These Are the Top Ten Tips for Getting the Most Out Of Your Wedding Magician
Number Of Guests
Weddings typically have between 80 and 150 guests, and one magician is usually enough to keep everyone entertained for a few hours! If you have more than this, however, one magician on his own is unlikely to get around all of your guests and deliver the jaw-dropping gasps that your guests have been anticipating. Please feel free to inquire about the specifics of your wedding and the number of guests attending, as each wedding is unique. If you need it, I can always offer my professional opinion and, if necessary, recommend and assist you in booking a second (or even third!) magician for your special day.
Decorations For The Table
I understand that a large bouquet of flowers in the centre of each table looks lovely. However, in my experience, the disadvantages of having large centrepieces at each table far outweigh this. For starters, it means that guests at each table can only see and talk to each other if they are seated next to each other. I find that weddings with large centrepieces have a bit less atmosphere at each table because you’ve effectively divided everyone into small 2’s or 3’s instead of the big 10’s or 12’s you intended when you spent all that time planning your table plan!
Are You Serious? WHAT?
Wedding DJs are sometimes found blasting music loudly during the meal and the evening reception! This is a major problem that I see almost every week at weddings. It means that your guests will be unable to converse comfortably and will be unable to hear and participate in the magic! You want your reception to be laid-back and enjoyable; there will be plenty of time later to start the party! Before your big day, do yourself a favour and talk to your DJ to make sure you’re all on the same page!
Speakers
Encourage your wedding party to give short and sweet speeches. As a professional speaker, I can tell you that the majority of people aren’t! There’s nothing worse than going to a wedding and listening to the same storey repeated for an hour and a half because the top table didn’t double-check their material and everyone is speaking for 15 minutes each.
Timeline
Don’t be concerned if your wedding is running late! You aren’t the first wedding to do so, and believe me when I say that you won’t be the last! A wedding planner will always make time for this, and your venue will usually make up any lost time during the changeover periods. Don’t let this minor detail bother you on the big day; after all, your magician is on hand to keep everyone entertained if things take longer than expected!
Inform Everyone
Some couples prefer to keep the fact that they have hired a wedding magician as a surprise for their guests. It’s always best to let people know, in my opinion. Tell everyone, in fact! Let it be known! Make it a part of your shows! As a result, when your magician approaches a group of people, everyone knows what to expect and can get hyped/excited and ready for the magic. The alternative is an awkward situation in which people are unsure how to react when I tell them I’m a magician; I’ve even had people mistake me for another guest who “knows a few tricks”! Granny was nearly knocked out when I showed her a miracle and she realised I wasn’t just a knucklehead.
What Time Is It?
People often ask wedding magicians to perform at all parts of the wedding (drinks reception, meal, and evening reception), and while this may suit some people’s weddings, it’s not something I’d recommend. Everyone enjoys magic, but we must enjoy it in moderation, as with everything else. I usually suggest 2 hours as the ideal length of time to dazzle all of your guests while still leaving them wanting more.
Children
Magic is obviously fantastic for children! They do, however, frequently fall in love with it and end up following the magician from group to group. This is a) inconvenient for the magician, and b) can even detract from your guests’ enjoyment of the show. Magic is often compared to a good thriller film. It becomes a lot less amazing and interesting once you figure out the big twist. Children frequently like to demonstrate their intelligence by sabotaging the trick’s outcome for the rest of the audience. What a waste of time!
Wedding Couple
The majority of professional wedding magicians will always make time to visit the happy couple and perform a special trick just for them. In my experience, the best time for this is when the rest of your guests are arriving for the wedding breakfast. This is often one of the couple’s only breaks throughout the day, so it’s the ideal time to unwind, regroup, and share in some magic to remind them why they’re there and to have fun along the way!
Top Tip: Make sure your photographers are aware that this is a plan to get some fantastic photos of you two with your magician, completely enthralled by the illusions!
Payment
The way a professional handles business matters is often a defining characteristic. The majority of professional wedding vendors now accept payment in advance.
I do this so that no one has to stress about money on the big day, and everyone can sit back and relax without worrying about the minor details. If you must pay some suppliers in cash on the spot, make sure that all of the cash is prepared in clearly marked envelopes to make things as simple as possible for you and to avoid giving the wrong money to the wrong people!
