Suggested Afternoon Wedding Reception Magician Times

I was recently ask by a couple who are in the process of organising their wedding what times I would recommend the book me for. Like many couples they are aware the afternoon reception for some magical entertainment. Once the main group photographs have bee taken often the bride and groom are whisked away by the wedding photographer to do more photos of just the happy couple on their wedding day.

This leaves their guests with a drink in one hand, a canapé in the other; and left to make conversation amongst themself. Of course many of the guests are friends and family, but due to the nature of weddings the conversations soon boil down to the ‘big three’: The dress, the weather, and the route the sat-nav took them on the way to the venue. That is the reason why people book me to entertain that their wedding – to break the ice, entertain, and get/keep people talking.

But it also raises another potential problem for the bride and groom. Are they going to miss out on the magic themselves?

Will the bride and groom miss the magician at their own wedding reception?!

This what Toni and Carl were worried about. (Well, mainly Carl!!) They had previously seen me, but don’t want to miss out on the magic. They therefore asked me what I would suggest. I thought I’d copy & paste my response here because I realised it would likely be very useful for other brides and grooms facing the same dilemma when planning the timings for their big days.

Hi Toni,

I’m happy to work on provisional times (or even just say “afternoon”) whilst you are waiting for confirmation on the actual timings – and we can then update once you know. (And even on the day I still allow some flexibility should things run a little ahead or behind schedule. (I find it a lot better to have a plan that can be adapted, rather than say “we’ll work it out on the day” as that never seems to work!)

To be absolutely honest my personal favourite time for performing is during the drinks reception, but overlapping a little with the start of the wedding breakfast.

I’m going to use some times to try to give an idea – but bear in mind this is just for illustration. Let’s say your ceremony is at 1:30pm. You’re told it will last about 30 minutes, but you want to allow a little time for a group photo as soon as you are out of the church, then time for people to get to the drinks reception. Therefore you would book me to start at 2:30pm (though as I said I’d be ready sooner in case things go quicker – which surprisingly is actually quite common!)

I would them mingle with your guests for 1.5 hours or so until they are called through to take their seats for the wedding breakfast (normally around 4:00/15pm). As people are sitting I’ll go around the tables, making sure I approach those that may have missed seeing magic because they were involved in photos. Once everyone is seated you and Carl will have a few quiet moments before you are formally announced, which is a good time to show you a couple of tricks without all the hustle & bustle going on around you.

Once you are called in and seated I also like to do a few bits for the top table. Naturally I work around any starters that are being served to the tables so I’m not interrupting anyone about to eat. Then by about 5:00pm the main course is being served, so that’s a natural time for me to finish up and let you and your guests enjoy their food.

What I also like about doing this is it doesn’t restrict the magic to just one part of the day (such as just the drinks reception, or just around the tables); which I think helps the whole day have a more organic flow for the guests. I also vary what I tricks I do whilst mingling and what I do around the tables, so there’s a good variety.

And most importantly, it also means that you and Carl don’t miss out!

Thanks again, Robert

Planning Your Wedding Reception Entertainment

I hope that also helps you with the planning of your day. Remember to check out the magic wedding packages I offer, which includes packages not just for the afternoon, but also for the whole day – thus guaranteeing no one misses out!

If you would like to discuss your day please drop me an email or fill out the contact form and I’m more than happy to chat through options, and with almost 20 years professional experience I have attended hundreds of weddings (and thousands of events) and will make recommendations based on what’s best for you and your day.