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
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.
