Barn Wedding Magician

What a magician actually does at a barn wedding

Barn weddings have a shape of their own. The ceremony is in the barn or a smaller room off it, drinks are outside in the courtyard or on the grass, everyone comes back in to long trestle tables, and the evening is one big room. There is rarely a separate lounge or a formal terrace, and the whole party is together all day. That suits a magician: there is nowhere for guests to drift off to, and no long corridors between the action.

Close-up magic suits a barn for practical reasons too. It needs no power, no stage, no PA and no lighting, which matters in a converted farm building where the sockets are behind the bar and the lighting is festoon bulbs and candles. Card and coin magic reads perfectly well by candlelight. The performer carries everything in his pockets, so there is no van, no set-up, and nothing to trip over on a flagstone floor.

The other thing barns do is echo. Beams and stone make the speeches hard to hear and the DJ loud. Close-up magic is performed for six to ten people at a time, at arm's length, so it works in a noisy barn where a stage act would not.

Where the magic goes on the day

The drinks reception (60–90 minutes). Usually outside: a courtyard, a lawn, hay bales. Guests are standing in loose groups with nowhere to sit, and the photographs pull the couple and the family away for most of it. This is the slot. The magician moves from group to group, so the people who are not being photographed are being entertained rather than waiting. The wedding breakfast. Long tables of ten or twelve. Table magic works well here: the performer visits each table between courses, and long tables mean fewer stops to reach everyone. Ask the venue how long the gap between courses is. Twenty minutes is enough for two or three tables. The turnaround. Many barns are one room, and there is a gap while the tables are cleared for the evening. Guests are sent back outside or into the bar. If you book a longer set, this gap is worth covering. It is the one part of a barn day where people genuinely have nothing to do. The evening. Once the band or the DJ starts, close-up magic stops being useful. Nobody can hear, and nobody wants to be pulled off the dance floor. The set should finish before the first dance.

Things worth planning for

• Weather. If the drinks are outside, agree with the venue where guests go if it rains. The magician follows the guests; he just needs to know the plan.
• Access. Some barns are down single-track lanes with limited parking. Give the magician the same arrival instructions you give the photographer.
• Lighting. Candles and festoon lights are fine for close-up magic. Pitch black is not. If the barn is very dark by evening, the magician works the better-lit areas.
• Children. Barn weddings tend to have children, and a magician is a good way to keep them, and their parents, happy while the speeches are being set up. Say how many are coming.
• Timings. Send the magician the running order in advance and introduce him to the coordinator on the day. The best sets follow the day rather than fight it.

Barn and farm venues on this site

Each venue page lists the magicians who cover that county, with a link to check their availability.

• Heaton House Farm (Cheshire)
  A working farm venue with a courtyard for the drinks and a big barn for the breakfast. The drinks reception is the slot.

What it costs

Prices include travel anywhere in the UK. The full price guide explains what moves a quote up or down.

Questions couples ask about barn weddings

Does close-up magic work in a barn?

Yes, and better than most entertainment does. It is performed for a handful of people at a time at arm's length, so the echo and the noise of a barn do not get in the way, and it needs no power or stage, which barns are often short of.

Does the magician need power, a stage or a table?

No. Everything he uses is in his pockets. He needs nothing from the venue except to know where the guests will be and when.

Can he perform outside if the drinks are in the courtyard?

Yes. Wind is the only real enemy of card magic and he works with his back to it. If it rains he follows the guests inside.

Our barn is one room and it gets loud. Will it still work?

Yes, during the drinks reception and the meal. Close-up magic is done for six to ten people at close range, so it works in noise where a stage act would not. Book him for the afternoon, not for after the band starts.

How much does a barn wedding magician cost?

From £495 for the drinks reception, £595 for the drinks reception and table magic during the meal, and £895 for award-winning and television magicians. Travel anywhere in the UK is included.

See also: country house weddings, outdoor weddings, marquee weddings. Or read what a wedding magician actually does.