Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season filled with joy and the people you love. It’s been awhile, but the end of 2019 was pretty wonderful: I got married! My husband Nick (still weird to say) proposed to me on trip to Disney and Universal at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We’re both huge fans of the books, so we wanted to incorporate our love of HP with small details on our big day, and I wanted to share them with all of you!
It’s the little things
For me, it was important to keep the Harry Potter elements small. I didn’t want the theme to overpower the event, but I did want little hints of our favorite book series scattered throughout the day. It was one of the things we bonded over in the very beginning of our relationship, so having reminders of that at our wedding was so special.
I was inspired primarily through Pinterest (surprise, surprise) and one of my favorite finds was a sign “It’s MimOsa not MimosA.” This is a play on Hermione’s famous wingardium leviosa line. I just used a chalkboard sign I had left over from my sister’s wedding in May and used chalk paint to write the quote.
“Always” was a big theme throughout the day of course. Etsy was my go-to when looking for HP themed touches for the wedding. I purchased a custom hanger from the shop AwesomeHanger and was so thrilled with the product! It was gorgeous and looked so beautiful in our getting ready photos. I also purchased a custom ring box from TheBridalRose with our names and wedding date printed on the inside.
I bought golden snitch bracelets for my bridesmaids and necklaces for my flower girls. I also used snitch hair pins I purchased from BoxLunch in my bouquet. You can find the snitch accessories on amazon at a really affordable price. I gave them the jewelry with their robes in gift bags the morning of. It was a cute gift that also tied the theme together.
I also brought along the map and wands we purchased at Universal to use in photos. The seventh book in the serious has a chapter titled “The Wedding.” We used these elements to take photos and the results were stunning! My amazing photographer Hayley at Hay Alexandra Photography captured everything perfectly. I couldn’t have been happier with how she showcased the day. She photographed my sisters wedding as well so I was comfortable with her. She was a fun and calming presence on a day filled with so many emotions. Find a photographer you connect with because it can truly make a difference on the way you feel.
Nick proposed to me to me on the Hogwarts Express, so I gifted him with 9 3/4 cuff links to wear. For his groomsmen, I purchased pins from BoxLunch and had our Florist, The Rosy Posy, secure them to their boutonnieres.
We took our wands with us on the bus back to the reception and it was such a blast. Our bridal party was loving it and were such good sports about our “dorky” theme.
Another tip I’ve got for any brides out there is to make sure you’ve got plenty of time to take couple shots. We had a huge bridal party (9 groomsmen, 1 ring bearer, 8 bridesmaids and 3 flower girls) so it was important for us to not only set aside enough time for photographs with them, but with our family as well. Instead of the typical cocktail hour, we added an extra 30 minutes to ensure we weren’t rushed. We kept the bar open for that half hour so our guests wouldn’t get antsy and it really made all the difference. We had plenty of time to take photos and also got to spend some quality time just the two of us. It really was the only alone time we had together and I am so grateful for it.
I want to do write a whole post about my dress and the complete bridal look but here’s a few shots from the day.
The Reception
The reception was such a blast to plan! I felt like I could really get creative and had a couple DIY projects that were so fun.
Our sweetheart table was decorated with flowers and greenery. I added a small birdcage I found at Hobby Lobby with the Hogwarts Acceptance letter Nick made for me to tell me we were taking a surprise trip to Florida.
The tables were decorated with lanterns and small wands I purchased from the Etsy shop FreddiesFavoursGifts. They were mixed matched and crafted out of chopsticks!
Our incredible cake made by Evan at Sweets by E was a 3 tiered, two flavored masterpiece. This beautiful confection was a Red Velvet and Chocolate Guinness cake topped with cream cheese icing and decorated with leftover flowers. I also purchased winged keys from Retrogalvintage on Etsy to add another HP element.
An “Always” gold cake topper added the perfect finishing touch! This was purchased on Amazon but I’m sure Etsy would have great options too.
The Trolley Table
The Trolley Table was a huge hit at the reception. I purchased some prop chocolate frogs and filled glass jars with Jelly Beans to replicate “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans.” I made chocolate snitches out of Faroroh Rochas and my sweet granny made cookies. We left treat bags on the table and used those as favors for our guests.
The Common Room
Our venue had a fireplace and sitting area outside of the reception hall which was perfect for the Harry Potter Theme! I wanted it to have a cozy, common room feel. I collected wedding photos from our parents and grandparents and placed them on the fireplace mantel. I had the scene from The Half Blood Prince in mind. Professor Slughorn showing off his “collection” of students to Harry in The Half-Blood Prince has always been one of my favorites.
While we’re on the subject of The Half Blood Prince, lets talk luck! Next to our placecard table, we set tiny bottles of Liquid Luck (felix felicis) filled with Fireball Whiskey for a little extra kick for our guests. This was a huge hit! I found the small potion bottles on Amazon and my sweet sister-in-law printed the labels out for me. I spent the week before the wedding siphoning whiskey into these tiny bottles, but it was so worth it!
Our guestbook was a large Marauders Map purchased from amazon. I used chalk paint on a small Mirror of Erised I already owned to display on our gift table.
A Magical Send-Off
We ended the night with a sparkler send off and all was well.
I hope you all enjoyed this ridiculously long post. If you’re thinking of having a Harry Potter themed wedding, please take all the inspiration you need! Thanks for reading, talk to you soon.
What Kelsey Wears 
Well done Kelsey! J.K. Rowling would be proud!