Booking a wedding magician for your special event can be a scary task since this is, after all, the biggest day of your life so far and getting it all right can be a bit overwhelming. Also, with yourselves being the centre of attention, your thoughts are not going to be on the general welfare of your guests, especially when the photographs are being taken where you will likely be occupied for one or two hours.
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.
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 compiled five things you should take into account when considering hiring a magician for your big day. Following each of these points you can be assured of getting the entertainer your guests deserve!
1) Different styles of magician
You need to first decide the type of magician you want and when you wish him/her to perform. The following is a list of things to consider.
Kids/Adults
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)?
Close up/mingling style
A style of magic performed while people are standing. The magician mingles with the crowd performing to small groups of people at a time. This can work very well for the drinks reception and/or evening entertainment.
Table to table style
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.
Cabaret
A magician who performs in front of an audience. Great for the evening reception as a bit of light entertainment for everyone.
2) Price
The price for hiring a magician is obviously a key factor as you no doubt have a strict budget. However, it would be unwise to simply go with the cheapest magician. There is no professional regulatory body for magicians meaning anyone can learn some tricks and call themselves a magician. If you want a quality entertainer, you should expect to pay in the region of 400 – 600 for two to three hours of close-up magic. A deposit of 20% is usually asked for up front with the balance payable before the event or on the day,
3) Quality
You cannot judge the quality of entertainment of a magician by the price he gives. Likewise DO NOT gauge a magician by how wonderful looking his/her website is. Anyone can pay enough money to a web designer to create a fabulous looking website, but that by no means means the magician is a great entertainer. Also, try not to be drawn in by quotes such as “The world’s top magician”, as this is likely to have been written by the magician themselves. Take into account the following points when looking over a website.
Testimonials
Testimonials are vital when deciding who to book. Make sure you have a thorough read of what past clients have said. It’s useful to remember that no magician is going to put anything but great comments on his/her reviews page so pay close attention to the way in which a testimonial has been written, ie “He was wonderful”, or “Surperb magic” simply do not tell you enough about the magicians personailty, so be wary. What you are looking for is detailed testimonials which really show that the wedding couple were totally in awe of the performance. Also, do not be scared to ask for a any phone numbers from previous clients 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) Seeing the magician before booking
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) Phone/Email
Many people shy away from phoning nowadays with the ease of email. Emailing your initial request is fine to get a quote, but it’s really important you call before booking. We all have initial impressions when talking to someone for the first time. Does he sound likable? You will instinctively know if he is the right man for the job, all other things considered.
Good luck!
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