How to pick the right wedding magicians
Are you stuck figuring out how to find a great magician for your wedding? Follow this quick 3-stage guide to walk you through the whole process up to booking the magician.
Stage 1. Before searching for a wedding magician
Stage 1. Before you start searching
Review your wedding plan
Size of your guest list
How many people will be attending your wedding? If you have more than about 100 guests arriving you may want to consider a magician for stage, and for table/close-up magic, multiple magicians to cover.
Children or adult majority?
Will you have a young crowd? Consider a children’s magician instead; technical magic tricks generally will not be appreciated by a young audience compared to adults.Consider venue and Equipment
Check your venue’s layout and see if it can properly facilitate a stage magic show for a large crowd. Do they have an A/V staff? If you have already settled with the venue already, be sure to communicate what type of space is available to the magician so that they can plan and adjust their performance accordingly.What purpose do you want magic entertainment to fulfil?
Do you want magic to just simply act as a social lubricant and get guests talking? Do you want to make a grand impression on your friends and family with an impressive act? Do you want to make magic a general enhancement of your wedding? Magic entertainment is more versatile than one would expect so make sure you communicate clearly what you want out of the magician you choose to book.
Consider the types of magicians
The two general categories of magic are:
Close-up magic
A close-up magician roams around the room performing magic at tables in small groups at a time. The magic performed here is more intimate and interactive for guests which is perfect for breaking the ice among guests and getting them to intermingle. If you have a large guest attendance, a good general rule of thumb is one close-up magician per 60 guests. So consider hiring multiple magicians if you want good coverage for the night.
Stage magic
Stage magic will entertain all your audience at the same time and is overall a great entertainment solution for larger crowds. You will have to allocate time to your schedule for a stage magician to perform, however, so keep that in mind when hiring a magician for stage acts.
Also, a “stage” isn’t required at a wedding venue; a large enough open area with good visibility from many angles like a dancefloor will suffice.
Stage 2. How to search for a great wedding magician
Start by googling “best wedding magicians” near your area.
Any magician that appears at the top of your search results is likely to be professional and a reliable pick for your wedding. You can also scout other magicians through friends’ and family’s word of mouth of any magicians they have been impressed by at events.Analyse their website and pay attention to presentation.
Is it managed well? Your gut impression should be that the website looks presentable and well-managed; it’s a great representation of how they will present themselves at your wedding.Watch a live-footage show reel
A professional magician should be confident to showcase their magic to a live audience; so pay attention to the real audience reactions and ignore any fancy video graphics. If their website does not fulfil the above criteria or it doesn’t even have a showered, then give the magician a hard pass.
Photos alone will not cut it either; still, images cannot convey enough information you need to look out for to gauge their level of professionalism and expertise as an entertainer/performer; details such as their mannerisms, use of space, crowd control, volume, and how intensely engaged the audience is towards the magician.Look for performances of high-profile events.
Do they have a high calibre portfolio? Have they been on televised shows? If so, then it is a good indicator that the magician has years of experience under their belt and is probably worth their price.Look for testimonials and endorsements from past clients.
Check their showreel for on-camera testimonials and take a look at their Google/Facebook reviews. See if the comments and reviews are mostly positive, and read any negative feedback to see what the issue was and how the magician responded.Check their social media channels
Is the magician’s social media activity on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. recent and up-to-date? If so, then it’s a good indicator that the magician is active, booked often, and high in demand.
Stage 3. What to ask the magician
Let the magician know the important details of your event.
Tell them what kind of magic you need, how long, and when. This helps the magician work out the best quote for you, advise you through the process, and gives them an idea on how best to cater to your wedding entertainment needs.What’s their price?
One good magician should charge at least $1500 for a couple of hours of close-up wedding magic, and more if there is stage magic included. Use this as a rough guideline in judging the quality of the magician - if the price falls well below this benchmark, the chance of booking an inexperienced magician increases - probably not a worthy risk for your wedding event.For a big wedding, ask if they work with other performers.
It is easier to negotiate a fair price through a group package than to hire separate individual magicians.Ask if they provide a service guarantee.
A wedding magician should be of a high enough calibre to provide a guarantee in delivering an amazing experience for your guests, so ask about their refund policy for when things don’t go to plan.Ask if they provide a customisable routine to work seamlessly into the wedding schedule.
If so, ask for recommendations of preset routines they have successfully performed in the past that can be tweaked to make your wedding feel unique.Ask if they offer a pre-wedding magic preview.
If you are fortunate enough for the magician to accept this request, it demonstrates that they are highly confident in their performing abilities and you should feel excited to meet them personally as it is a rare pre-wedding experience!