It’s not every day that you decide to hire a magician. In fact, most people only ever hire them for one specific occasion: their wedding. If you’re in the process of planning your big day, you might be wondering exactly how to go about hiring a wedding magician.
Not sure where to start?
Fortunately, we have some top tips to help you find the perfect performer to ensure your special day is magical in every way.
Check availability
If, as your research progresses, you find a magician who appeals to you, check their availability. There’s no point wasting your time if the magician in question isn’t available on your chosen date.
Book early
Like many other entertainers, the best magicians are often booked between one and two years in advance, so once you know which magician you want, avoid disappointment by booking them ASAP. While he or she will certainly be able to perform magic tricks, it’s unlikely they’ve mastered the art of being in two places at once!
Where do I find a reputable wedding magician?
- You can book a trusted, professional wedding magician right here on the PartyWizz website; we only work with the best!
- A recommendation from your venue – this can be invaluable as venues will have worked with wedding magicians before and will only recommend those whose professionalism reflects well on the establishment.
- Recommendations from family and friends
- Personal experience from a wedding or other event you’ve attended.
- Through the Magic Circle website
- Through another online entertainment agency
Book a professional
Booking a professional magician who is experienced in performing at weddings is essential. As professional magicians rely on recommendations and positive feedback to build and grow their business, they have a vested interest in doing everything they possibly can to ensure your big day is a success. An amateur magician will undoubtedly cost less, but lack of experience, and possibly professionalism, could ruin your big day. The last thing you need is someone who fails to show up or doesn’t understand how to interact appropriately with your guests. You will only have one chance to get this right, so don’t take unnecessary risks.
Check them out
If you are booking through a platform such as PartyWizz, you can rest assured that you will be hiring a professional magician. However, you’ll still want to make sure that their magic and personality are a good fit for your wedding.
Professional membership
If you are not booking through a specialist platform, find out whether the magician you’re considering is a member of a professional body such as The Magic Circle or a local magicians’ guild. These organizations have high standards for membership, so you can be assured that you’re hiring a reputable professional.
Meet them in person
It’s always a good idea to see a potential wedding magician in action before you decide to hire them. This will give you a good idea not only of the calibre of their magic tricks, but also how well they are likely to interact with your guests. A professional wedding magician will be happy to demonstrate their particular style of magic for you.
Check their website and social media channels
Whether or not you are able to meet with a potential wedding magician, it’s advisable to look at videos/photos (which should be professionally done) of the magician performing at previous weddings they have attended.
Check online reviews
Reviews are a big indicator of the quality of a magician. However, be careful where you read them; anyone can write a positive review about themself on their own website! Bear in mind too that these reviews could be years out of date. Professional magicians should have dated, verified reviews from trustworthy and reliable companies such as Google and Trustpilot.
Ask questions and share your vision
LearMagicians aren’t mind readers (ok, some are mind readers!) so you’ll need to let them know exactly what it is you envisage them doing, and whether there’s anything you’d rather they left out. Many magicians perform mind-reading and pickpocketing as part of their act, so if you’d rather they didn’t do this, let them know. A professional wedding magician will have several weddings under their belt, so it’s well worth asking their opinion on what will and won’t work for your wedding as they may be able to suggest ideas that you hadn’t thought of.
Do they perform for children?
If there will be children present at your wedding, you’ll want the magician to entertain them too, so make sure they are willing to accommodate this request.
Find out how much they charge
Before making a commitment, find out exactly how much your preferred magician charges. This may be a per hour cost, or they may offer package deals for wedding.
Public liability Insurance
It’s essential you check your magician has public liability insurance before you hire them as most wedding venues won’t allow entertainers to perform there unless they are adequately insured.
How long should you book them for?
Professional magicians recommend between two to three hours of close-up magic, although exactly how much time you’ll need will depend on the number of guests.
When should the magician perform?
Wedding magicians usually perform close-up magic (as opposed to stage magic) as this allows them to interact directly with your guests. There are points during the reception where there is likely to be a lull, so consider getting your magician to perform during one of these intervals:
- While the photographs are being taken, although the downside to this option is that you and your significant other may not get to see the magician perform. On the other hand, introducing your magician at this point in the proceedings can be a great icebreaker.
- Between courses at the wedding breakfast, or after the meal while coffee is being served.
- At the evening reception, ideally as the evening guests are arriving. Do make sure that the DJ keeps the volume down while the magician is working though.
Obtain a contract and read it!
Having a contract in place protects both parties should either fail to fulfil their obligations as per the terms of the contract. At the very least your contract should detail the date and time of your wedding, the cost of hiring your chosen wedding magician and what happens if either party needs to cancel. A professional magician should have contingency plans in place should they be unable to make it to your wedding for reasons beyond their control. Read the contract carefully and challenge it before signing if there’s anything at all you disagree with.
We hope you’ve found this blog post helpful as you search for a wedding magician. We know we’ve recommended a lot of checking at a time when you’re already knee-deep in wedding planning tasks, but it will be worth it; you only get one chance to get it right on the big day!
