So, what did many couples regret about their wedding day after it had passed? Let’s find out.
Not only that, but we will also see what 84% of guests want at weddings. Let’s go…
On reflection of their special day, 72% of newly-weds wished they had planned more entertainment for their guests. (Source – Bride and Groom magazine)
In your eyes, the day will go very quickly. You will be busy and there will not be a moment to be bored. It will be amazing!
But you’ve been to a wedding as a guest, right? There’s lots of waiting around when the Bride is having photos, when the venue staff are changing the room over, when you are waiting for food…
It’s enough to get you yawning and reaching for your phone to check social media!
Can you bare your guests having these thoughts about your day? What will people say behind your back?
So, upon reflection, 72% of the couples found that there were periods of ‘dead time’ where guests became restless or even bored.
A few couples realised this problem ahead of their wedding day and booked entertainers. Bridebook.co.uk discovered that 17% of weddings involved non-music entertainment such as magicians (up from 14% in 2017), 70% had a DJ, 44% a live band, 5% fireworks.
All of these help to make for the perfect day. Couples who did not consider entertainment found out that it is a very useful wedding-day addition the hard way! They had bored guests and they could tell, even if the guests had not actually said so in fear of offending the newly-weds.
68% of couples wished they had spent more money on their entertainment. (Source, Bride and Groom Magazine)
Planning a wedding is stressful; and where do you start?!
Nick is an established wedding performer and draws upon his experience to help you plan the perfect day. All of this is 100% free – because he is nice like that! Just contact Nick to get these guides.
Weddings are expensive! The average wedding spend in our region last year (the East of England) was £16 609 (Bridebook 2022).
So when we consider the percentage cost of entertainment, it makes for a tiny chunk of the budget, but the end result on the atmosphere and general experience of the day is far greater than the budget share shows.
For example, a magician costing £500 is only consuming 3% of the total average budget. I am a wedding magician – I can help you! My average fee (which changes based on travel distance, date and time etc) is only 1.8% of this! Imagine that – for less than 2% of an average budget I will create the wow factor, generate excitement, laughter and create a buzz which gets people chatting about their experience.
To look at the cost of a wedding magician in another way, let’s look at figures published by Bridebook in 2022. The average spend on non-music entertainment at weddings in the UK last year was £580.This could include a casino, magician, caricaturist or photo booth. All services help to keep the fun factor going.
In comparison, flowers cost an average of £858. Although flowers are an absolute vital factor of a wedding day, how many guests will remember them? In other words, what lasting impression do they provide your guests with? Hiring a magician (for much less than the price of the flowers) is a sure fire way of making a lasting impression on your guests, resulting in compliments and that feeling that you organised a beautiful, memorable wedding day for all.
One way of managing your budget to hire a magician is to cut food costs or to reduce the amount of flowers you order. Perhaps less ‘free’ alcohol for the guests helps too? People are beginning to expect less alcohol at weddings and couples find this a neat way of reducing the overall spend.
84% of GUESTS said they wished there was some entertainment planned at a wedding reception – don’t disappoint them! (Source, Bride and Groom magazine)
The modern-day wedding guest almost expects entertainment! But why? Let’s think like a wedding guest…
Sometimes, there is an awkwardness of sitting on a table of guests you don’t know. Hiring a magician is the perfect ice breaker for guests, ensuring they can feel relaxed and get them talking together.
Some guests feel that the day is a little long for them and they worry about being a bored. Inject some fun and excitement to your wedding day so that these guests receive that ‘pick-me-up’ at the right time!
84% of modern-day wedding guests expect THIS! Take a look…
If you don’t, people will resort to drinking alcohol quicker and they get drunk quickly. No body wants a drunk Uncle Harry at 5 o clock! Keep him busy with other things so that he doesn’t start necking shots too early!
Unless you have been married before, it is difficult to imagine just how busy you are as a newly-wed couple. Forget fluttering around, chatting with guests casually! You will be called for photos, pulled up to cut the cake and perform the first dance, hide away for a while to catch a breather with your partner, be in constant contact with the venue’s wedding co-ordinator etc… the list goes on.
Your guests will not see you as much as you may think! So guests are becoming more and more used to entertainment to keep them occupied when you are busy – unable to chat with them. A good magician becomes your host so your guests do not get bored while you are busy. He or she should make your day memorable for your guests. Jaw dropping magic also allows your photographer to capture amazement, smiles and laughter. Great for looking back on when you view your wedding photos.
What are the benefits of having a wedding magician?
There are many forms of wedding entertainment but I will discuss magic here since I am a specialist family wedding magician! This is what you can expect at your wedding if you hire me (or another experienced magician – but why do that, hey?!)
1. It helps make your day memorable. Moments of jaw dropping astonishment, laughter and amazement combine to allow your guests to think, ‘Wow! I loved that.’ And, more importantly, they can remember your day for many years to come.
2. As we saw above, pound for pound, the value magic (and entertainment in general) brings to an event is HUGE.
3. A magician can cover for delays. You’re running behind schedule and the guests are waiting around? Don’t worry, the magician entertains and covers up the problem!
4. Flexible entertainment option. A magician’s set can be as long or short as the guests desire. If they particularly enjoy it, the can have a long set. Unlike other types of entertainment, if the performer is ‘doing his/her thing’ and the waiter arrives with the roast beef, they can quickly rap up and wish the guests well. Other forms of entertainment may not be able to cope with these wedding-day demands so easily.
5. Creates background noise – a buzz and great atmosphere. No one likes silence at a wedding or party. Having a magician generates laughter and a party atmosphere.
6. It brings your guests together. People share the same common experience, allowing them to start chatting about what they have seen. This then snowballs into general conversation and, without them knowing it, guests are mingling, talking and having a great time.
7. Magic is very popular at the moment. Guests love magic! They have seen it on Britain’s Got Talent, they have seen Penn and Teller, Dynamo or Derren Brown on TV and now they have seen magic close up, right under their noses, at YOUR wedding.
8. One off opportunity – following on from point 8, many people have seen magic on TV but rarely do they get a chance to see it for real. This will give them something to tell their friends and this means that they talk about your wedding and how great it was.
9. Your photographer will love you! You have paid a lot of money for a photographer, now provide them with opportunities to capture some outstanding, candid shots. There will be a child grinning, a woman open mouthed and a man with his hands in the air, triumphantly celebrating the final moment of a captivating routine of skill and magic.
10. Avoid being generic. Weddings are all very similar. Show that you have really thought about your guests’ experience by providing magical entertainment. They will remember the effort you have made to make them happy and will enjoy the unique experience.
Even more regrets brides have when evaluating their wedding day:
The dress – If you’re a bride, you are probably hoping that you find the perfect dress. Do take the time to get it right! Don’t fall for the ‘internet cheap version’ of a dress of your dreams either. I have heard stories of the dresses turning up in tiny cardboard boxes and being far too small to even fit into – very true story! The quality of these is also poor. So don’t rush, take your time, and it it sounds too good to be true…it is!
Bacon sarnies – Not paying to have lots of good old bacon sarnies for 11pm was a regret many couples report!
Blisters – New shoes cause blisters – you know that. So consider an alternative pair to change into later on – particularly if a dress can cover your feet as no one would ever know!
Not booking a videographer – Having a professional document your day is an investment. Talk to the videographers at a wedding fair and see how they plan to capture your memories.
Having to invite Uncle Harry – not a lot we can do about this one!
Produced by Nick Twist, Wedding magician in Norfolk and Suffolk, 2018.
To read further into the headline figures published here, please read another authors interpretation here.