How Much Does A Wedding Magician Cost?

November 14, 2021

So, you’ve Googled “How much does a wedding magician cost?” and found your way here.

Let’s answer the question first.

How much does a wedding magician cost in the UK?

For an experienced wedding magician, you can typically expect to pay somewhere between £400 and £1,000+, depending on how long you would like them to perform, when they perform and the experience and reputation of the magician.

A relatively short performance during the drinks reception will usually be at the lower end of that range. If you want a magician to entertain at several points during the wedding day, you should expect to pay considerably more.

Prices also vary around the country, with London and the South East generally commanding higher fees.

As a Manchester wedding magician, my own wedding packages currently start from £450.

But price alone doesn’t tell you very much. The more useful question is: what are you actually getting for your money?

What affects the cost of a wedding magician?

There are several factors, but the biggest is usually when you want the magician and how long you want them for.

A good wedding magician shouldn’t simply turn up and perform tricks. The entertainment should fit naturally into the day and solve one of those little problems that almost every wedding has — periods when guests are waiting, different groups haven’t yet got talking, or the energy naturally dips.

Here are some of the most popular times to use a magician.

Magic during the drinks reception

The drinks reception is one of my favourite times to perform.

The ceremony has finished, photographs are being taken and guests may have an hour or two before the wedding breakfast begins.

It’s also the first occasion when people from the two sides of the wedding really start mixing.

Close-up magic works particularly well here because the magician can move naturally amongst the guests, entertaining small groups at a time. It gives people something to watch, laugh about and — importantly — something to talk about afterwards.

For many couples, this is all the magic they need.

Magic during the wedding breakfast

Another possibility is magic around the wedding breakfast.

Personally, I don’t recommend performing while people are actually eating. Guests should be allowed to enjoy their meal.

However, magic can work extremely well between courses, particularly where tables are being served at different times. Instead of one table waiting while another has already finished, the magician turns that waiting time into entertainment.

Table magic can also be performed over coffee and dessert.

Magic after the wedding breakfast

There’s often another natural lull after the wedding breakfast and speeches.

The daytime part of the wedding has finished, but the evening celebration hasn’t quite begun. The room may need to be turned around, evening guests are beginning to arrive and people can find themselves wondering what happens next.

This can be an excellent time for close-up magic.

It keeps the celebration moving, gives daytime and evening guests something to enjoy together and helps bridge the gap before the music and dancing begin.

Combining different parts of the day

Some couples want magic at more than one point.

For example, I might entertain guests during the drinks reception and then continue with table magic during the wedding breakfast.

This obviously costs more than booking a magician for a single period, but it also means the entertainment becomes part of the wedding rather than simply an isolated performance.

It’s particularly useful at larger weddings because it gives the magician enough time to reach everybody without rushing.

Does the day of the week or time of year affect the price?

It can.

Wedding entertainment is subject to supply and demand just like almost everything else.

A Saturday during the height of the summer wedding season is valuable diary space for an established wedding magician. A weekday wedding outside the main season may be rather different.

Location can matter too. Some magicians include a certain amount of travel in their fee and charge additional travel expenses for weddings further afield.

So when comparing prices, make sure you’re comparing like with like.

Why do some wedding magicians cost much more than others?

You’ll find an enormous range of prices.

Someone relatively new to professional performing may charge considerably less while building experience, reviews and a reputation.

At the other end of the market are highly experienced performers with hundreds or thousands of weddings and events behind them.

That doesn’t automatically mean the most expensive magician is the right magician for your wedding.

What matters is whether they are good, experienced, reliable and right for the atmosphere you want to create.

And there’s an important difference between being good at magic and being good at weddings.

A wedding magician needs to be able to read a room, approach people naturally, know when not to interrupt, entertain different generations and fit around photographers, caterers, speeches and everything else happening during the day.

Those skills come from experience.

Can you get a wedding magician for £100 or £200?

Possibly.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and a magician who is building experience may offer very low prices.

That can represent excellent value.

But a wedding is probably not the occasion on which I’d personally choose entertainment on price alone.

Unlike a restaurant or a bottle of wine, you can’t try your wedding entertainment beforehand and exchange it if you don’t like it.

So before booking anyone, look for evidence.

What should I look for when choosing a wedding magician?

Don’t be overly impressed by a beautiful website. It tells you that somebody has a beautiful website.

Instead, look for evidence of what happens when the magician is actually standing in front of real people.

Look at independent reviews, photographs and, particularly, video.

Can you see genuine reactions from guests?

Do previous couples talk about their experience?

Does the magician look comfortable interacting with people rather than simply performing for a camera?

And do you like them?

That last point matters more than you might think. This person is going to be mingling with your family and closest friends on one of the most important days of your life.

How much do I charge for wedding magic?

My wedding packages currently start from £450.

Rather than simply selling a fixed number of tricks or minutes, I’ve designed different options around the natural stages of a wedding day — from entertaining guests during the drinks reception to providing magic across a larger part of the celebration.

I also like to create something especially for the couple, so the magic can feel personal to your wedding rather than being exactly the same performance that everybody else receives.

You can see my current wedding packages and prices HERE.

And if you’d rather see what previous clients actually thought, you can watch my video reviews here.