Matt Duggan

I was performing at a beautiful wedding venue in Wiltshire at on the 12th June (Bradley House), and as my performance was coming to an end, the first dance was announced by the best man.

I’ve heard about first dances like this in the US, but this was the first one I’ve witnessed live. And what a dance it was…

Enjoy!

I’ve recently been looking for a few select entertainers and ‘acts’ to add to my blog and site, in order to provide a better service for my clients.

I’d heard of a few caricaturists who worked events in and around London and had even seen a few. I think I’ve found a real master so I wanted to tell you about him as he specialises in wedding entertainment (as you’ll see on the front page of his website).

Steve Hearn is a professional artist and caricaturist who provides awesome entertainment and gifts for weddings across the UK. One of the things that drew me to Steve is that he’s also a prominent blogger in his market. His blog, entitled Pencil Dreams is full of his adventures at events across the world and gives you a chance to really get to know him.

If you’re looking for an unusual gift or to entertain your wedding guests with some top class artistry, I would certainly recommend Steve.

You can see a great video of Steve and the reactions he gets right here.

More great entertainment coming soon. Watch this space!

If you’re looking for a way to entertain your guests and make your big day even more memorable and magical, close-up magic is a great way to do it. The great thing is that there are a number of ways in which you can integrate close-up magic into a wedding celebration. Below are some of the ways in which I’ve personally added a touch of magic and amazement to weddings in London and across the UK.

During The Photos

At this point in many weddings, the majority of the guests will often find themselves at a loose end. As they’re not required for most of the photos, they have nothing to occupy them while they wait. This is where I can be used to provide amazing entertainment, mingling with small groups and creating a new buzz to follow on from the buzz of the wedding itself. It can be a lovely surprise for the guests and word will spread fast that there is a magician present.

By bridging this gap in proceedings, you can make the transition from the ceremony to the reception seamless, feeling sure that your guests will see top class magic mixed with gentle humour from an experienced wedding magician.

During The Reception

Once the guests arrive at the main reception, there is often a drinks reception before the wedding breakfast. If this is something you’re planning, then there is nothing better than close-up magic to keep the party atmosphere going in the build-up to the meal.

In this setting, I mingle with the guests, performing what is known as strolling magic – where the magic happens right in front of them, often in their own hands and with borrowed objects like coins and rings. This is a great way to get people talking and it’s a wonderful ice-breaker, particularly with extended families who may not know each other at this stage of the day.

The Evening Session

Once the speeches are finished, many brides and their grooms invite other guests to the party. There can often be a gap here as the ‘new’ guests meet those that have been there from the start of the day. They will, of course, have missed the magical entertainment thus far, so it’s a good idea for me to be around to entertain them and introduce them to the other guests.

By this point in the day, I virtually always have a little following of children (aged approximately from 6 to 86!) who want to see more magic. Doing close-up magic for the new guests is a great way to give them what they want whilst helping to integrate them with the others.

The good news is that to find a top Wedding Magician there is an easy way… Here at my Wedding Magician site and let me know the details of your event. I can tailor my performances to you, ensuring that you guests have a fabulous time, with moments of fun, laughter and amazement to remember long after the event ends. I look forward to meeting you.

Matt

Late last year, wedding photographer James Cannon interviewed me as part of his Wedding Guest Blog Interviews.

http://www.yourweddingguestblog.co.uk/2009/12/12/magician-matt-duggan/

Every so often, James interviews a wedding supplier to get their perspective on weddings and how to make them as magical as possible. So it stands to reason that speaking of magic, James chats to a magician. You’ll never guess who he chose…

James and I chat about my background in magic and the entertainment I provide for weddings across the country. We also touch on The Magic Circle and the way I helpthe bride and groom to see how magic can help make their day that bit more special.

You can find the full interview on James’ excellent blog at:

http://www.yourweddingguestblog.co.uk/2009/12/12/magician-matt-duggan/

You can also find out more about his excellent photography services (the photos are some of the best I’ve seen and I’ve seen lots of photographers!) at:

http://www.cannonphotography.co.uk/

I got a rather interesting enquiry today from a researcher who’d seen my details on a wedding supplier’s website. She told me that Living TV are looking for brides-to-be for their new reality show ‘Four Weddings’ and did I know anyone who’d be interested?

So I’m asking, are any of you beautiful brides-to-be interested in winning a luxury honeymoon and appearing on Living TV in ‘Four Weddings’? Check out the flyer by clicking here.

Here’s what Meg, the researcher at ITV (who are producing the show) sent me about it:

We are casting for a second series of the hit TV show for LIVING, called “Four Weddings”. We are looking for more brides-to-be to attend and score each others big days, scoring the venue, the dress, the food and the overall presentation. The scores are not disclosed amongst the other brides until after all the weddings when it will be revealed whose wedding has been judged the best! The winning bride will win a LUXURY Honeymoon!

This is a fun and entertaining show for both the bride and the viewer. We are looking for all sorts of weddings and themes ranging from small civil ceremonies, to fairytale, traditional English to Greek/Jewish to mention just a few between now and March 2010.

I have attached a flyer for the show, and I would really appreciate it if you could forward this onto any brides who are getting married. We are particularly looking at the mo for brides getting married in October, so if anyone springs to mind, I would be most grateful if you could pass on my contact details. We are of course also still interested in anyone getting married between end of September and March 2010.

Let me know if you go for it.

When it comes to your wedding and the reception, there’s really only one way to ensure it runs to time and only one man I’d recommend to do the job: Toastmaster Andrew Morgan.

Hiring Andrew as your wedding toastmaster means that you can relax, safe in the knowledge that he will make sure everything runs smoothly and that all the dreams you have for your big day are realised. He does this by marrying a respect for the tradition of the toastmaster with a pragmatic approach, enabling your plans and aspirations to work perfectly.

Having worked with Andrew on several occasions, I can recommend his services as a wonderful way to add a touch of class to your event, retaining a wonderful wedding tradition through Andrew’s experienced personal touch.

To find out more about Andrew, take a look at www.mctoastmaster.com. You can see photos, video and all the details of how he can be by your side to make your wedding run seamlessly.

I was recently introduced to Nicola Hill who – along with her business and life partner Laura McCaffrey – run the excellent Gay Friendly Wedding Venues.

Their site provides a comprehensive list of wedding venues (from hotels to roof gardens overlooking London via Scottish castles), all of which welcome gay partnerships and marriages.

Having tied the knot themselves, Nicola and Laura have all the knowledge you’ll need and more to make your wedding as memorable and special as possible. They’ve built up a list of over 800 venues and wedding suppliers (including me) across the UK. They also provide a free venue search service where they find a shortlist of venues for you to choose from.

I’m sure that any couple (gay or straight) will find a great deal of value on their site, both in terms of venues and services to make your wedding magical!

If you’re looking for a complete entertainment solution for your wedding, including a great band, DJ and maybe even a chocolate fountain you need to know about my friends at YES Entertainment.

I’ve been working with Craig and Simon from YES Entertainment for three years now and in that time I’ve seen them create and produce a wide variety of great acts for every occasion you can imagine.

One of their specialties is wedding entertainment. I was asked to put together the wedding entertainment for one of my clients and the first people I got in touch with were the multi-talented YES men. As well as being agents, they are also performers themselves with a great line in wedding music. As such they understand what will get your guests in the party mood.

You can find out more about them at YESentertainment.co.uk. Let them know that I sent you!

When it comes to getting married, you want to make sure you look truly stunning and beautiful. One of the best ways to ensure that is to hire someone who is an expert when it comes to making people look gorgeous.

Sabina Ventriglia is one such lady. She’s a talented make-up artist with years of experience in the wedding and fashion industries who has worked for the likes of music channel MTV to make their models look ‘a million dollars’. One of Sabina’s talents is bridal beauty, where you can let her make you look and feel beautiful so you can relax and enjoy the wedding and the reception.

In her own words:

‘All my clients are important to me and I love nothing more than coming away from a job feeling that I have exceeded their expectations and more. This is what I love to do, and so I hope you recognise this in my work.’

Check out her website to see her portfolio and to find out exactly how she can help you make your big day sparkle!

One of the most crucial parts of the wedding celebration itself is ensuring that the person who is capturing it all on camera is not just good, but excellent. Your wedding photographer must capture as many of the moments that make your day so special as possible, so that you can look back on your wedding and remember it all with the same joy and fondness you felt at the time.

Just a quick look at his website will show you just some of the genuinely amazing photos that Jonathan Lucas has taken at weddings and events across the country. In fact, take a look at this album to see how he made my client’s wedding unforgettable.

Jonathan is a very talented photographer whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with at a wedding earlier this year and since then, he is the number one photographer I recommend when asked to do so by my clients. Many of the photos that you’ll see on this site were taken by him and I’ve added a couple of others to this blog post to give you an idea of just how good an ‘eye’ he has for detail.

You can find out more about Jonathan at JonathanLucas.com.