Helping Your Wedding To Flow
If you’ve ever wondered what a wedding Toastmaster actually does, the answer is much more than making announcements and introducing the speeches.
Welcoming your guests
As guests arrive, I’m there to welcome them, take cards/presents, answer questions and help everyone know where they need to be.
Once the registrars arrive, I will work with the Tottington Team to enable them to see the couple to complete their legalities. As the ceremony approaches, we work alongside the photographer to get the wedding party into place without it feeling rushed or regimented.
After the ceremony, I will coordinate guests, handing out confetti and announcing the newly married couple, before the group shot and time for everyone to enjoy drinks and canapés. During the reception I’m usually helping coordinate photographs, checking arrangements for the wedding breakfast, and making sure the marriage certificate has been put somewhere safe!
It should all feel completely natural to your guests - even though there’s plenty happening behind the scenes.
As a professional wedding Toastmaster in Sussex, my job is to make sure your wedding day flows effortlessly, leaving you free to enjoy every moment. Here’s a glimpse behind the scenes at a wedding at Tottington Manor.
Before the Guests Arrive
My work starts before the wedding day. I’ll have already spoken with the couple about the arrangements for their day including, timings, speeches, special announcements and any surprises. I also like to ensure that the couple have time to just be on their own during what is a busy day that goes so quickly!
When I arrive at Tottington Manor, I meet with the team and other suppliers to make sure we are all on the same page. From this point onwards, I’m keeping an eye on the timings, coordinating the different parts of the day and dealing with those inevitable little changes that happen at weddings.
I will go and see the couple to make sure they don’t need anything - offering help, advice and support, such as putting on buttonholes, helping with pocket squares and ties and drying the stems of bouquets!
My aim is simple: the couple shouldn’t have to worry about any of it.
The wedding breakfast and speeches
One of the most visible parts of being a Toastmaster is announcing the newlyweds into the wedding breakfast. Some couples love the traditional ceremony and theatre of a Toastmaster; others want something much more relaxed. I adapt my style to suit the wedding rather than expecting the wedding to adapt to me. During the meal, I work with the Tottington Manor team to manage timings and prepare for the speeches. For nervous speakers, having someone there to explain when and where they’ll be speaking, how to use the microphone and what happens next can be incredibly reassuring. There is also a little time for me to have 10 minutes to just relax and have a coffee whilst taking in beauty of the Sussex Downes beofre it’s my job to get everyone’s attention, make the introductions and hand the spotlight over to the people who matter. After announcing the newlyweds from the wedding breakfast, I will ensure guests know that tea and coffee is being served under the stretch tent and remind them to sign or leave a message in the audio guest book. I will then ensure I am on hand to welcome evening guests and liaise with the DJ/Band or any evening suppliers.
Taking care of the unexpected
Weddings don’t always run exactly to plan - the photographer might need another ten minutes or the weather might change. Dinner might run slightly late or an important guest might have stepped out for 10 mins.
That’s all part of a wedding. A good Toastmaster and Master of Ceremonies deals with those moments quietly, working alongside the venue and suppliers to find a solution.
Ideally, the couple never even knows there was a problem.
From cake cutting to first dance
As evening guests arrive, I help bring everyone together for those final formal moments — perhaps the cutting of the cake followed by the first dance. And when the music starts and the dance floor fills, I can quietly step away knowing the couple have been able to spend their day celebrating rather than watching the clock.
Do you need a Toaster at your wedding?
You certainly don’t need a Toastmaster to get married - But it’s worth asking: Who do you want worrying about everything on the wedding day?
A professional wedding Toastmaster provides the link between you, your guests, your venue and your suppliers. I provide structure without making your wedding feel structured, formality when you want it and a relaxed approach when you don’t. Most importantly, I take care of what happens next - so you don’t have to.