Why have the celebrant MC the reception?

Because they have already met your families, know how the names are pronounced and have heard the story the speeches will refer to. It also removes a handover: the run sheet the ceremony ends on is the run sheet the reception starts from, and no venue coordinator has to brief a stranger at 6pm.

How much does a wedding MC cost?

$750 for MC only, covering four hours on site with a run sheet and a PA. Bundled with the ceremony it is $1,950 on a weekday and $2,150 Friday to Sunday. The market for the bundle across this region runs from $1,595 to $3,069, and most Gold Coast SERP winners sell the two together.

How long does the MC stay?

MC only is four hours on site, which normally covers guests arriving through to speeches and cake. The bundled package runs from the ceremony through to the first dance, however long that takes on the night. Longer is arranged in advance rather than negotiated at the venue.

Do you supply the PA?

Yes, for both the ceremony and the MC work, including a wireless microphone. Most reception venues here have their own system and it is usually better than a portable one, so the run sheet notes which is being used and there is a backup either way.

Celebrant + MC

Ceremony and reception MC together is $1,950 Monday to Thursday and $2,150 Friday to Sunday, taking you from the aisle through to the first dance on one run sheet. MC only is $750 for four hours. Book five months ahead for a Saturday. The advantage of one person doing both is that nobody has to be introduced twice.

What it costs

What you get	Mon–Thu	Fri–Sun
Ceremony and reception MC The full personalised ceremony plus MC of the reception through to the first dance, with a run sheet agreed beforehand.	$1,950	$2,150
MC only Four hours on site, a run sheet built with you and your venue, and a PA. For couples whose ceremony is someone else's job.	$750	same

Australian dollars, GST included. Travel within 30 km is included and $1 per kilometre round trip beyond it. Booking fee $250, which comes off the total. Witnesses supplied at $60 each. Council permits for beach and park ceremonies are passed through at cost.

How far ahead to book

Allow about five months for a weekend date in season. Midweek and winter dates are often available at much shorter notice.

What an MC actually does

Most of the work is finished before the reception starts. The run sheet is agreed with you and your venue: when the doors open, when the meals land, how long the speeches get, when the cake and the first dance happen, and who announces each of them. The venue's coordinator runs the room and the MC runs the night, and the two of them need one document rather than two.

On the night it is announcements, keeping speeches inside the time they were given, and noticing the things nobody plans for — a speaker who cannot start, a course that arrives twenty minutes late, a grandparent who has to leave before the cake. The failure mode of a reception is not disaster, it is drift, and an hour lost between the entrée and the speeches is an hour taken off the dance floor.

One person or two

Having the celebrant carry on as MC removes a handover. They already know the names, the pronunciations, the shape of the family and which uncle is speaking, and the run sheet the ceremony finished on is the one the reception begins from. Bundled it is $1,950 Monday to Thursday and $2,150 Friday to Sunday, against a regional range of $1,595 to $3,069 for the two together.

It is not always the right answer. If you have a friend who is genuinely funny and knows everyone in the room, use them — an MC with history in the family beats a professional with a clipboard most nights. The MC-only tier at $750 exists for the other case: a couple whose ceremony is someone else's job, or a venue that wants somebody holding the clock while a friend does the jokes.

Questions people ask

Why have the celebrant MC the reception?: Because they have already met your families, know how the names are pronounced and have heard the story the speeches will refer to. It also removes a handover: the run sheet the ceremony ends on is the run sheet the reception starts from, and no venue coordinator has to brief a stranger at 6pm.
How much does a wedding MC cost?: $750 for MC only, covering four hours on site with a run sheet and a PA. Bundled with the ceremony it is $1,950 on a weekday and $2,150 Friday to Sunday. The market for the bundle across this region runs from $1,595 to $3,069, and most Gold Coast SERP winners sell the two together.
How long does the MC stay?: MC only is four hours on site, which normally covers guests arriving through to speeches and cake. The bundled package runs from the ceremony through to the first dance, however long that takes on the night. Longer is arranged in advance rather than negotiated at the venue.
Do you supply the PA?: Yes, for both the ceremony and the MC work, including a wireless microphone. Most reception venues here have their own system and it is usually better than a portable one, so the run sheet notes which is being used and there is a backup either way.

Not yet taking enquiries here

This site is being built. The phone number, the Google listing and the entry on the Attorney-General's register of marriage celebrants will be published together, as one identical set — which is what a search engine needs in order to be sure they all describe the same business.

Prices, inclusions and paperwork on this site are complete and current. Only the contact details are outstanding.