Date of Destiny

What if you want to perform “Double Happiness” for a couple who aren’t married? “Date of Destiny” is my answer to this question. It uses the same mechanics as “Double Happiness” but has a different premise and presentation, which is better suited to a situation where you are performing for a couple who are not married (but might be contemplating taking the plunge).

Instead of using the double happiness symbol (囍) as an ambiguous open prediction, “Date of Destiny” uses a modified “Save the Date” card as a disguised prediction (see mock-up below).

Mockup of a “Save the Date” prediction card. Image Credit: Marty’s bag of Tricks.

A card like the one pictured above can be designed and printed in Canva (the tool I typically use for simple graphic design jobs like this one). Alternatively, you can use Adobe Express or a fully-fledged design package such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop. I’d also recommend Serif Affinity Designer or Xara Design Pro+ if you don’t want to pay for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. Canva recently acquired Affinity Designer, which is available for free forever without a premium Canva account!

JUMP AHEAD

On This Page

Effect
Background & Credits
Requirements & Preparation
Method & Presentation
Cleanup & Reset
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
Final Thoughts

Effect

Both Jane and Edward thoroughly shuffle a deck of cards. You hand Edward a sealed envelope with a knowing smile, telling him it contains something special—an invitation to a wedding. His own wedding! After the laughter subsides, you admit you’re joking, and he needn’t look so worried... It’s just a save-the-date!

The envelope is opened to reveal the save-the-date card inside—beautifully designed, but with a blank space where the wedding date should be. You ask the couple to choose their perfect wedding date and write it directly on the card. They might settle on September 23rd, for example.

Using their chosen number (twenty-three) and a random process of elimination, two cards are selected from the shuffled deck—one for Jane, and one for Edward. You explain that, if Jane ends up with a Heart or a Diamond, then Edward loves her. If she gets a Spade or a Club, she should re-evaluate her options! The card is turned over... It’s the Ace of Diamonds, indicating that an engagement might be on the cards. The Ace of Diamonds is placed into the empty envelope for safekeeping. Edward gets the Ten of Hearts, indicating that Jane is madly in love with him!

You draw their attention back to the save-the-date card they just wrote on... and impossibly, both their cards are printed right there in the design: the Ace of Diamonds and the Ten of Hearts, predicted before they even chose their wedding date!

But there’s one final surprise. You ask Jane to remove her card from the envelope. Impossibly, it has transformed into the Ten of Diamonds! After all, “One diamond is never enough, especially when it comes to an engagement ring!” The couple leaves with both cards—matching red Tens symbolising the perfect pair—as a memento of the date they chose together.

Background & Credits

Like “Double Happiness”, this self-working routine relies on the age-old Count-Back Force, also known as the 10-20 Force. According to Max Maven, the Count-Back Force first appeared in print in Billy O’Connor’s “After the Four Ace Trick” in the June-September 1935 issue of The Magic Wand. However, there is evidence suggesting the force is much older than that.

The method of loading the prepared cards onto the deck using an envelope was inspired by “Wagers of Sin” by Max Maven; see The New Invocation (issue 35, October 1986, pages 416-419).

Requirements & Preparation

You will need:

• A regular deck of playing cards
• An opaque envelope
• A pen
• A save-the-date card 

The save-the-date card should include the two prediction cards concealed somewhere within its design (see example pictured below). Replace the names listed below with the names of the couple you are planning to perform for.

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SAVE THE DATE

For the Wedding of Jane Eyre and Edward Fairfax Rochester

Invitation to Follow

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Here’s an example of a suitable save-the-date prediction created with Canva:

A “Save the Date” card mock-up. Image Credit: Marty’s Bag of Tricks.

Put the save-the-date card in the envelope and seal it. Remove the Ace of Diamonds, Ten of Diamonds and Ten of Hearts from the deck and place them under the envelope (10H-10D-AD). The Ten of Hearts should be the top card of the face-down packet.

Slide this entire unit into your wallet and put it, along with the pen, in your inside jacket pocket.

Method & Presentation

Begin by having Jane and Edward thoroughly shuffle the cards as you say, “I have something very special for you both. It’s in my wallet.” Remove your wallet from your inside jacket pocket, slide out the envelope, and hold it, along with the three-card packet hidden beneath it, in your left hand. Return the wallet to your inside jacket pocket as your left hand, still holding the envelope, naturally drops to your side. (The envelope conceals the three cards from the audience’s view.)

Transfer the envelope (and the cards beneath it) to your right hand so you can extend your left to take back the deck. As soon as the cards are returned, say, “We also need a pen.” Drop the envelope on top of the deck, secretly adding the three-card packet to the top. With your right hand now free, retrieve the pen from your inside jacket pocket. Hand it to Jane, then pass the envelope to Edward. Place the deck on the table.

Turn to Edward and say, “I have an invitation for you. To a wedding. Your wedding!”

Turn to Jane and say, “He looks worried, doesn’t he?” Then say, “Don’t worry, Edward. I’m just joking. It’s just a save the date!”

This interaction should give your audience a good laugh. Wait for Edward to open the envelope and discover that the save-the-date card is missing the all-important wedding date.

Ask the couple to choose a month, e.g., September, and a date for their wedding, such as the twenty-third. If they select a date early in the month that falls within the first nine days, say, “I’m afraid that the first week of September is fully booked! However, you can have any date you want from the 10th onward.” This line prevents them from selecting a single-digit date, which would not work given the method’s mathematical nature. This humorous approach frames the limitation as part of your presentation, helping to disguise the method.

Example “save-the-date” card. Image Credit: Marty’s Bag of Tricks.

Have Jane write the date on the card. Tell her to turn the card face down and sign the back to stop you from switching it. Ask Edward to sign the card as well. As he does this, turn to Jane and say, “He’s signed it! That makes it a legally binding contract!” Besides allowing you to make this joke, turning the card over and having it signed by the couple prevents your spectators from noticing the hidden prediction before the cards are chosen.

Next, take the cards and deal a number equal to the couple’s chosen wedding date to a single pile on the table. In this example, you’d deal twenty-three cards to the table.

“In numerology, you add the digits of auspicious or important dates together to tell you something about your future. Now, we add these two digits together: two plus three equals five.” Deal five cards from the twelve-card packet onto the table into a single pile. The rest of the deck forms a “discard pile.”

Turn to Jane and say, “Now, this is your moment of intuition. You have some cards here…” Gesture to the five cards on the table. “…and I’m holding these cards here…” Lift the packet in your left hand slightly. “One of these packets will continue on this journey with us. The other will be set aside, as it is no longer needed. I want you to trust your instincts: do you want to swap the cards on the table with the ones in my hand?”

If Jane wants to swap, put the cards in your hand with those on the table, pick up the five-card packet and immediately put it on top of the discard pile. However, if she doesn’t want to swap the cards, simply pick up the pile on the table and drop it on top of the discard pile. Either way, you always eliminate the pile that does not contain the two force cards. (This clever Magician’s Choice is a John Bannon idea.)

Depending on what date was chosen, you’ll end up holding a packet of nine, eighteen or, occasionally, twenty-seven cards. In our example, we’re left with eighteen cards.

If you have nine cards:

Perform a standard Under-Down Deal (also known as a Duck and Deal). Place the first card beneath the packet and say, “He loves me…”. Then deal the next one onto the table and say, “He loves me not…”. Continue alternating in this manner (under, down, under, down) until only one card remains in your hand. This will be an indifferent card. Turn to Jane and say, “If the card you end up with is a Heart or a Diamond, then Edward loves you.” Display your card to the audience (it will be an indifferent card), make a humorous comment based on its colour, then add it to the discard pile. For example, if you receive a black card, look crestfallen and say, “Edward doesn’t love me!” If, however, you happen to get a red card, take full advantage of the situation and say something like, “Oh. This is a little awkward. Your boyfriend appears to be madly in love with me. This happens a lot.”

Guide Jane through the “elimination deal” you just demonstrated. As she does this, say, “Remember, if you end up with a Spade or Club. Well, then you probably need to re-evaluate your options!” 

When she’s left holding a single card, tell her to turn it face up, revealing the first force card, the Ace of Diamonds. React positively to this card, “Phew. Fate has spoken. Edward loves you! In fact, the Ace of Diamonds indicates that an engagement might be on the cards! He’s looking worried again, Jane.”

Situation Check: Jane holds the Ace of Diamonds. The top card of the eight-card pile on the table is the Ten of Diamonds. The bottom card is the Ten of Hearts.

Pick up the pile, holding it in left-hand Dealer’s Grip. Take back the Ace of Diamonds from Jane and, as you shift your focus toward Edward, perform a Top Change, switching the Ace of Diamonds for the Ten of Diamonds. The Top Change can easily be covered by the action of handing the eight-card packet to Edward.

With the remaining eight-card packet, repeat the “love ritual” with Edward, leaving him with the Ten of Hearts. Turn to him and say, “Wow, she loves you like crazy! And you only gave her a single diamond. Shame on you!” As Edward completes the elimination deal, slide the Ace of Diamonds (?), actually the Ten of Diamonds, into the empty envelope. Edward should hold onto his card.

If you have eighteen cards: 

Deal the eighteen-card packet into two piles. Start by dealing a card to your left and continue alternating as if playing a game of cards. Ask Jane to pick up either pile. If she chooses the pile containing the two force cards (the one on your right), pick up the other pile and immediately place it on the discard pile. However, if she chooses the pile on your left, say, “…and hand it to me.” Place it on top of the discard pile. Either way, the remaining nine-card pile will have the Ten of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds on top of it.

Now, instead of performing an Under-Down Deal, hand the cards to Jane and talk her through a standard Down-Under Deal. This will leave her holding the Ace of Diamonds.

Situation Check: Jane holds the Ace of Diamonds. The top card of the discard pile is the Ten of Diamonds. The bottom card of the eight-card pile is the Ten of Hearts.

Pick up the discard pile and perform a Top Change, switching the Ace for the Ten of Diamonds.

Hand the eight-card pile to Edward, and guide him through a Down-Under Deal as well, leaving him holding the Ten of Hearts. He should hold on to this card.

If you have twenty-seven cards:

Deal the cards, from left to right, into two piles. This will result in a fourteen-card pile on your left with the two force cards on top, and a thirteen-card pile (with the Ten of Diamonds on top of it) that must be eliminated (using the same technique as detailed above). Once this is done, deal the cards into two even piles, one in front of Jane (the one on your right) and one in front of Edward (the pile on your left).

Situation Check: There are seven cards in front of Jane; the Ace of Diamonds is the bottom card of this pile. The bottom card of the pile in front of Edward is the Ten of Hearts.

Guide the couple through a complete Under-Down Deal (they can do this simultaneously). Jane should end up holding the Ace of Diamonds and Edward the Ten of Hearts.

Casually pick up the discard pile and perform a Top Change before putting the Ace of Diamonds (?) into the empty envelope.

You’re now in a position to reveal your prediction. Turn the save-the-date card over and point out the AD and 10H in the design. Then say, “But everyone knows that one diamond is never enough, especially when it comes to an engagement ring!” Have Edward remove the Ten of Diamonds from the envelope and hand it to Jane to bring the routine to a satisfying conclusion.

Slide the save-the-date card into the envelope, hand it to Edward with a smile, and say, “You’d better keep this. You might need it!”

Cleanup & Reset

To reset the effect, return the Ten of Hearts, Ten of Diamonds and Ace of Diamonds to the top of the deck in 10H-10D-AD order.

You’ll also need another envelope and a blank save-the-date card. These can be printed in bulk at a modest price by Canva (or another similar print-on-demand service).

Performance Tips & Additional Ideas

This routine allows for plenty of light-hearted interaction. The presentation plays on the fact that many men are hesitant to discuss commitment, engagement, and wedding-related topics with their partner. However, you must select the couples carefully when performing this trick. For example, I wouldn’t do this for a very young couple, as it might make them feel embarrassed.

Reading the room is essential with this effect. When performing this routine, pay close attention to the couple’s dynamic and comfort level. Some people enjoy being the centre of attention and will respond well to playful teasing, laughing along with jokes about commitment and weddings. Others may be more reserved or sensitive about the subject.

Before you begin, observe how the couple interacts—are they comfortable with public displays of affection? Do they joke about marriage themselves? During the performance, watch Edward’s reaction when you mention “his own wedding.” A good-natured eye-roll or laugh signals that you can lean into the humour. A tight smile or genuine discomfort (stiffening, avoiding eye contact) means you should soften your approach and scale back the teasing. Playful embarrassment (grinning, looking at his partner) means you’re on safe ground.

Adjust your presentation style based on the couple’s personality and relationship stage. Extroverted couples who joke about marriage themselves will love the full-on comedic treatment—you can ham it up with all the teasing about commitment and really milk the awkward moments (like the “legally binding contract” line). Early-stage or more reserved couples need a gentler touch—focus on the romance and mystery rather than the marriage jokes, and let the magic speak for itself. The prediction is still impactful without the need for aggressive teasing.

Remember, you’re celebrating their relationship, not interrogating it! However, the routine will work exceptionally well for couples with a good sense of humour who are already contemplating tying the knot.

Final Thoughts

If you’re an amateur magician, this is a fantastic item to add to your occasional repertoire. I’d suggest saving it for times when you have friends who have been together for a while and would enjoy some light-hearted teasing.

This is an excellent alternative to “Double Happiness” and would work exceptionally well as a piece of strolling magic for a professional or semi-pro magician (as long as you have a pile of save-the-date cards in envelopes ready to go).

As you leave the card with the couple, you could also use the reverse to advertise your wedding magician services! When working at a wedding venue, you could also include the venue's contact details, which may lead to more bookings and, in turn, more business for you!