Steve Dean is a professional magician who is local to our four counties – Beds, Bucks, Herts and Cambs. He has over 15 years of experience and has performed in thousands of events over the years. I’ve witnessed him in action and he truly can bring the magic.
He has kindly agreed to sharing some of his top tips on why and how to book a magician for your wedding entertainment.
Photo credit: Lina and Tom
1. Why choose magic?
First and foremost, its entertaining! People will not be disappointed when a good magician circles the room performing jaw-dropping magic. They will make your day memorable for all the right reasons and set the stage for a fun, exciting day of celebration.
It’s a great icebreaker. Weddings are always full of the people that the bride and groom love, but they don’t all know each other. The sign of a great wedding is when all your guests feel included and have a great time together, strangers or life time friends. Adding magic to the day alleviates any awkwardness in the guests as they have the perfect entertainment to keep them talking to each other all evening. This will definitely put everyone at ease and ready to have a good time all evening long. What’s better than all your favourite people getting along on your special day?!
Finally, it keeps the atmosphere fun and exciting. Can you imagine, you as the bride and groom, finishing your meal and looking over at some of your guests and they have elbows on the table looking quite bored and fed up? With a table magician this will not happen. Your guests will either be entertained and will be laughing or cheering, or have already been entertained so they’ll be chatting to others about what has just happened.
Photo credit: matt Heath photography
2. When should they perform in the day?
Practically, having a magician perform at various times of the day can be very helpful to keep transitional times light and feeling short.
Performing during the photos allows your guests to be entertained whilst waiting for their turn to be snapped with the happy couple. It also helps the photographer to keep them in a confined location so it is easy for them to be called upon.
The wedding breakfast is another ideal time for magic, performing at tables during the courses of the meal is great to keep the atmosphere upbeat and energy levels up. You will know exactly where the magician is in the room as you will be hearing the whoops, cheers and applause throughout the whole meal.
The transitional period after the wedding breakfast and into the early evening can also be a beneficial time to have your magician circling the crowds, especially in smaller venues when there maybe only one room which has to be turned around to allocate space for the evening guests. This is the perfect opportunity for the magician to mix and mingle with the groups of people showing them some unforgettable magic.
Photo Credit: Esme Robinson
3. Which magician do I choose?
Often people look on the Internet for a wedding magician, look at a website and make a decision. However, a website is not sufficient to fully grasp the level of entertainment you will receive. My advice is always to see the performer live in action. Go and watch them work, whether it be in a restaurant they work in regularly, an exhibition or arranging an in person meeting. Normally, within 30 mins drive, any magician should be willing to visit someone at their home to show them what he has to offer. If it’s further afield then maybe meet at a half way point like a pub or coffee shop.
4. How much do they cost?
The cost of a magician at your wedding can be a factor, that said, entertainment is probably one of the most talked about things at any wedding, other than the brides dress! If you get it right your special day will be talked about for the right reasons, get it wrong and it will be remembered for the wrong ones. Whether it be a disco, live band, magician, or a singer make sure you see them in action so as to make sure you make the right decision, the cost of a magician is minimal when you take into account the cost of the whole day. Typically a professional magician for a wedding should be between £400-£600 for about 2-3 hrs of entertainment.
Photo credit: Matt Heath Photography
5. Any other details I should know before booking?
Look for years of experience, professional magic society memberships, and liability insurance. I personally am a member of the magic circle and also hold public liability insurance, to the value of £10 million, through being a member of Equity. Thankfully I have never had to use a penny of it, but a lot of venues ask for proof of this before they allow any form of entertainment on their premises. So please make sure to ask if they have insurance. Also, being a member of The Magic Circle is not absolutely necessary but you can rest assured if they are indeed a member then they will have met stringent examinations criteria and they will be able to perform to a very high standard.
Regards, Steve
Photo Credit: Esme Robinson
Thanks Steve for all your expertise and insight! I hope you have found these tips helpful and are convinced that hiring a magician really will be able to bring the magic to your big day!
To find out more about booking Steve for your event contact him via his website or social media channels by clicking on the buttons below.
As photographers and video we see more of the day than any other supplier (including the venue in most cases), from bride and groom preparations through to first dance, so we really do see how a wedding day runs.
A magician is great to have at any part of the day but a lot of weddings have that period between the end of the wedding breakfast and the start of the evening reception where there’s a lull, so someone like Steve is a great person to have.