Hiring A Magician For Your Wedding - Pros And Cons.

By Andrew Edmonds

In a previous article I discussed "5 things to be aware of when booking a magician for your wedding." Naturally in writing that article I assumed you, the bride, (I'm making the assumption that it's the bride reading this, as, let's face it, the bride organises everything) had already decided that a magician is what you wanted, the help I gave was in finding the right one.

Now, being a full time professional magician obviously makes me a little biased when discussing why a magician is a good idea since I've experienced first hand what a difference it can make; however, I will still give what I feel are a few negatives in hiring a magician later in this article.

Now, it makes sense that since you are the centre of attention for pretty much the entire day you will not always be looking out for your guests and seeing if they are okay. This is where a magician can step in to add that extra dimension to your guests wedding experience and give you peace of mind knowing that they are in good hands.

A magician can be extremely versatile, slotting in with ease during any part of the day and not disrupting the flow of the event.

Popular times when a magician can wow your guests are:

Photographs

The formal photographs can take up to a couple of hours with most of your guests left to idly chat amongst themselves. There is no better time than a magician to step in and provide an unforgettable experience,; a great ice breaker.

During the wedding breakfast

The is another popular choice whereby the magician will entertain between courses at tables. If the magician is good this will no doubt raise the atmosphere in the room and make your wedding day feel that little bit more special.

Evening reception

The evening reception is a time when all the formalities are over and everyone is more relaxed, especially the best man! People do tend to be more open to being entertained during this part of the day which is probably helped by alcohol consumption which does bring people of out of themselves a little more. The evening guests also get to experience some magic too.

That's the positives for hiring a magician, so what are the negatives?

Well, booking a professional and experienced magician is not cheap and will likely cost around five hundred pounds for a couple of hours. This may seem a lot but weigh it up against the wonderful memories you and your guests will have for a lifetime and it's not difficult to see that is justified. If you have the budget, do it.

You also have to consider that booking a good, no great, magician, with a lot of experience and great testimonials AND the right personality will likely take you time to find. I cannot stress how important it is to find the right magician for your big day. Yes, it will take some research on the internet, a few phonecals and maybe even seeing a few in action at some wedding fayres, but it will be worth it to take away the stress on the day knowing your guests are being entertained as you wish them to be.

So, to summarise; if you have the budget and have the patience to find the right man for the job it is well worth hiring a wedding magician. You will likely hear your guests talking about "that magician" or "that trick" for years to come which will surely bring a smile to your face. - 30290

About the Author:

Andrew is a full time professional london magician based in the UK. For more information on his services, please visit http://www.magic-man.com. Don't forget to subscribe to his newsletter to receive free tricks to show your friends.

Perfect Christening Gift For Baptism Celebrations

By Richard Brown

There is nothing better than gifting a christening gift on the day the baby is baptized. The baby should not feel uneasy with it f it is a wearable item. Various gifts are available at online sites and retail stores. Here are some tips to choose a nice gift.

Jewellery items are considered to be nice gifts. Various famous christening gifts are pendants, necklaces or bracelets. These make up for a gift for a lifetime. Family members can get one for their loved ones on the occasion of baptism.

Silver or gold jewellery may not be useful after sometime as the child grows. If you are concerned about this, you can gift charm jewellery. You can add a charm once the bracelet or necklace gets tighter for the child.

Earrings can be nice for a girl child if the ears are already pierced. There are diverse designs available. Girls like earrings and they will actually use them for a lot of time. There are a lot of designs available online that you can browse.

Christening gown and certificate are kept in special glass boxes. These are called shadow boxes. These come in a few designs. It can be a nice gift and can be really useful for several years to store the sacred items.

A locket is another cool and lovable gift. Have the picture of the special occasion fitted inside the locket. This will remind you of the event. You can place another memorable picture there. This can be a very nice gift that will remind you of old memories.

There are many gift sets available that you can buy. There can be photo frames, a bible and crosses in it. The gift box is also beautifully decorated and looks good.

Gifting a bible can also be great. It is a nice gift for the christening moment. Baptism is an important moment in your life so a nice christening gift can make it even more special and memorable. - 30290

About the Author:

You can check out various types of christening gifts here.

5 Things To Be Aware Of When Booking A Wedding Magician

By Andrew Edmonds

Hiring a magician for your wedding can be a daunting task since this is, after all, one of the biggest days of your life and getting everything right can be a bit overwhelming. Also, with yourselves being the centre of attention, your minds will not always be on the general welfare of your guests, especially during the photos where you will likely be occupied for a couple of hours.

This is where a magical entertainer can add that extra dimension to your guests experience of your day and give you peace of mind knowing that they are safe hands.

But how do you go about finding the right magician for your special day? The last thing you want is a scruffy amateur with no personality showing a few tricks your grandad once taught you!

I've come up with five things you should seriously consider when booking a magician for your special day. Follow these points and rest assured of getting the magician your guests deserve!

1) Variety of magicians

You need to decide the style of magician you wish to have and when you want him/her to actually perform. The following is a list of things to bare in mind.

Adults or Children

You need to think about whether you want the children AND adults entertained or just one group. You would usually find that most wedding entertainers work mainly on entertaining your adult guests but would still be happy to show the children a trick or two.

Mind control trickery or visual magic

Decide if you want just visual magic tricks (cards/coins/ropes) or mindreading. Most magicians do a bit of both though a mindreader is a very specialist area which is becoming very popular. So think, do you want Derren Brown (mindreader) or David Blaine (magician)?

Mingling/close up

A form of close-up magic performed whilst people are standing in groups, whereby the magician mingles with the crowd performing to small groups at a time. This works well for the drinks reception and evening entertainment.

Table hopping

A style of magic performed whilst people are at tables, for instance, during the wedding breakfast. The magician will entertain a table at a time, in between courses.

Stand up act

A magician who performs in front of an audience. Great for the evening reception as a bit of light entertainment for everyone.

2) Price

It's likely you have a strict budget for your wedding so the price for hiring a magician is obviously a key factor. It would be foolish, however, to simply go with the cheapest magician you can find. There is no professional regulatory body for magicians so essentially anyone can learn a few tricks and call themselves a wedding magician. If you want quality, expect to pay in the region of 300 - 500 for two hours of close-up magic. A deposit in the range of 20% up front with the balance on the day is normal.

3) Quality

You cannot judge a magician's quality of performance simply by the cost he sets. Likewise NEVER judge a magician by how good his/her website is. Anyone can pay a website designer enough cash to make a great looking site, but that doesn't mean the magician is a actually a good entertainer. Also, never be drawn in by lines such as "Britain's greatest magician", as this is likely to have been written by the magician themselves. The following should be taken into consideration when looking over an entertainers website.

Reviews

Testimonials are vitally important so have a thorough read of what past clients have said. Remember, no magician will ever put anything but good comments on his/her website so pay particular attention to the way in which a testimonial has been written, ie if all the comments say "He was great", or "Brilliant magic" then be wary. However, more detailed testimonials which really show that the wedding couple were totally blown away and had their day given that extra special touch is what you are looking for. Also, do not be shy to ask for a phone number of anyone on the testimonials page if you want to be 100% they are genuine. A magician should be able to provide this.

Video/Radio/Pictures

There is absolutely no substitute for seeing or hearing the magician entertaining. Video and radio footage are great ways to do this. If a magician has no footage on his/her website you should probably wonder how long they have actually been performing as this should be the highest priority for a magician with a promotional website. Also great quality pictures are essential. Ensure all photos clearly show the people having a good time, also that the wedding magician looks smart, you don't want them turning up in David Blaine style dress wear of t-shirt and jeans!

4) Live

If you wish you can request the magician to give a live demonstration. This is not always required but if you really want to see the magic happen in front of your own eyes and make a decision then ask! If the magician is based within around twenty to thirty miles he should likely be perfectly willing to come to you. Any greater distance and you may need to meet halfway in a bar. You can also ask about any wedding fayres they are going to be performing at and go along to those instead.

5) Email contact/Phone

Many people shy away from calling nowadays with the ease of email. Though emailing your initial request is fine to get a quote, ALWAYS call before booking. Everyone has first impressions when meeting or talking to someone for the first time. Does he sound likable and friendly? You will instinctively know if he is the right man for the job, all other things considered.

Good luck! - 30290

About the Author:

Andrew is a full time professional essex wedding magician based in the UK. For more information on his services, please visit http://www.magic-man.com. Don't forget to subscribe to his newsletter to receive free tricks to show your friends.