Segment What to say?

Invitation to be seated At the appointed time, the emcee requests for all the guests to take their seats.
This should be carried out punctually to ensure there will not be delays in any segments.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! As the banquet will be starting shortly, may we request for all
guests to be seated please. Thank you.”

Introduction After everyone has taken their seats, the emcee should introduce themselves. Thank the
guests for taking their time off to attend the wedding. It is also important to acknowledge the presence
of important guests (their parents). It would be nice to go the extra mile and mention their names
instead of just saying ‘their parents’. Otherwise you can also call them based on their surnames, for
instance, “Mr and Mrs Lim”.

“Once again, a very good evening to everyone! Welcome to the wedding dinner of (name) and (name).
I’m (emcee’s name) and I’m honoured to be your emcee for tonight. On behalf of the couple and their
parents, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to join us on this joyous
occasion to celebrate the union of (name) and (name).”

1st montage The emcee will then direct the guests’ attention to the screen monitor. A montage will
start playing. This montage can be one filled with childhood photos of the couple growing up.
Otherwise, it can show the journey of the couple together from the beginning.

“Before we begin, let us first take a look at their journey from young and the happy memories they
shared over the years.”

1st march in Having set the mood and anticipation for the couple with the photo montage, the
emcee requests for everyone to rise and welcome the couple in warmly. The lights dim, music starts and
the couple will enter with their 1st march in.
“And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the moment you’ve been waiting for! Let us all rise and put our
hands together to welcome the newlyweds, (name) and (name).”

Cake cutting ceremony Once the couple has made their way up the stage, the emcee invites them to cut
the wedding cake. It’s also recommended for the emcee to say something symbolic of this ritual. The
speech could relate the sweetness of a cake to the couple’s marriage.

“Now, we shall invite the couple on stage for the cake cutting ceremony. May their marriage be filled
with sweet moments as they begin this new chapter of their lives together!”

After the cake is cut, the emcee should start clapping immediately. The guests will definitely follow and
do so. Next, it is time to commence the start of dinner.

“Thank you (name) and (name). Dinner will be served shortly. We hope that everyone will enjoy what
we have prepared and have a wonderful evening. Enjoy!”

2nd montage After the guests have finished some of the dishes, the emcee will direct their attention
to the screen again for the 2nd montage. This montage will usually be a video of the couple’s wedding
activities during the morning of the day. It allows guests who weren’t there for the earlier parts of the
wedding to also experience what they have gone through.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we hope you are enjoying the food so far. Now, for those who were not present
during the morning ceremony, you might be curious about what went down! Let us focus our attention
back on the screen again to revisit some of the exciting moments that took place earlier on.”
The lights will dim as the video starts. During this time, the couple would have changed into another
outfit for their 2nd march in.

2nd march in The emcee welcomes the couple back in for their 2nd march in.

“Once again, let us put our hands together to welcome the lovely couple back!”

Pop the champagne As the couple approaches the stage, the emcee will invite them to pop the
champagne.

“We shall now invite the couple up to pop the champagne.”

Yum seng After they have popped the champagne, it’s time to invite the couple’s parents,
immediate family members and wedding party members up to join in the traditional yum seng
ceremony.

“As champagne is a symbol of celebrations and happiness, may I invite the parents, relatives and close
friends of the couple up onto stage to join (name) and (name) in the traditional yum seng. For the rest of
the guests, let’s also rise and raise our glasses to give three toasts to celebrate this joyous occasion!”

When everyone has found a spot to stand on stage with their glasses, the emcee will start each toast
with a saying. The sayings can vary based on the parents’ wishes for the couple. These can be discussed
beforehand with the emcee. Meanwhile, some of the common ones are as follow.

“The first toast wishes the couple an eternal love in their marital life”
“The second toast wishes the couple a marriage full of mutual respect and appreciation in their life
ahead.

“The third toast blesses the couple with bountiful children in their lives ahead.

Couple’s speech After the toast, the couple will remain on stage to give their thank you speech.

“Thank you everyone. Please take your seats while we invite the couple to say a few words now.”

This segment can vary based on how many speeches there will be and the order of these speeches. The
emcee should prepare beforehand a short introduction of who will be giving the speech before each
speech commences.

Photo-taking After the speech, the couple will move from table to table for photo-taking.

“Thank you (name) and (name) for your touching words. We wish you all the best as you embark on this
new chapter of your lives together. The couple will now be going around to have their photos taken with
each table. Please enjoy the rest of the dinner in the meantime!

End of banquet As the night draws to a close, the emcee will take the stage again to conclude the
wedding ceremony.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of the wedding banquet. On behalf of the couple and
their parents, I thank you once again for taking the time to come here to celebrate this joyful union. I
hope you have enjoyed your time here tonight. Thank you!