Why You Should Hire A Wedding Magician
Weddings are truly magical events of love. But one thing can make them more magical: a magician. Read on to learn why you should hire a wedding magician.
For guests, a wedding is either magnificent or an utter bore.
As a bride or groom, you’re probably too nervous, delighted, or flustered to notice how your guests are fairing. And your guests are going to tell you it was delightful no matter their experience.
And while your wedding is about you. You’re bringing people out to celebrate. You want people to remember the day. And what better way to celebrate a happy occasion than a wedding magician?
Wait…a wedding magician? You ask. I thought hired magicians were for children’s parties.
Well, so did I until I grew up and learned magic.
An illusionist is a grand entertainer. And once you finish this article, you’ll wonder why you never thought of hiring a magician for your wedding before.
What Does Close-Up Magic Involve?
You probably want to know what close-up magic is before you consider why it should be at your reception.
Good. Because I was going to tell you anyway.
Close-up magic, or micromagic as we sometimes call it, is a more intimate form of magic. You don’t perform it on a stage. You’re actually no more than a few feet away from your audience.
This makes it especially important that we are perfect at our prestidigitation or “quick fingers” as it’s translated.
In order not to give away our secrets we must practice ardently and have our tricks down pat before we try it on an unsuspecting audience.
Part of the fun is the mobility. We can do tricks standing or sitting. We can walk around a room, stand at a table, or sit at a bar. And we can still do our magic in any of those locations.
You’ll see us manipulate cards. You’ll see us work coin tricks. We use a variety of household objects as our props.
Sugar cubes, bottle caps, dice, pens, rings, etc.
A Bit Of History
Close up magic has a long history dating back to ancient Rome. The Roman philosopher Celica actually wrote about an encounter he had with a close-up magician.
This first observance involved a slight-of-hand magic called cups and balls. This is a classic trick most people are quite familiar with through movies and tv series.
Since then magicians have roamed parties, parlours, and events hoping to attract a crowd. Their aim is to amaze and bedazzle.
They’ll make you laugh. They’ll confuse you. But above all, they’ll entertain you.
1. Let the Wedding Magician Fill the Silence
Most likely, the people at your wedding don’t all know each other.
Sure, your family knows your family. And their family knows their family. But they’re probably meeting each other for the first time.
And then there are your friends.
And then there are the introverts and the wallflowers. And the children.
Pretty much all kinds of people will be at your wedding.
Really, it can be a big awkward gathering at times.
If your celebration is in the evening, on average you’ll probably have around 100 guests. If it’s during the day that number drops to 75.
And, once the ceremony is over, all those people will have to co-mingle.
A wedding magician can help facilitate the meet and greet.
There’s always a time between when the ceremony ends and the newly wedded couple arrives at the reception hall.
You’re going to be off taking pictures by the White Cliffs of Dover while your guests await your return. Why not entertain them?
A wedding magician can work a room like no other entertainment service.
A DJ has to man the equipment. A band is stuck on stage. But a close-up magician can wander the crowd at will.
You won’t have people silenced by loud music. You’ll instead have them laughing and interacting while they wait.
2. Your Photographer Will Love You
Your photographer is trying to distill the best moments of your wedding. His job is to portray it as the most coveted and lovely event of your life. (Here’s to it being exactly that.)
But you’re not doing your photographer a favour if your guests don’t have smiles on their faces.
And since you’re probably paying around £1,520 for their expertise, you want the best conditions possible.
Now, there will be moments when your photographer is guaranteed moments of glee. And there will be heartfelt smiles a plenty.
But the kind of laughter and enjoyment a wedding magician can bring to candid wedding photos has no equal.
There’s a unique quality to a photo where a wedding magician is doing their work.
One person at the table is laughing, another is grinning like a child and the mark (the person participating in the illusion) is scowling in amused confusion. (How did they do that?!)
3. Your Guests Quit Just Being an Audience When There’s a Wedding Magician
For the guests, most weddings aren’t very participatory.
Sure, there’s the drinking, eating, and dancing. But most of the wedding they’re watching what’s going on either on stage or at your table.
But the weddings I’ve been to that were the most fun involved the guests. It got them doing something.
Weddings where there’s a caller and a band. Or weddings where the Master of Ceremonies conducts social games while the bride and groom are away. These are the weddings that guests remember most.
And if you add in a wedding magician, you bring the guests in on the fun you’re having.
Like I said before. A wedding magician will work the crowd for you. They’ll entertain, amaze, and even gather a crowd sometimes.
Hint: If you need a major distraction for the getaway, the magician is your man.
4. You Won’t Offend a Soul
It’s easy to offend people sometimes. If you have a comedian come to your wedding, you might offend someone. If you have a certain kind of music at your wedding, you might offend someone.
But who is offended by an illusionist?
Really what I’m trying to say is that a wedding magician is for all kinds of people. Children. Sweet grandmothers. Your ex-boyfriend. Your solicitor.
Magicians can entertain even the most scrooge-like person in your family. And they may come away from the wedding less scrooge-like in the end. (No promises, though.)
5. Because a Magician Isn’t Cliche
You probably clicked on the link to this article because you were curious. You might have never considered a magician for your wedding.
And it’s certainly not the first thing people think of when they think “wedding entertainment”.
Most people probably think of a band or a DJ first. And those are great traditional choices.
But actually, magicians are the third most popular wedding entertainment in the UK according to bookings made through the Alive Network last year.
People who really want to entertain their guests at their wedding try to find unique, non-cliche acts.
And a magician is far from traditional or cliche at a wedding.
6. Magicians Are Adaptable to Any Situation
If you’re doing an outdoor wedding and it starts to rain, the band has to close up shop.
But if you’re doing an outdoor wedding and it starts to rain, the magician can make the best of it. And they can keep entertaining despite the circumstances.
Hopefully, you have tents or a place for people to flee in case of rain. We do live in England, ye know.
One of the great things about up-close magic is that once a magician gets familiar with the group he can personalise.
When you make the magic personal, people remember it better. And that’s the goal, to make the wedding memorable.
You make people laugh. You surprise them about what you can ascertain. They’re going to come away feeling like they’ve won something. Like they’ve participated in a magical event (pun absolutely intended!).
7. It’s Entertainment But Nobody Is Forced Into It
Most people aren’t uncomfortable around a magician. Our job is to make people feel instantly comfortable around us. We put people at ease.
This ability to put people at ease helps us do our slight of hand. But if for some reason someone doesn’t want to participate or watch, they don’t have to.
Unlike music or a comedian or even a band, a magician’s entertainment is completely optional for your guests.
No magician is at your event to force someone to be entertained. Entertainment just doesn’t work that way.
But most people won’t feel uncomfortable participating in a magician’s tricks. And most people are quite happy to oblige my whit and whimsy.
Conclusion: Lewis Belcher Is Your Premier Wedding Magician
I have my own brand of close-up magic. And I’ve brought it to hundreds of weddings, events, and venues across Devon and Cornwall.
I’ve been in magic since I was a child.
I have been president of the Plymouth Magic Circle.
I come highly recommended.
I won the 2016 Simply Weddings Award for best wedding entertainment, and have performed for celebrities and on tv.
And I’m ready to make your wedding magical.
If you’re ready to make me a part of your special day, contact me. I’ll give you a quote and I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
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