Magician in Berkshire for weddings
Sleight of hand for your drinks reception and wedding breakfast, from Reading to the far corners of the county, by a magician who has been on Britain's Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
Jamie Docherty works as a magician in Berkshire for couples who want their guests talking, laughing and mixing from the moment the confetti's been swept up. He performs close-up magic in among your guests, so there's no stage to build and nobody gets stuck watching from the back.
He's a full Member of The Magic Circle and holds the Associate of The Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star, awarded in 2021 alongside his double act partner in Jay & Joss. In 2024 the pair also won The Magic Circle's Champions of Stage Illusion. Weddings come first on this page, but a magician in Berkshire gets booked for plenty of work events and family parties too, and you'll find those further down.
On this page
A wedding magician in Berkshire, slot by slot
Start with the drinks reception. After the ceremony, you'll be off with the photographer and your guests will be on their own for a while, often for longer than anyone planned. That's where Jamie earns his keep. He drifts between groups, does a few minutes of magic with each, and moves on before anyone feels trapped.
Then the wedding breakfast. Couples often ask Jamie to go round the tables between courses, which keeps the energy up during the waits that every catered meal has. Steph Maycock booked him for both parts of her day and said on Facebook: "He performed during the drinks reception and also went round the tables during our wedding breakfast." She also mentioned the finale he gave all the guests at the end of the meal.
Evening guests are the third option. People who arrive for the reception after the meal can feel a step behind. A spell of roaming magic as they come in gets them mixing with the day guests. Gordon Dowdey put it this way in a Facebook review: "You definitely got our day and evening guests to mingle and chat which set the tone for an incredible evening."
If you've been searching for a magician for a wedding in Reading, all of this applies just the same in the town as in a barn or a country hotel further out. The details are on the wedding entertainment page, and Jamie can talk through timings once you've got your running order from the venue. Most couples settle on two slots, usually the drinks and the meal.
Experience counts when you're choosing a magician in Berkshire for a day you only get once. Jamie was nationally Highly Commended for entertainment within the wedding industry and has performed at hundreds of weddings around the country, so he knows when to step in and when to leave a moment alone.
Christmas dos and corporate magic in Reading and beyond
Berkshire has no shortage of company events, and a corporate magician in Berkshire needs to be able to read a room quickly. Jamie works gala dinners, awards evenings, conferences, trade shows and product launches, plus the office Christmas party that everyone either loves or dreads.
For a drinks and canapés evening he mingles. For a seated dinner he goes table to table between courses and stays clear of the speeches. At a trade show, a magician in Berkshire can draw people over to a stand and give your team a natural way to start a conversation with a visitor.
Mixed teams are normal at a company do: new starters, senior partners and people who've only ever met on video calls. A magician in Berkshire who works close up gives them something to react to together, which is half the point of a work party in the first place.
Sophie Leanne Carter booked him for a charity ball and wrote on Facebook: "His tricks were the talk on everyone's table." Have a look at the corporate entertainment page for more on work events.
Booking a magician in Berkshire for a Christmas party is worth doing early. December weekends are the first to go, so get your enquiry in as soon as the date's agreed.
Birthdays, anniversaries and christenings in Berkshire
Family parties are a happy mix of ages, and that suits close-up magic perfectly. Jamie can have a five-year-old holding the vanishing coin while their grandad tries to work out where it went. Everyone gets a turn, and no one has to sit through a long show.
Milestone birthdays work well with a short burst of mingling magic early on, while people are still arriving and finding their feet. For anniversary dinners and christenings, table magic between courses or during the buffet keeps things relaxed. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are on his list as well.
Big birthdays often have a lull after the food, when people sit back down and the music hasn't started yet. A magician in Berkshire who goes table to table fills that gap nicely, and it gives whoever you're celebrating a breather from hosting.
If the party's a surprise, Jamie can be performing as guests settle in, so the person you're celebrating walks into a room that's already laughing.
A party at home is no trouble either. Jamie needs no space beyond the people standing in your kitchen or garden. More on birthday and family bookings is on the private party entertainment page.
Good to know before booking a Berkshire magician
- Works in the crowd No stage, table or sound system needed. Jamie performs with your guests wherever they're standing or sitting.
- Smart and alcohol free He always dresses smartly, doesn't smoke and never drinks alcohol at an event.
- Proper paperwork You'll get a formal booking confirmation of every detail and an invoice receipt for each payment.
- Covered by Equity Venues often ask about insurance. Through Equity, Jamie is covered for public liability up to ten million pounds.
- Fair on travel Travel isn't a problem, and he keeps any travel charge as small as he can.
Reading, Donnington and the rest of the county
Jamie has performed at Donnington Grove Hotel, De Vere Wokefield Estate and Grovefield House Hotel, so he knows plenty of Berkshire venues inside out. Reading itself has lots of choice for a wedding or a party, including Reading Town Hall, the Hilton Reading, the Elmhurst Hotel and the Stanlake Winery wedding venue.
Venue coordinators sometimes ask whether the magician needs a room, a table or a power socket. He doesn't. Jamie works on his feet with what's in his pockets, so nothing about the floor plan has to change, from a town centre hotel to a marquee in a field.
He covers the whole county, so a wedding in Datchet, Arborfield or Upper Basildon is just as easy to book as one in Reading. If your venue is over the border, see his pages for Oxfordshire, Surrey and Hampshire.
Good to know
Do you cover weddings all over Berkshire?
Yes. The venue can be in Reading or well out in the countryside. A magician in Berkshire who works close up doesn't need any special setup, so the location makes no difference to the booking.
What does a wedding magician in Berkshire do during the drinks reception?
Jamie moves between small groups of guests, performing a few minutes of close-up magic for each before moving on. It breaks the ice between the two sides of the family while you're having photos taken.
Can the magic carry on into the wedding breakfast?
It can. Lots of couples ask Jamie to visit each table between courses, so the gap while plates are cleared never drags. Some also book him for the evening reception to welcome evening guests, which helps the people who missed the ceremony feel part of the day.
Will a magician in Berkshire suit our company awards dinner?
Yes. Jamie mingles during the drinks and works the tables between courses, then steps back for the speeches and awards so he never competes with the main event.
Is the magic OK for children at a christening or birthday?
Definitely. Jamie involves children and adults in the same tricks and keeps everything friendly and fun for every age in the room.
How do I check if Jamie is free for my Berkshire event?
Fill in the quote form with your date, venue and guest numbers. Get in touch as far in advance as you can, as weekends book up quickly.
Ask about your Berkshire wedding date
If you've found your venue and fixed a date, now's a good time to ask. Send the details through the quote form and Jamie will get back to you about availability as your magician in Berkshire.