I am a singer and acoustic guitarist who is very experienced in performing at weddings in Essex, Herts, Suffolk, London and beyond. I am a great believer in live music, but I am also a great believer in wedding entertainment in all its forms! For this blog post, I sat down with magician Nick Brown, who told me a little more about the art of magic and performing it at special occasions. Magicians should never reveal their secrets, but here Nick lets us in on one or two:

How long have you been interested in magic, and why weddings?
My interest in magic started when I was a small boy. I used to spend my school holidays with my Grandad, and he would show me tricks, sparking my interest. Around 10 years ago I decided I would like to turn professional, so I started studying, practicing and taking one-to-one lessons. Before long I was working semi professionally and then moved into full-time three years ago. I’ve been performing at weddings at every stage of this journey. Weddings are my favourite events to perform at, and where I think I can make the most difference.

Which parts of the wedding day do you perform at?
I offer my services for three distinct parts of the day: the drinks reception, the wedding breakfast and the evening. I find that drinks receptions are the most popular. The bride and groom are off having official photographs and guests can sometimes feel like they are not involved. I mix and mingle, pull small groups together and give them five minutes of fun. It’s a great ice breaker.

What props do you use?
My close-up case contains obvious items such as cards and coins, and some less obvious things such as keys, rubber bands, fruit, snooker balls and cutlery. I like to work with everyday objects and with a good variety of props. I also perform with borrowed objects such as bank notes and jewellery, which are always returned safely!

What is your favourite type of trick to perform?
The oldest magic in the world is the famous cups and balls trick. I perform my own version with a Costa Coffee cup and a rolled-up bank note. It plays well to ages 8 to 80 and gets big reactions.

What was your most memorable client?
I think my most memorable booking was two years ago at the Riverbank Plaza Hotel in London. It was a corporate booking for a paper and print industry lunch for 300 people. I had been to this annual lunch many times in the past when I was working in that industry, and then all of a sudden I was there as the professional magician entertaining lots of people I used to work with and do business with. It was a stark reminder of how much you can change your life if you make the effort and take some risks.

How do you recover when tricks don’t go to plan?
This happens very infrequently, and much less now than when I first started out. In most cases experience enables you to recover things, but not always. Sometimes you have to just relax and say you’ve messed up! Everyone makes an occasional mistake. If the rest of your magic is brilliant, people won’t even notice it.

What are your favourite venues to perform at in Herts and Essex?
The list, in no particular order, would include Down Hall, Parklands, Fennes and Leez Priory. The most upmarket place I have worked, albeit not in Herts or Essex, was a couple of weeks ago at the Guild Hall in London.

Are some guests more difficult to perform magic to than others?
Yes. I would say that 90% of people love magic and participate fully in the fun. The other 10% can be more difficult to perform for, either because they’re very shy and don’t want any attention, or because they get very frustrated by not being able to work out how things are done. On other occasions, they may simply be drunk! However, every guest receives my full attention and best effort, and the 10% of doubters can more often than not be converted to magic lovers in the end.

Why should couples opt for a magician at their wedding?
I think that couples should always have some form of entertainment for their guests. Guests spend a whole day at a wedding and there are parts of the day which lend themselves to some entertainment. This makes things more fun for the guests, more memorable and creates a talking point. This entertainment can be anything. I have seen musicians, caricaturists, singing waiters – I even saw a Derek Trotter lookalike at one wedding! A magician is just one option, but the great thing about magic is that it is highly visual, interactive and great fun.

Find out more about Nick and how you can book him via his web site http://www.essex-magician.com and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nickbrownmagic/. For advice on booking entertainment at your wedding, contact me here.

This year I have performed at weddings in Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, London, the Midlands and even in Italy, and each wedding has been a unique occasion, especially when it comes to music choices. I have been amazed at the range of songs that have been requested. Some couples take an old school approach, while others ask for songs that have just entered the charts. As expected, Ed Sheeran’s huge album Divide sparked many requests when it came out in March. Some couples chose hard-hitting emotional songs, while others opted for reworked dance classics stripped back, but all of them were perfect for their special day. Here are my top 5 acoustic wedding singer songs in reverse order…

As well as releasing some outstanding music this year, Ed Sheeran closed Glastonbury on the Pyramid Stage. He has had a remarkable career so far and I’m sure he will release a lot more music that is well-suited to weddings in the future.

Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years is the most popular wedding song.

5: A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
I had to have this in the list, as it is by far and away the most requested wedding song since I started my career as a wedding singer. I have performed this many times for brides walking down the aisle, and it is a very popular first dance option too. It is a track that is beautiful in its simplicity, and works every time.

4: Shape Of You – Ed Sheeran
Ed’s massive number one hit Shape Of You has got crowds dancing all over Essex, Herts, Suffolk, London and the rest of the UK. The original is electronic, but wedding guests always appreciate a stripped back acoustic version performed live on guitar. This has featured in my set throughout the year and is always a winner, especially as the day progresses and wedding guests get right into the party spirit.

3: Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
James Arthur had a bit of quiet spell since he won the X Factor in 2012. Then late in 2016 he came out with Say You Won’t Let Go, an instant classic that has been part of my set ever since. It’s a singalong with some nice sentimental lyrics, and goes down really well at any part of the day, especially during the ceremony. Several couples have chosen it as their first dance too.

2: Fast Car – Tracy Chapman / Jonas Blue
Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car is one of the finest songs ever written in my opinion, and when Jonas Blue came out with his remix of the song in 2015, its popularity rose once more. The song was very often in my set even before Jonas’ version, but now it has had a revival. It has an instantly recognisable guitar riff, and a great chorus that crowds can’t help but sing along to.

1: Ed Sheeran – Perfect
Written by Ed Sheeran for his girlfriend, Perfect is quite literally a perfect example of a wedding song! I have sung this on many occasions, especially for brides walking down the aisle, during the signing of the register in the wedding ceremony, and the first dance. Whenever Ed releases new music you know that it is going to suit a wedding very well, as it has the ideal intimate acoustic feel. He has also just released a duet version of this with Beyonce, and an orchestral version with Andrea Bocelli – there’s no stopping the man! Since I started as a wedding singer, Ed Sheeran requests are constant, and deservedly so. He’s a great writer and Perfect is another in a long line of hits. I’m sure he will put out plenty more great songs in the years ahead.

James Arthur made a great comeback with Say You Won’t Let Go

Jonas Blue did a nice version of Fast Car, but you cannot beat Tracy Chapman’s original in my opinion.

It is also worth mentioning two former champion wedding songs – Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and All Of Me by John Legend. These two tracks are timeless and are still requested very often. Live acoustic versions stripped back and performed on acoustic guitar are a highlight of the day for wedding guests. It will be interesting to see which songs are popular next year.

Contact me to discuss your special day and for advice in hiring an acoustic wedding singer in Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, London and beyond. Overseas bookings are also possible. Read about a recent wedding I performed at on Lake Como, Italy. To view my full repertoire, click here. Remember that you can also request your favourite song for me to learn in advance, if I don’t already know it.

It is always a great pleasure and privilege to be asked to sing at a wedding, and this was especially true in July when Jess and Nik Sanyal asked me to travel to Lake Como in Italy and play for them.

I’m accustomed to performing at weddings in Essex, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, London and other parts of the south east of the UK – this was a lot further afield so it was a real treat! Having live entertainment, and specifically an acoustic guitarist and singer, was high on the Sanyals’ priority list. It was my job to sing during the wedding ceremony and afternoon drinks reception.

The wedding had been planned for more than two years, and took place on Saturday 12th July. Nik and Jess had visited the wedding venue once before and knew that it was perfect for them, and that they wanted to get married abroad. A formal wedding ceremony had already been completed in the UK, so it was time to party in Italy…

I had to use a variety of public transportation to reach the wedding in Bellagio, including a ferry across the lake.

Jess and Nik chose a picturesque setting for their wedding in Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy.

I started my travels on the Friday. Laden with guitar and luggage, I arrived at Stansted airport in Essex and flew to Milan Bergamo. I’d booked a seat for my guitar, which was a first, so I had two boarding passes to take care of, and my guitar even got his own special seat belt. I then caught a bus, three trains, a ferry and walked on foot too before I reached Jess and Nik and their lovely family and managed to get my hands on a glass of prosecco! The couple chose to get married in Bellagio, a stunning spot on the lake.

After a morning of sound checking and then chilling out in the pool (it’s a hard life being a wedding singer sometimes!) we got changed and prepared for the wedding ceremony. It was a sweltering day in the mid to upper 30s, and for the ceremony I was facing direct sunlight. The DJ actually had to mop my brow at intervals while I performed (I was probably being a diva at this point).

Jess and Nik had hired a dedicated sound tech who brought the necessary equipment along. Logistically this was a huge help. The team made sure everything was sounding great and I could concentrate on doing the best possible job for the couple and the wedding party.

Jess looked absolutely beautiful as she came down the aisle, and had chosen for me to sing Grow Old With Me by Tom Odell as her bridal procession music. This was a great choice, and the track almost made my top 5 acoustic wedding singer tracks of the year. I also played during the signing of the register and the couple chose a piece of pre-recorded music for when they exited the ceremony as husband and wife.

I then played during the afternoon reception while guests enjoyed drinks and canapés, although as we were in Italy this section of the wedding is referred to as ‘aperitivo’. I got chatting to a lot of Nik and Jess’ family and friends. They are a lovely bunch. As the day progressed, quite a few of the wedding party decided to jump into Lake Como. I decided that it would be best to observe from the sidelines!

It was a pleasure to be invited to Italy to perform for Jess and Nik Sanyal.

It was a baking hot ceremony and the setting was picture perfect.

Performing at Nik and Jess’ wedding was a really special treat, and proved to me that while it is not straightforward performing at overseas weddings, the results can be spectacular.

Contact me here for tips with planning live music on your wedding day. Looking for an acoustic wedding singer in Essex, Herts, Suffolk or London? Feel free to ask me any questions about your big day. Remember that I can take requests in advance – view my repertoire here.