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Updated Mar 06, 2025How to Hire a Drag Queen for Your Wedding
Enlist one of these talented performers to liven up your celebration.
If you want to hire a drag queen for your wedding and don't know where to start, you've landed on the right page. Before hiring one of these talented pros, determine which portion of your celebration you'd like to incorporate a drag queen, learn more about their costs and how to fit one into your wedding budget. We tapped experts Alex Heimberg, CEO of Screaming Queens Entertainment based in New York City, Toni James, owner of "Drag 'Em Down the Aisle" in Las Vegas and Kerry Lynn, founder and creative services director of Extragrams, a drag queen telegrams and entertainment service based in Austin, Texas.
In this article: Can You Hire a Drag Queen for Your Wedding? | Cost | How to Hire | Timing | Drag Queens to Know
Can You Hire a Drag Queen for Your Wedding?
Yes, you can hire a drag queen for your wedding. Include a drag queen in your wedding as an officiant, emcee, dancer, performer and more. The type of drag queen you hire may vary based on their specialties, preferences, rates and time commitments.
Wedding Drag Queen Cost
The cost to hire a drag queen for your wedding varies depending on rates, experience, popularity and tasks including officiating, dance floor takeovers and miniature drag shows to name a few. "Expect to start around $1,000, with higher rates for travel or special skills," Heimberg says. "RuPaul's Drag Race alumni and other high-profile performers can command fees up to $10,000." That said, it is important to consider what you are willing to invest or potentially splurge on your wedding entertainment to bring a high-quality drag queen to your party.
How to Hire a Drag Queen for Your Wedding
When hiring wedding vendors (including drag queens), it is a best practice to reserve them earlier rather than later to ensure you've secured their services for your wedding day. The Knot Vendor Marketplace is a great resource to utilize to search for local drag queens in your area or where you plan on tying the knot. When hiring drag queen wedding entertainment, there are a couple of key considerations to make when reaching out to different vendors or during consultation meetings. "You should share key details about your wedding and guests including the age range, whether or not children will be present and the type of preferred music," Heimberg advises. "If you're looking for celebrity impersonators, you should name their top choices." During these conversations, you'll also want to discuss the duration and terms of hire. Mention what activities and portions of the wedding you'd like their presence and whether or not that already fits into their current offerings and if you can work with them to customize their services for your wedding day.
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How Long to Hire a Drag Queen for Your Wedding
Heimberg notes that drag queens are typically hired for weddings for one hour. That said, how long you want to hire a drag queen for your wedding is up to you and your wedding vision in addition to the queen's availability. "My role at a wedding changes from couple to couple," James says. "I have been hired to officiate and emcee the reception—bouquet toss, spouse taking off the garter belt, cake cutting, announcing the entertainment, mixing and mingling with the guests, doing the champagne toast and doing drag performances during the reception." Whether you opt to hire a drag queen for five minutes or five hours is up to you—either way, an inclusion of one of these entertainers is sure to add to your day.
Wedding Drag Queens to Know
Ready to find a drag queen wedding officiant or drag queen wedding entertainment? We've compiled a list of talented drag queen performers across the country to make your wedding day even more special.
Extragrams in Austin, Texas
The Austin, Texas-based drag queens of Extragrams are known for their officiating and unique wedding reception performance skills. If you book a dance floor takeover, one or a few of their drag queens will spend between 20 to 30 minutes entertaining from the heart of the dance floor. Previous couples who reserved a dance floor takeover noted that this portion of their wedding was reported as a guest highlight.
"Drag 'Em Down the Aisle" in Las Vegas, Nevada
Toni James of the Los Angeles-based "Drag 'Em Down the Aisle" has entertained guests at venues and weddings on the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas for nearly 30 years. James is a well-respected drag performer who is beloved for going above and beyond to meet guest expectations while respecting boundaries set by couples. In addition to the more routine officiating (which he is licensed to do by the Clark County Wedding Bureau in Las Vegas), James is also a female impersonator and can write and officiate vows in the style of a celebrity (Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and more) or character of the couple's choosing (for an additional fee). If you'd rather have a drag queen present at the cake cutting, bouquet tossing or parts of your reception, James' services can be reserved for that, too.
Diva Royale Drag Queen Show in New Orleans, Louisiana
Regardless of whether you're hosting your wedding in New Orleans or Los Angeles, Diva Royale Drag Queen Show has drag queens for your wedding available across the United States. Depending on the size of your wedding, reserve one or a couple of the Diva Royale queens to lip-sync and/or dance to your favorite songs.
Your Royal Wedding Officiant in New York City, New York
Photo: Your Royal Wedding Officiant
If you're looking for a royal yet funny officiant for your New York City wedding, look no further than Prince Powderpouffe (brought to life by Eric Strauss) of Your Royal Wedding Officiant. What's great about Prince Powderpouffe is the character can be altered to best fit your wedding, whether it's a modern, traditional or unconventional celebration. Don't worry if you're tying the knot in Brooklyn or one of the other boroughs as Prince Powderpouffe is willing to travel to be there for you on your wedding day.
