Congratulations to Joshua and Meredith on their “Potter”-Themed Wedding Celebration
Our newest featured couple over at the “Potter Weddings” section threw a Hogwarts-themed event jam-packed with any and every reference to the Potter series you can imagine: house-elves, flaming goblets, a Time-Turner, wands, and even a Gene Simmons wig. The bride and groom, Joshua and Meredith, knew immediately that their passion for novels would play a central theme in their main event. Luckily, when their first choice venue became unavailable, their alternative suited them well with its numerous wood fireplaces and hanging portraits. Meredith had this to say:
Books have always been a central part of our relationship, so when we started planning the wedding we knew books were going to be a main theme. And after our first venue fell through, we realized our back[-]up venue screamed Harry Potter, with lots of wood, fireplaces, and large portraits all over the walls. We quickly began coming up with ideas until we had a clear vision of the wedding. Our vision was that it could be a wedding that happened to take place at Hogwarts, instead of just being a Harry Potter wedding. Our most important traits for our wedding were that we wanted good food and good fun. We wanted people to have the time of their lives since many would be traveling from very far.
They both devised a clever way to separate the Muggles from the wizard attendees:
From the get[-]go, we wanted our guests to feel transported to the world of Harry Potter but in a tasteful way. Our invitation was in the familiar font. A decree from the Ministry of Magic to attend the wedding, with an RSVP card indicating whether they were wizards (attending) or Muggles ([n]ot attending). There were a few very confused older relatives, but overall the response was positive.
Upon arrival, all guests were immediately immersed in the Platform 9 ¾ experience:
When our guests arrived, they were greeted in front of the restaurant with Harry’s trunk and Hedwig. Then, they went through brick fabric with Platform 9 3/4’s sign hanging over it. Once inside, they were given their ticket to the Hogwarts Express (program) and were chosen by a wand, with the Sorting Hat presiding over. In the program, we listed our wedding party as prefects and us as Head Boy and Head Girl. Our parents were listed as professors, which gave people a chuckle. We found a really great shop on Etsy that made nice wands that fit in the favor budget. We also had Harry Potter glasses and witch hats on hand for those who had forgotten to wear appropriate attire.
Even their officiant donned the attire for the person you would least expect to be invited to anyone’s wedding, not to mention the equally fantastic incorporation of a flaming goblet:
The ceremony consisted of our officiant dressed as Snape and some vows we wrote, as well as some of our favorite book passages. Our officiant was a good sport about the whole thing, taking his duties as Snape very seriously. The outfit was cobbled together with the reproduction robe, a Matrix Neo jacket since we couldn’t get my hands on a potion[s] master’s coat, and a Gene Simmons wig! (We had to get creative as we got closer to the date.)
One of our favorite moments was during the ceremony when Snape was supposed to say ‘Through every Dementor attack,’ and since he forgot his glasses he pronounced it ‘December,’ and we broke down laughing and corrected him. Now it’s an inside joke between us.
Then we put our names into the Goblet of Fire (complete with theatrical flames) to cement the marriage. This was one of the key points we wanted to have. We loved the symbolism of it. Luckily, we had some friends who had pyrotechnic experience who were willing to pitch in with that portion. We admit to being a little scared as it exploded since we didn’t practice!
Finally, to top it all off:
After the ceremony, the guests went into the main room where we had sectioned it off, so each section was represented by a house: banners, tablecloths, napkins, and tall vases with candles to mimic the Great Hall. The banners really looked great and really helped add to the effect. It was amazing to see how many of our guests dressed up [-] a sea of blues, reds, greens, and yellows, with a couple [of] more Snapes and a Mad-Eye Moody!
During the wedding, guests were able to enjoy special drinks at [the] Hog’s Head pub, as well as sign the Monster Book of Monsters [g]uestbook and pick up a bag full of candy from the Honeydukes table. Even Dobby showed up for a visit.
We closed the wedding with ‘Magic Works’ and a nice arch of wands to walk through. It was the perfect Harry Potter wedding.
Judging from their account and the gorgeous accompanying pictures, provided by Candice Benjamin Photography, this sounded like a truly unforgettable experience that would have surely reached out to all of our inner Potter love and made us go “Wow!” Congratulations to Joshua and Meredith, and we wish you many years ahead filled with the same magic of the series! If you would like to see all of our couples, design tips, and all things “matrimony” be sure to check out our “Potter Weddings” section.
