How much does a wedding magician cost?
Wedding magician prices in the UK
If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you probably notice that there are large gaps of time where everyone mingles around. This can get tedious.
Savvy couples realise this.
They look to hire wedding entertainment to fill the gap so that everyone has a fantastic day and compliments them for months or even years to come.
Since you have found this web page, you probably understand all of this already.
But now you are looking to see if your quote for a wedding magician is reasonable or not.
I mean, how much should a wedding magician cost?
It is unlikely that you have ever hired a magician before so you have no idea of costings. Plus, very few magicians actually publish their fees online. I’m here to answer these queries for you.
What is a standard wedding magician hire price?
As a Norfolk based wedding magician who also serves Suffolk and Norwich areas, my prices will differ to a magician in London.
Price differs hugely across the country. Like any service, expect regional variations in costings.
A magician’s fee depends on the location, travel fees, date, and time of performance. You can appreciate that peak times result in higher demands for wedding magicians.
Day/time will affect it
A Saturday afternoon or evening in the summer is going to be higher than a Thursday or even Friday in October or January for example. The price would probably reflect this.
Cost of a wedding magician
In my area of Norfolk and Suffolk, you will be quoted somewhere in the region of between £250 – £750 for a professional wedding magician on a prime Saturday/Sunday wedding day. This can increase further if you ask the magician to also emcee (introduce wedding speeches etc.) your day. A few offer this but you will have to decide if the significant extra cost is worth it for you.
Most Norfolk and Suffolk wedding magicians fees are fairly similar. It usually works out at between 2 to 3 % of a total East Anglian average wedding budget (according to Bridebook‘s recent calculation of average wedding costs). Good value indeed if you consider the impact of a good wedding magician.
How much to couples spend on entertainment?
The average amount couples spend on wedding entertainment (non-musical), is around £580 (Bridebook UK wedding report). This is an average as some couples hired no entertainment at all – can you imagine how boring their weddings would be?!
This average sum would probably include an entertainer such as a magician, a glitter bar, a photobooth for example. Although many magicians do charge a fee at around this value alone.
Experience counts
The magician needs to know what they are doing. This will be reflected in the price.
The lower the fee you get quoted, generally the lower the experience. But how do you know how experienced they are? Well, they should have:
- Lots of positive reviews (such as Google reviews)
- Lots of great photos/video footage of them in action at weddings
- Industry standards such as being a member of The Magic Circle or Equity
- Be known to other wedding supplier if you ask around
- Have been featured in wedding magazines/websites
- Some experienced magicians will have a blog full of their wedding day tips, advice and planning help. Like this one!
Can an experienced magician give a lower quote?
Probably not – it’s their living and livelihood.
However, if the magician already has a wedding performance 15 minutes down the road from you and you are prepared to have them arrive after this, you could see a reduction in the fee.
Most magicians offer various packages and the cheapest offer would still benefit your wedding day, even if the budget doesn’t allow for the top packages.
Can you get more value at of the magician?
Do they offer extra services like balloon twisting for children? Can they do a quick magical performance in front of the whole wedding party just before the speeches? This will warm up the crowd and make the speeches even better!
Just ask your magician if you can get more out of them.
Why are prices not listed on wedding magicians’ websites?
It is normal for each wedding to be given a bespoke quote based on the factors listed above (e.g. date, location etc). It would be difficult to put prices on websites for that reason.
I’ve been quoted £100 to £200 for a wedding magician. Should I go for it?
This is a question often asked in the subject of wedding magicians and how much they cost.
You should go for them if you feel confident that they can fulfil the role of a quality wedding magician. Only you can decide that, based on your interactions with them. To decide, why not read my guide on hiring the right magician for your wedding.
Remember, being a wedding magician does not mean turning up to do some great card tricks and hoping that it’s enough.
Being a wedding magician is a skill developed over time. Does the quote you have received fill you with trust that the performer has this experience? You must decide.
Will the magician actually turn up?
Make sure that you hire a professional. Get a contract in place and ensure that they fully understand what time you wish for them to start.
Just a few months ago, I was contacted by a desperate couple. Only days before their wedding, they had been let down by their cheap magician. Luckily, I was performing at a wedding 12 minutes away from their venue and able to come along afterwards. We had an absolute blast (seen in the image)!
There is a growing trend in amateur magicians (often offering cut price fees). They are not professional and they do it for a little pocket money. They are less likely to be as reliable and rarely offer contracts or Public Liability Insurance.
What’s important when hiring a wedding magician?
Most top wedding magicians would argue that the magic is not actually the most important factor at all! Being an outstanding magician should be a given, right? So it’s the other skills you need to look at:
Can they be your host when you’re busy – helping to bring guests together and creating a wonderful atmosphere?
Do they have the experience to understanding the flow of the day and how the entertainment affects this? Being able to use magic which is designed to bring people together and act as the ice-breaker is a key skill.
Are they aware of timings of the day and knowing how and when these often change at last minute etc, etc? Amateur magicians would lack this experience and knowledge.
All of these points are gained via experience. And this experience is reflected in fee prices.
The best answer to, ‘How much does a wedding magician cost’ is:
A magician quoting £400+ is clearly confident enough to do a fine job for you. Anything from this range upwards is worthy of your consideration.
Get a quote from me now!
Nick Twist - Specialist family wedding magician
Guaranteed to entertain guests of all ages, or your money back!
