You’ll probably be faced with a number of different options when it comes to hiring extra entertainment for your wedding, but if you love the idea of hiring a wedding magician the below article may help sway your decision, in the right direction.

Wedding magician and mind reader, Mike Stoner, fell in love with performing magic when he bought a pack of magic cards for £1 at a Woolworth’s store that was closing down. “I’d never done any magic before but on a whim, I bought them, learned the trick, and performed it for everyone. The reactions were amazing and I couldn’t wait to show people the apparently impossible thing that I could now do. I’d caught the magic bug! Over the next year, I bought and learned hundreds of other tricks and realised that I loved performing and entertaining people. Soon I started doing paid work and a while later had enough weddings and parties coming in that I was able to leave my office job and become a full-time magician. I still love magic now – it’s brilliant to have a job that is all about entertaining and astonishing people.”

You may not have thought of hiring a magician to perform for guests at your chosen wedding venue, but if you’re now considering it, below are our top tips on hiring the best magician to entertain your guests at your wedding reception.

When it comes to booking a wedding magician, try and shop around to see what you can get for your money. Think about how long you’ll need to hire the magician for; see if there are any additional extras included; and check availability when you make your initial enquiries as you wouldn’t want to waste any time if your first choice isn’t available.

When it comes to hiring a wedding magician we would advise seeing them perform live; whether it be at another wedding, an event, at a wedding fair, watching videos on YouTube or their own website. Seeing magic tricks up close and personal will give you a great impression of how exciting a wedding magician can be for your wedding guests whilst you’re off having your photographs taken.

At the start of your wedding planning, you would have discussed a budget. If you dedicated a portion of your wedding budget to entertainment then a magician could be the perfect supplier to book. If you’ve got a bit of budget left over and you’d like to add that extra bit of fun to your day then be sure to get quotes from a magician to see if it could fit in to your wedding day spend.

You’ll need to advise your wedding magician of your wedding day schedule. As a couple, you’ll need to decide whether you want your magician to perform after your wedding ceremony, during the drinks reception, and/or during the wedding breakfast, and/or during the start of your evening reception. If you know the timings of your day in advance, it will make it easier for your magician to give you an accurate quote.

Some wedding magicians will charge by the hour, whereas some will perform according to the flow of the day. Be sure to find out what you’re paying for, before putting down a deposit.