Find Information About Lots of Great Topics

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 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 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) 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.

Mindreading or magic

Decide if you want just visual magic with cards and coins or direct mindreading. A lot of magicians will do a bit of both though a mindreader is a very unique area which is becoming very popular. So think who you would prefer at your wedding, Derren Brown (mindreader) or David Blaine (magician)?

Mix and mingle

A form of close-up magic performed whilst people are standing around in small groups. This works well for the champagne reception and the evening entertainment.

Table magic

A form of intimate magic performed whilst people are sitting at tables. The magician entertains a table at a time, between courses. Ideal for the wedding breakfast.

Cabaret style

A magician who performs on stage to an audience. This can work well during the evening reception as a bit of light relief for everyone.

2) Cost

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 of performance

You cannot gauge a magician’s quality of entertainment simply by the price he sets. Likewise DO NOT judge a magician by how flashy his/her website is. Anyone can pay a web designer enough money to create a fantastic looking site, but that doesn’t mean the magician is a good entertainer. Also, do not be drawn in by lines such as “The UK’s top magician”, as this is likely to have been written by the magician themselves. The following points should be seriously taken into consideration when looking over a website.

Reviews

Testimonials are so important in your decision to book so have a thorough read through what past bookers have said. Remember, no one will ever put bad or average comments on his/her website so pay attention to the way in which a review has been written. For instance, if every testimonial says “He was awesome”, or “Superb magic” then be wary. More detailed testimonials which really highlight that the clients were totally amazed and had their wedding day given that extra special element is what you are looking out for. Never be too shy to ask for a phone number of a booker on the testimonials page if you want to be absolutely sure they are genuine. A magician should be able to give you this.

Media

Seeing and hearing the magician performing is essential to making your decision on which magician to book. A magician should have promotional video or radio clips otherwise you should doubt how long they have actually been performing. Quality pictures are also an invaluable tool for a magician to advertise the service they provide. You need to be sure all photos clearly show the guests having lots of fun in the magicians company. Make sure also that the magician looks smartly dressed, you certainly don’t want them turning up in David Blaine style dress wear of jeans and a t-shirt – believe me, it does happen!

4) Seeing the magician before booking

There is no reason at all why you cannot request the magician to give a live demonstration. This is not always necessary but if you really feel you want to see the magic happen in front of your own eyes and make a judgment then ask! If the magician lives within thirty miles he should be perfectly willing to come to you. Further distances may require you meet halfway in a public house. You can also ask about any wedding fayres they are exhibiting at and pop along to those instead.

5) Contact them

Many people don’t like calling nowadays with the ease of email. Though emailing your request is acceptable to get a quote, ALWAYS make sure you call before paying a deposit. We all have first impressions when meeting or talking to someone for the very first time. Does he sound friendly? You will instinctively know if he is the right man for the job, all other things taken into account.

Good luck!

Popularity: unranked [?]