A Unique Wedding Dinner

The 19th of May 2012 might have been an ordinary day for the rest of the world, but for newly wedded couple, An Chyi and Herng Huei, it was their wedding night.

Special thanks to An Chyi and Herng Huei for the pictures!

Performing specially for the newly wedded couple

Even though I am frequently engaged to perform for wedding dinners, every single one of them leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling in me. I should also mention that this wedding dinner had a special theme: Alice in Wonderland. Therefore, to add that magical touch to the wedding, I was engaged to perform for the guests and to fill the atmosphere with amazement.

Performing for the couple’s VIP table

Close Up Magic

There were several tables that preferred me to perform in Mandarin. And thankfully for my team and I, we are all effectively bilingual. This is also a common challenge to most wedding performers as the audience demographics are diverse and the performers need to be strong and flexible in terms of performance material.

The moment of amazement captured in a picture

I was also pleasantly surprised to meet my friend, Bernice and her fiance! Even though Bernice had seen me perform my magic on several occasions, she was delighted to have me perform at her table.

It is always a good feeling to know that you added that touch of magic to a couple’s special night, and I am also very happy to share some positive feedback from the lovely couple:

“Dear Alexander,

Thank you for your wonderful performance on our big day. We received great feedback from our guests – they loved you! 🙂

Thank you once again Alexander!

Best Wishes,

An Chyi and Herng Huei

From Taiwan”

Brings me great joy to know that I was a part of their unforgettable celebration!

So if you are planning a wedding and would like to add that special touch of magic to your wedding night, do drop us an email at info@metaillusions.com or give us a call (9745973). We’ll be more than happy to discuss such possibilities and work with you every step of the way!

Signing off

Alexander Yuen

Wedding Magic at Fullerton Hotel

Several weeks ago, Samuel and I were privileged to be engaged to perform Close Up Magic and interact with the family and guests of the very lovely bride, Pei Shi, and bridegroom, Pui Chuan. Magic in this wedding was customized so that it flowed in conjunction with the sequence of events.

First, we performed and mingled with the guests during the cocktail reception. This is the segment where guests are streaming in and drinks are served. The guests are not yet seated and would mostly be standing. Hence, the kind of magic that we did was largely in-the-hands magic that did not require the use of a table. Also, because of the interactive features of our Close Up Magic, we were able to break the ice between the guests of the husband and the guests of the wife as both sides shared a common experience of magic and were able to make small talk about the magic they witnessed.

Cocktail Reception Magic

After our first segment, the guests were ushered into the dining hall. Typical Chinese wedding dinners often start later than the stated timing. Hence, in the next segment, Samuel and I went to the various tables in the evening to perform. This segment allows the guests to be entertained while waiting for other guests to arrive. We performed our magic and interacted with the guests all the way till the march-in, and thereafter the emcees took over.

Close Up Magic for Weddings

The magic garnered very positive responses from the lovely wedding couple as well as their guests. We were very touched to receive affirmation for our work. The wedding couple even wrote us a testimony:

“Our greatest thanks to Alexander and Samuel for making our already special night even more special!

Alexander is very accommodating and flexible towards our requests. He is always ready to offer help and suggestions when we were planning our program.

Our guests really enjoyed the magic. It was a really good time-filler. Thanks guys!!”

Indeed, we did our jobs as magicians and performed magic as it was intended to be in a wedding setting. We acknowledged that we were not the highlight of the wedding, so we did not propose a full-blown stage performance, which might take away the limelight from the wedding couple. Instead, we took on a supporting role and allowed the bride and bridegroom to shine on their very special night. I am very glad that we achieved our objectives and made the couple look special as they ought to be.

Performing magic for children

On a side note, it is also important to get a magician who is also well versed in performing for children. This is especially true in a wedding setting, the mixed demographics of the guests is bound to entail children. You will need a strong and experienced magician who has the abilities to handle children. Despite our “corporate” image, Samuel and I had been performing magic for children for at least 4 years! This equips us with the necessary skill set and abilities to handle them as well as entertain them. You can be assured that we do not perform magic that is crass or kiddish for children.

Entertaining and engaging the younger ones

One common problem for some Singapore magicians who cater to weddings is that they do not have the necessary skill set to appropriately deal with children at these weddings. This becomes an issue when they perform for children who are slightly more active and curious. This curiosity could break the flow of the magic (if the child wants to examine the props) and possibly disrupt the flow of the wedding (child getting upset over not being able to examine the props). Hence, it is integral to get the right magician for the event.

I hope this article is useful for soon-to-be brides and bridegrooms. I have had several emails inquiring the feasibility of magic for weddings. Suffice to say, magic may not be the best form of entertainment for all weddings, depending on the concept and venue. Please consult us if you do wish to have magicians for your wedding, or would like to discuss the feasibility of doing so. Meta Illusions offers a free consultation, so do not hesitate to contact us here at http://www.metaillusions.com/contact-us/ or give us a call at 97459753.

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen : )

P.S. if you wish to find out a little more about wedding magic, check out this blog entry too! http://www.metaillusions.com/2011/12/14/magic-for-a-wedding/

Magic for a Wedding

Weddings are one of the most tricky events to do. For close up magic, on its surface, it is very much the same as any other cocktail reception event.

However, here is the catch.

Especially in local context, invited guest span over a huge demographics. Hence as a performer and from experience, I know that there will be grandparents, adults, young adults (usually children of the older relatives) and even younger children. Contrast this to a regular cocktail reception by a company, you can be fairly certain that the range do not span too widely.

Because of the large demographic, you will need a strong performer who can connect and interact with adults, and at the same time not neglecting the children. If the performer does not do his/her job well, the wedding as a whole may suffer.

The second problem: “Who is the star?”

I think a lot of performers do not recognize that the star of the event is not the magic or the magician, it is the wedded couple. I have heard stories in which the performer makes a grander entrance than the wedded couple. While this is all good in a corporate event, in my opinion, it is not for the couple. I would rather the couple shine on their special day. This is the very same reason I only recommend close up mingling magic for weddings, and not a stage show in which the audience would have to fixate on the performer. Also, considering problem one, a stage show is not the most ideal situation due to the wide demographics. That is, one style of magic performance may appeal to the older crowd but leave the younger adults alienated, or vice versa.

With all that said, I am actually very happy to share a wonderful testimonial from a satisfied client who engaged me to do mingling magic for his solemnization event:

“Hi Alex,

Base on the expressions and feedback I got from all my guests, your performance is marvelous and entertaining. I would strongly recommend other of my friends to you further more I will engage you again for my wedding lunch performance.

Once again thank you for making my wedding/ROM ceremony a memorable one”

Thanks Ian! That made my day!

I managed to get pictures for the lovely wedding held at a gorgeous location at Naumi Hotel. (Courtesy of Ian)

Magical Appearance of the Birthday Surprise!

This event was planned way before the solemnization itself, and I customized a special magic effect in which I made a special birthday gift appear for Ian’s wife, Evelyn. When I appeared with the birthday cake, the lovely bride was suprised as it was a secret. That is just one way of making sure that the couple feels special at the end of the performance.

Interacting with the crowd!

The young ones = )

=)

Congratulations Ian and Evelyn!

Signing off,

Alexander = )