How much does a wedding magician cost?
The question I hear a lot from brides and grooms is “how much does a wedding magician cost?”
If you have never had the need to hire a wedding magician how could you possibly know?
Well, I'm hoping this blog should help give you an idea about the price of a wedding magician, but be warned it's not as straightforward as it may seem.
The first thing most couples start to do is shop around and check the prices of many wedding magicians, unfortunately soon they see the prices vary considerably and it can soon start to seem overwhelming.
Most likely you will get quotes anywhere from £250 up to £800 for 2 to 3 hours at your wedding.
Let's start at the bottom, of course you could go cheap and cheerful and spend £250 on a wedding magician, but I can assure you that your guests will probably not thank you for it.
One thing you definitely don't want at your wedding is word to start circulating that the magician is a bit on the s*** side, this is because your entertainment choices will have a massive impact on the tone and feel of your wedding day, and ultimately a reflection on you.
Take a moment to imagine the opposite. Imagine professionalism, excited guests, laughter circulating the room, amazing magical entertainment and a magician with a sexy personality and a charming smile. Yes, It's going to cost a little more but all good things do, right?
And here lies the real secret to booking your wedding magician. Anyone can learn a few tricks and call themselves a magician and charge £250 to unsuspecting couples.
What makes a professional wedding magician is more than just the tricks he performs, it's much deeper. Here are a few of the skills and qualities the best magicians offer:
The Icebreaker:
This wedding magician Creates performances specifically designed to bring all sides of the family together and generates conversations. Not just tricks, an experience.
The Wow generator:
This wedding magician delivers incredible, impactful, polished and Road tested magic that is slick, family friendly and “out of this world” good. Magic that makes your guests feel good.
The Party Starter:
This wedding magician is a super experienced magician that has developed a personality and performance Style that creates energy, a buzz, laughing and cheering and really sets the tone for your wedding. A magician you can be proud to have at your wedding.
The Reaction grabber:
This wedding magician is a magician who is so well practised and experienced he knows exactly how to work alongside any photographer or guests with cameras to ensure the perfect photos and reaction shots of your guests responding to the magic are captured so you will have the perfect magical memories. An often overlooked skill.
The award winner:
This wedding magician is a professional who has a proven track record of success including winning awards and being a member of the magic circle. This is what proves he is better than the standard.
The industry expert:
When a wedding magician has performed at thousands of events he really knows the wedding industry inside out and will be able to offer a professional service throughout the booking process as well as on the day itself. This magician can also give sound advice and helpful hints and tips brought from experience.
The testimonial accumulator:
This wedding magician will have collected countless 5-star reviews from countless satisfied customers across hundreds of events and performances. This proves they don't just talk the talk but can't walk the walk.
By now you should be seeing that it's much more than just the tricks a magician performs. It's a top-level ability and Performance confidence that allows a professional wedding magician to mingle with guests effortlessly and charmingly spreading positive vibes to each of your guests creating a lasting impression that will make your wedding stand out.
Unfortunately cheap and cheerful is always cheap, rarely cheerful.
One thing you will not want at your wedding is bored or even annoyed guests watching the cocky under practised magician who stinks of cigarettes and wonders your venue attacking everyone with Christmas Cracker magic tricks - Unfortunately this is all too common If you don't do your research first.
Something I hear from potential clients who inquired with me but went for a cheaper option is “we wish we'd spent the extra”. Don't make the same mistake.
But it's not all about price. Picture this: The WannaBe magician with a full time job during the week and markets himself as a magician on Saturdays.
He has spent a lot of money on a slick website, professional photos and fake testimonials to give the illusion of a professional service. Yes this happens more than you would think! He sets his price of £350 because... why not?
He doesn't care too much about your wedding day because he has a full time job to pay the bills and is just looking to make some extra cash. He doesn't have facebook or google reviews set up so its impossible for clients to give feedback. He does an average job, but way overpriced.
This is why it's so important to watch videos, look at performance photos and read and check the validity of testimonials a magician presents to you. Be wary of magicians with no live performance footage! Photos can easily be misrepresented. Imagine if the magician picks the one photo where guests are smiling at him but leaves out the 30 where guests are looking bored. The thought makes me shudder.
A real professional however, will have a huge amount of all of the above.
So when you ask “how much does a magician cost to hire” you will see many factors come into play.
Above we have spoken about how you get what you pay for. However even an individual Magician's prices will vary.
For example, a Saturday evening would likely cost more than a Wednesday afternoon.
December is peak time and February is off peak, and so the prices will reflect that.
A wedding magician may be able to offer a cheaper price if they have another performance on the same day as your event in the same area. Professional wedding magician's can travel to anywhere from 2 - 4 events per day, so its a deal maker if the venues are nearby as travel costs and travel time are reduced. .
The type of event could also play a part in the cost of a wedding magician.
A party and wedding will be cheaper than a corporate event for example. This is mainly because corporate events tend to be longer and more work is required before the show to make the event a success.
Now, let's answer the question: how much do wedding magicians charge?
A decent, respected professional wedding magician will charge between £450 and £750 for 2 to 3 hours magic. I certainly don't know anyone who charges less than that that I would recommend and would trust to perform at your wedding if you were asking me.
Of course there are various different packages from all day performances to shorter amounts of time. A full day package would cost between £1,000 and £2,000. And there may be additional services available as well such as a toastmaster service.
To see if I'm available and to see how much I charge: Click here.
