What I do at your wedding
The cocktail hour
While you're away having photos taken, your guests have an hour to fill, and half of them have never met. I move from group to group with close-up magic and mind reading a few inches from their faces, so your college friends and your new in-laws end up laughing at the same thing. No stage, no sound, nothing for the venue to set up.
Table to table at the reception
Between courses I visit each table for a few minutes, so every guest gets a moment of their own, including the ones who never leave their seat. It fills the quiet stretches of the evening without competing with the band, the toasts or the first dance, and I work to whatever timeline your planner gives me.
Every guest, every age
A wedding room runs from the grandparents to the college roommates to the flower girl, and the entertainment has to work for all of them. Nothing in the act is off color, nobody is made the joke, and it plays as well at the head table as it does at the back of the room.
See Mike in action
About
Made for the cocktail hour
Weddings are a regular part of my calendar, and the cocktail hour is where I do my best work. It is the one stretch of the day when guests are standing, mixing and waiting, and magic and mind reading turn that waiting into the part people describe on the drive home.
I'm based in Philadelphia and work weddings across the city, the Main Line and the suburbs, New Jersey and Delaware, in ballrooms, country clubs, hotels and estate venues.
I work alongside your planner, your band or DJ and your photographer, and I take my cues from whoever is running the day. I arrive early, I am ready before your first guest walks in, and I finish when the timeline says I finish. Standard dress is a dark suit, and black tie is no problem.
I carry performer liability insurance and can send your venue a certificate, which most venues ask for.
Proof
Real rooms, real reactions
"We brought Mike in as a nice complement to a cocktail reception, but instead, he became the main event. The whole room followed him around, chasing the next trick, because once people saw one they wanted more. Mike is genuinely talented, has great energy, and is a crowd-pleaser in a room that's not easy to win over; we'll definitely be bringing him back."
Christine R. Felice, SVP, Mitchell & Ness Commerce
"Mike is magic! We hired Mike for my 40th at a winery and all I can remember is random screams of amazement among the crowd. He is flawless in his execution and left us all in awe. My family and friends talked about his performance for weeks!"
Ankur Patel, 40th birthday celebration
"Michael was absolutely incredible! We had him at our end-of-summer carnival party, and he completely captivated the entire crowd. With a big party, it's not easy to hold everyone's attention, but he had people gathered around, laughing, amazed, and genuinely trying to figure out how he was doing what he was doing! Our guests were talking about him all night and even afterwards."
Kejal Bhatt, end of summer party
Below, photographs from real events, taken on the night, with real guests reacting in real time. Ballrooms, cocktail receptions, hotel function rooms and convention stages across the East Coast.
Volunteers from the room
Two guests who walked in as strangers, now standing next to me in front of a full house. Nobody is planted and nobody is the punchline.
A full room
Cocktail hour at a black tie gala, guests closing in on both sides. No stage and no microphone, just a room full of people who came over to see what everyone was looking at.
Black tie season
Arriving for an annual charity gala. One case, no setup, ready before the doors open.
Partial client list
Vanguard · Insight Partners · Alimera Sciences
New American Funding · Fox Chase Cancer Center
Mitchell & Ness · Marriott · Wyndham · AtlantiCare
Mohonk Mountain House · Borgata · Harrah's
Ocean Casino Resort · Live! Casino · SugarHouse Casino
Disney Cruise Line
Questions I get asked
How long do you perform?
Once I know a bit more about your event, I will come back with a recommendation on the length and the format that fits it best.
What do you need from the venue?
Strolling needs no stage, no sound and no setup. I simply start. For a seated show I need somewhere the whole room can see me, and a small riser helps past about 80 guests. I bring my own microphone and speaker if the venue has none.
Will you work around the toasts and first dance?
Yes. Send me your timeline and I'll fit the strolling into the cocktail hour and the table visits between courses, well clear of the toasts, the first dance and anything your photographer needs.
Is it right for a mixed audience?
Yes. Nothing in the show is off color, nothing embarrasses a volunteer, and nothing needs explaining to the client's boss afterwards.
Insurance and dress?
I carry performer liability insurance and can send your venue a certificate on request. Standard dress is a dark suit. Black tie or a costume brief is no problem if your evening calls for it.
Contact
Tell me about your event
Send the date, the venue and roughly how many guests. You'll hear back the same day with what I'd do and what it costs. Wedding dates book well ahead, so ask early.