A.1 Toastmaster

A highly qualified professional Toastmaster with 15 years experience in the City of London
and at the highest possible level.

Taken at the Thistle Tower Hotel in London.

After serving for 24 years in the Regular Army, I worked as a City of London Livery Company Beadle and Toastmaster for over 15 years, during which time I officiated at every kind of event, including Weddings, Banquets, Dinners, Presentations, Luncheons and Graduations, Livery Companies, Ward Clubs and other organisations, attended by Royalty, Ambassadors, Members of Parliament, senior members of the Armed Forces and the Church, captains of industry, sports personalities and entertainers.

I was honoured to be invited to officiate at the 100th and 101st Birthday celebrations of
Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother,
on behalf of the Sheriffs' Society of the City of London.



I am a Freeman of the City of London,
Qualified by examination as a member of the City of London Toastmasters Association
Member of the Federation of Professional Toastmasters and Masters-of-Ceremonies
and Past Chairman of the City of London Beadles' Guild.

Your Wedding

Your Wedding Day should be the happiest and most important day of your life.
Every single second should be remembered with joy and pleasure and to do that you need the freedom to meet and greet your family and friends: to socialise, chat, eat, drink and generally have time for what you want to do.
Time for yourself.

Let me look after the organisation, the Receiving Line, the speeches, the caterers, the timings, presentations of gifts or flowers and all the nitty-gritty management of the day.

What else do I do?

The traditional scarlet coat is worn in the West End of London and elsewhere in the country,
but is specifically NOT worn in the City of London, where a black tail coat is worn with a scarlet and white sash.
This has an historical context which is enshrined in the City By-Laws.

I am pleased to offer whichever form of dress you prefer, and also other themed variations should you so wish. For instance, I carry out the function of Parade Marshal and Toastmaster at the Abernethy Highland Games in Scotland each August, and this form of attire is especially suitable for Scottish weddings too.

The photographs below were taken as follows:

Top left: (Tail coat) - A wedding at Saddlers Hall in the City of London

Middle right: (Highland dress) - At Aviemore after the Highland Games
(Excuse my red face, but I had been burned to a crisp on the sports field all afternoon)

Bottom: Massed Pipe Bands leading the Clan march at the Abernethy Highland Games at Nethybridge.

And there is more

Guards of Honour

Should you require a military theme, I can provide a Guard of Honour,
complete with ceremonial uniform and drawn swords to form an Arch of Steel.

But what does it all cost????

This is possibly the most important, yet most difficult question, for a number of reasons.

For instance, I know that your wedding is a very expensive event and it really is not in my interest to price myself out of the market. Most Toastmasters will have a sliding-scale of charges as the duties and requirements may vary dramatically from one event to another. For instance, some may sing, for which there will be an additional fee. I charge no such fee, as you would not want to inflict such torment upon your guests. If you want me for a very long time and to cover a wide range of functions, I am happy to do so, but this will naturally be more expensive than the basic function of organising the caterers, forming a Receiving Line, announcing the Toasts and arranging for all presentations.

In order to get the balance right, I will meet you before the happy event (several times if you wish) to discuss your needs in detail and to fine-tune the costs to your benefit.

It is in my own interest too that the price is right for you and that you are happy.

Most especially, that you are happy.

CONTACT ME

You can contact me by the following methods:

Telephone: 05602-731660

E-Mail: pg.963@btinternet.com