A Full Evening of Entertainment
In addition to my conducting the festivities as DJ and Master of Ceremonies Sheila and I performed Flute and Piano music for the wedding ceremony and cocktail hour and during dinner the Elegant Music Jazz Trio performed selections from the Great American Song Book.
See: A Full Evening of Entertainment

Wedding Planning and Executing a Wedding
“Planning a wedding” and “executing a wedding” are related but these are two different activities. A Master of Ceremonies is an “executive”. He executes announcements and in conducting the festivities along a predetermined course guides guests through the celebration. This is certainly the case with a grand entrance. Getting the grand entrance right helps to establish the master of ceremonies with that audience.
See: A Script for your Master of Ceremonies
Getting the Grand Entrance Right

For this wedding it was decided:
- For the grand entrance the bride and groom would enter the ballroom and come down the stairs and start their first dance.
- Then on cue, the bridal party would join the bride and groom on the dance floor and complete their first dance.
- At the end of the first dance (having the wedding couple and their bridal party all together on the dance floor) we would go right into the Hora.
Sure, it looks good on paper but will it happen exactly that way?
If I were to have made the scheduled announcement for (the bridal party to please join the wedding couple on the dance floor) chances would be good that there would have been little compliance from the bridal party “a failed announcement”.
It is dangerous for a master of ceremonies to make an announcement and it not happen. In an ideal world, the MC makes an announcement and it happens and guests see it happen. The MC is then credible with that audience.
The fastest way to lose control of an audience is to make an announcement and it not happen. This is especially important at the beginning of a wedding reception during the grand entrance. A failed announcement would make the MC and the wedding couple (who are exposed all alone on the dance floor) look bad.
Here is What Happened
So the first dance song is playing and just about up to the instrumental section when the announcement was to be made…
I quickly went around to the tables and found each member of the bridal party and asked them to line up with their partner. (You can see this happening on the video.)
Thank goodness they were all in the room and no one was in the bathroom. Once I had them lined up and in the ready position, I could make the announcement.

They indeed did join the wedding couple on the dance floor. It was easy to then invite all guests to join them which they did.
The first dance was completed and a spirited hora followed with nearly everyone in participation. A successful grand entrance, first dance and hora!
Whew! That was a close one :-)

Sincerely, Eric Zimmermann Elegant Music
Elegant Music 626-797-1795