When Is the Best Time to Have a Magician at a Wedding? A Complete Timeline
The best time to have a magician at your wedding is during the drinks reception and wedding photographs. The second best time is the early evening, around when your evening guests arrive. The third best time is the room turnaround period between the wedding breakfast and the evening entertainment.
Why Timing Matters More Than Most Couples Realise
Every wedding day is built from a series of time blocks. How long the ceremony runs, whether it overruns, how many photo combinations you need of the bride, groom and different family groups, and how long each of those takes. If one part of the day is not carefully managed, it has a knock on effect on everything after it. Booking a magician for the wrong slot, especially while guests are eating or during a delay straight after the ceremony, means the entertainment does not land the way it should. Most couples do not realise this until they have booked, which is exactly why getting the timing right matters so much.
Wedding Magic During the Drinks Reception and Photographs
This is usually a two hour window, starting as soon as the bride and groom have been whisked off for photos. It is a great opportunity to keep your guests entertained and reassured that they are being looked after while you are away. For smaller weddings, under 40 to 80 guests, some couples choose an hour and a half instead of two hours. This length of time is designed to cover all your photo combinations and to position food service at the right point in the day. Drinks reception and photographs tend to run side by side, so magic works well across both at once.
Wedding Magic During the Wedding Breakfast
This slot is different, and needs more care. You do not want entertainment interrupting people while they are eating, and you need to factor in speeches, which can run long or short depending on how many people are speaking. Done well, magic during the wedding breakfast fills natural gaps rather than competing with the meal or the speeches. As a digital magician as well as a close-up magician, I can also move between tables using phone based effects, which works well for guests who are seated and waiting on courses.
Wedding Magic During the Room Turnaround
The room turnaround at the end of the wedding breakfast can last two to three hours. Some guests will slip off to their hotel room or their car during this time, so it is worth knowing that nothing else is competing for attention here, which makes it a strong slot. Timed correctly, it can also cover the arrival of your evening guests.
Wedding Magic at the Start of the Evening Reception
This is another popular slot, usually starting around 7pm or 7:30pm and lasting a couple of hours. It gives guests something to enjoy before the first dance or the cake cutting, and before the DJ turns the music up, which will always compete with close up magic if the two overlap.
Wedding Magic After the First Dance
This is probably the least suitable time for magic. Once the DJ gets going, the volume tends to climb, and guests can barely hear each other, let alone a magician working close up.
When Not to Book a Magician at a Wedding
You should never book a magician during the ceremony itself. You should also avoid booking one once the dancing is in full swing or too late into the evening, when guests are more likely to have had a lot to drink and will not get as much out of the experience.
How Long Should You Book a Magician for
There are three factors to weigh up. The first is your guest numbers. I typically perform close up magic for two hours for weddings of 50 guests or more. For smaller numbers, an hour and a half is usually enough, and for a very small group of around 20, an hour will often do the job. The second factor is your own timings. Some couples only allocate an hour for drinks and photos, others have no evening guests at all and move straight from the wedding breakfast into the evening reception, so the shape of your day matters. The third factor is budget. The longer you book a magician for, the higher the fee, though the cost per hour usually comes down the longer the booking. It is worth checking exactly what is included in any quote, since a two hour quote does not necessarily mean four hours of coverage across the day.
A Sample Timeline for a 1pm Ceremony
Here is how a typical day might look if your ceremony starts at 1pm. The ceremony itself runs until around 1:30pm. From 1:30pm to 3:30pm covers drinks, photos and magic. The wedding breakfast then typically runs from 3:30pm to somewhere between 5:30pm and 6pm. From there, many couples book a magician again from 6pm to 8pm, since this straddles the evening guests arriving around 7:30pm, the cake cutting around 8pm, and the first dance shortly after, right through to carriages at midnight or whenever your venue’s licence ends.
Best Timing for a Small Wedding
For smaller weddings, around 20 to 30 guests, where a DJ is not really appropriate, I often perform a full wedding show for everyone rather than purely close up magic. This usually means 50 minutes of close up magic followed by a 40 minute interactive show. It works particularly well straight after the wedding breakfast, with some close up magic afterwards leading into the evening.
Best Timing for a Large Wedding
For a large wedding, the best time to perform is straight after the ceremony. If your ceremony is at 1pm, that means starting around 1:30pm for roughly two hours. For particularly large groups, over 150 guests, I sometimes perform for longer than two hours, though this still needs to work around the rest of the day, such as when the wedding breakfast is served. The same principle applies for weddings with a large number of evening guests, where you might allocate more than two hours, though two hours remains the typical booking.
How to Fit Magic Around Photos, Speeches and Food Service
Booking a professional with over 15 years of experience means booking someone who knows how to work around the rest of your day. I know when guests are being pulled away for group and family photos, and I know to pause and stay out of the way during the first dance, the cake cutting or the speeches. For food service, I am a great addition to the wedding breakfast, especially where there is a delay getting food out. If a large wedding runs behind, I can perform for guests who are already seated and waiting, taking some of the pressure off the kitchen, then pick up again once people have finished eating. That way everyone gets to enjoy their food and then see some magic. As an iPad magician I can also work table to table during a delay without needing to stand and perform, which keeps things discreet. Unless asked to, I know not to interrupt guests mid meal, though in practice most guests do not mind either way.
Final Recommendation
The drinks reception or wedding photography period is the best time to hire a magician. The room turnaround before the early evening is the second best option, and the early evening, when your evening guests arrive, is the third.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Time to Have a Wedding Magician
When is the best time to hire a wedding magician?
The best time to hire a wedding magician is during the drinks reception or the wedding photography period. This is usually a two hour window straight after the ceremony, when guests are waiting for the couple and have not yet sat down to eat.
When is the worst time to hire a wedding magician?
The worst time to hire a wedding magician is once the DJ is playing and the dancing is in full swing. Close up magic competes with the volume of the music at that point, which does not work well for guests or the magician.
How long should you book a wedding magician for?
Most weddings book a magician for around two hours, which comfortably covers the drinks reception, wedding breakfast delays and evening entertainment for an average of 80 guests. An hour and a half is also common for smaller weddings, with an hour often being enough for a very small group of around 20 guests.
What time should a magician start at a wedding with a 1pm ceremony?
For a 1pm ceremony, a magician would typically start around 1:30pm, straight after the ceremony, and run through the drinks reception and photographs until roughly 3:30pm. A second slot from 6pm to 8pm is also common, covering the arrival of evening guests, the cake cutting and the first dance.
Can a wedding magician perform during the wedding breakfast?
Yes, a wedding magician can perform during the wedding breakfast, particularly if there is a delay getting food out. Performing for seated guests who are waiting takes pressure off the kitchen and does not interrupt the meal itself, since an experienced magician knows to pause once food actually arrives.
Is a magician better for a small wedding or a large wedding?
A magician works well for both, but the format changes. For a small wedding of 20 to 30 guests, a combined close up and interactive show format often suits better than close up alone. For a large wedding, close up magic straight after the ceremony, and again during the evening, tends to work best. As a digital magician as well as a close-up magician, phone based effects also give larger weddings a shareable moment for guests to send on to friends and family who could not attend.
How far in advance should I book a wedding magician?
Popular wedding magicians are often booked six months, twelve months or even two years in advance for peak dates. It is still worth asking about last minute availability, since cancellations do happen and can open up dates closer to your wedding.
Does the number of wedding guests affect how long I should book a magician for?
Yes, guest numbers are one of the main factors in deciding booking length. Close up magic for two hours generally suits weddings of 50 guests or more, while smaller weddings of around 20 to 40 guests are usually well covered in an hour to an hour and a half.
