A Magical Wedding Reception

If you want your guests to remember your wedding as the best they've ever been to, I recommend you hire a magician. Magic fills in all those awkward gaps in the proceedings and gets everyone involved and talking to each other.

The special, dream-like quality we all want for our wedding day is beautifully enhanced by magic and the sense of excitement and wonder it creates.

My own wedding had the potential for being a bit strained. Our families had never got on particularly well and we were apprehensive as to how the day might go. The magician we hired was fantastic. Not only did he perform miracles of magic, he gave our two mums such a surprise that they both screamed, then laughed together, and we could see the tension between them draining away.

My sister had a very romantic wedding and the magician blended perfectly with the mood. We'll never forget one trick in particular. Grace and her new husband each picked a card and signed it. The magician said the magic words and the two cards became one. They now have a card with two faces, one with her signature across it and the other with his. It lives in a double-sided photo frame, suspended from the ceiling in their bedroom.

My brother went to a wedding where he knew only the bridegroom. All the other guests seemed to know each other and Danny felt lonely and shy. During the reception, he was just looking for the hotel's telly lounge, thinking to watch the football, when a magician appeared from nowhere and showed him some tricks. When the magician moved to a group standing nearby, he took Danny with him and got him involved.

The venue for my cousin's wedding reception had made a mistake somewhere and the meal was a couple of hours later than it should have been. Luckily, they had booked a magician (on my recommendation!) and we were all so engrossed in watching the magic that the time flew by.

The magician we had at our wedding was extremely versatile. His magic was popular with four generations and he was very kind to the couple of teenagers who felt a bit like fish out of water. He taught them a few simple card tricks, which they're still showing us two years later.

When booking your magician, don't just go for the cheapest. You don't want to end up with someone's Uncle Derek who knows a few tricks. You want a smooth, sophisticated magician who will get on well with everybody and perform the sort of magic that will make people gasp, not groan. Although there are many capable magicians who are not in it, membership of The Magic Circle is a good indication of a magician's skill.