Woman World Web

September 30th, 2009 by Andrew Edmonds

Hiring a magician for your big day can be a very overwhelming task since this is, after all, one of the biggest days of your life and getting it just right is likely to be very stressful. You’re also going to be the centre of attention all day and so your mind will not always be on the welfare of your wedding party, especially during the photographs where you and your partner will likely be busy for a couple of hours.

This is where a wedding magician can move in and add that extra dimension to your guests wedding experience leaving you with the comforting thought that they are in good hands.

But how do find the right magician for your wedding day? Let’s face it, the last thing you want is an amateur with no personality showing a few silly tricks your grandad taught you when you were a child!

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 firstly decide the type of magic you want for your guests and when you wish the magician to perform. Here is a list of points.

Kids/Adults

Decide if you want just the children entertained or adults or maybe a mix of both. Most wedding magicians work primarily on entertaining your adult guests but would still be happy to show the children a little something.

Magic/mindreading

You need to decide if you would like visual magic tricks (cards/coins/ropes) or mind reading. You’ll find a lot of magicians do a bit of both though a magician that performs only mindreading is a very specialist area which is becoming very popular. So decide, do you want Derren Brown (mindreader) or David Blaine (magician)?

Mix and mingle

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 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

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

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 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.

Photos and Video

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) Live performance

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 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.

Go for it!