toastmaster??

I personally wouldn't bother as our venue coordinator will be taking care of that side of things.

And I really don't like the outfits they wear. Sorry if that offends anyone!

Hello,

We're not having one, our co-ordinators deal with all those things and have people to specifically do those jobs, not sure i'd bother if they weren't there though.
Have heard they do a good job and help with having people where they should be etc however I couldn't justify the money for one, i'd rather have a sign up specifying what time things are happening and go with the flow haha

Our venue provides a wedding co-ordinator which pretty much does the same job so I decided not to bother. I think to be honest every venue we viewed offered this as standard as part of a wedding package, so it may be worth asking?

Thank you x

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I'm going to sit on the fence a bit with this one.

I won't have a toastmaster because my on the day coordinator seems more than capable. But I have been to a wedding where the staff on the day were pretty cr*p & they could have done with a stronger person in charge organising stuff and announcing the speeches or cake cutting, first dance etc. In cases like that I think a toastmaster is well worth the money.

Depending on your wedding type, do not underestimate the value of a proper MC/toastmaster.

I have worked with hundreds of both and as a generalisation, know who I would rather work with and have looking after my wedding....

I am probably slightly biased as we had one at our wedding last month (Guy Wade who is a HIB on here) but I would definitely recommend it. I really wasn't sold on the idea myself to start with as we didn't want a formal receiving line or lots of long speeches - and we still didn't have any of that even though we had a toastmaster - but he was invaluable as the professional face of our very informal wedding, keeping everything running and quietly putting out fires (not literally lol) without us even being aware that there had been any problem. We were lucky that Guy is very flexible to what each couple wants and wasn't stuffy or overly formal so if you can find someone who has the right vibe for your day I would say it is worth it.

I suppose I might just be biased too?, but I'll answer some of the points as I see them.

Most venues will have a wedding co-ordinator. Often (not always) that's not his or her main job, they will usually also be the venue manager. If there's a problem in the kitchen or one of the toilets springs a leak they will be concentrating on that, not you. A toastmaster is employed by you and is - first and foremost - on your side, not the venue's.

The red coat can be useful, because I stand out of the crowd and become the obvious person to ask questions of. Recently though I did a wedding without the red coat because many of the men (including groom) were military and wearing officer's red mess dress. The uniform doesn't make the toastmaster - his service does.

Not all toastmasters are equal. Some like to swan around in the red coat as though they own the place; some are incapable of walking into a room without forming a receiving line; some insist on sitting at their own table near the top table eating and drinking the same food and drink as the guests, rousing themselves just long enough to introduce the speeches. Choose wisely.

At a wedding a few weeks ago (Hello Emma, thanks for your kind words above!) I helped to finish the hall décor, ferried cake, directed cars, opened champagne, moved furniture, held back the wedding breakfast when the caterers weren't quite ready, collected glasses, lit candles, found power for the fish and chip van, helped the DJ with his gear, introduced the ceilidh band and mopped the floor when someone spilt their drink. I even found time to make some announcements.

And people still say to me, "Yeah, but what do toastmasters actually DO?".

We are having a very small, family only, wedding.(23 people which includes bride and groom) I dont think a toastmaster would have enough to do until the evening reception when the masses arrive.

But I can see the benefit if it is a larger wedding. Not having to worry about the little things or other people can be a huge bonus Im sure.