that the kitchen is ready. Before the cake, we make sure the knife, the plates and the photographer are all in the same place as the two of you.
If you have a planner or day-of coordinator, we'll share the same run of show, and they'll be our first call when anything changes. If you don't, we'll work directly with your venue.
Names, pronunciation and family traditions
Getting a name wrong in front of two hundred people stays with someone. When we plan, we'll go through every name your MC will say out loud and write down how it sounds. If a name is new to us, we'll practise it, and on the day we'll check the hardest ones again.
The same goes for traditions. If your families have a money dance, a blessing, a special entrance, or a dance only one side of the family knows, tell us what happens, who leads it and what music it needs. We'll introduce it in a way that brings the whole room in, including the guests who've never seen it before.
Moments from Michigan weddings Dave has played
Every reception has its own big moments. At Marissa and Joel's wedding in February 2022 it was a lit grand entrance. At Chris and Makenzie's in 2022, Sparty, Michigan State's mascot, showed up. At Heather and Tyler's in Owosso, the family took over the dance floor for the Monster Mash. Dave has played rooms as big as The Masonic Temple in Detroit, and rooms like The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms and Brookshire Inn in Williamston. See more in the portfolio.
How does planning work?
- Check your date. Tell us your date and your venue, and choose the Wedding DJ and MC. Dave reads every inquiry and replies himself.
- We talk. About the two of you, your families, and the kind of reception you picture: big and loud, or warm and low-key.
- We write the run of show. Every entrance, toast, dance and announcement in order, with names and cues, shared with your planner and venue.
- The day. Your MC runs the plan, checks with your vendors before each moment, and adjusts when the night needs it.
Menzo Weddings MCs receptions across Michigan: Ann Arbor, Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Northern Michigan.
“He has such an amazing feel for an event.”
Pairs well with
Your MC comes with the DJ
Start here
Wedding DJ and MC
Your reception, planned with you song by song, and an MC who keeps the night on time.
Learn moreHybrid
DJ plus live music
Live drums, guitar, sax or violin, in any combination, played on top of the DJ set.
Learn more
Add-on
Cocktail hour
A live acoustic set while your guests mingle and you take your portraits.
Learn moreCommon questions
What does a wedding MC do?
The MC is the voice of your reception. They introduce your wedding party and the two of you, hand the microphone to each toast, call tables to dinner, announce the first dance, the cake and the send-off, and keep the night on its timeline with your venue and photographer. Our wedding MC guide goes through it in detail.
Is the DJ usually the MC?
Very often, yes. The DJ is already at the microphone and controls the music, so the cues happen together: the announcement, then the song. Your MC is part of your Wedding DJ and MC booking, and it works the same way if you add DJ plus live music.
How do you make sure names are pronounced right?
We ask. When we plan, we'll go through every name your MC will say out loud, from your wedding party to the people giving toasts, and write down how each one sounds. On the day, your MC checks the trickiest ones again with you or your planner before the entrance.
Do we need an MC if we have a wedding planner?
Usually, yes. Your planner runs the day behind the scenes; the MC runs it in front of your guests. The two work best together. Your planner tells the MC when the kitchen is ready, and the MC tells the room.
Can you keep the announcements low-key?
Yes. Some couples want a big, loud entrance. Others want the announcements short and warm, with no gimmicks. Tell us which you are, and we'll match it.
How long should wedding toasts be?
A good rule is three to five minutes each. Longer than that and a room starts to drift, especially before dinner. Let your speakers know in advance how long they have, and we'll keep the order moving between them.
Can you include cultural or family traditions?
Yes. If your families have a tradition that happens during the reception, such as a money dance, a blessing, a special entrance or a dance only one side of the family knows, tell us what happens, who leads it and what music goes with it. We'll plan the announcement and the music around it.
Do you write a script for the night?
We write out the run of the night with every announcement, name and cue in order, and we go through it together before the wedding. The words on the day are your MC's own, so they sound natural, but nothing in them will be a surprise to you.
Check your date
Is your date still open?
Tell us when and where. Dave replies personally.