Themed Weddings

If you’ve ever considered a themed wedding, here is the tale of how Chloe and Cody blended a Harry Potter theme into their day, whilst still celebrating the essence of their love, and creating magical and romantic moments. Read on for inspiration for your own unique themed wedding.

“May your love be as enduring as a golden snitch, and your journey together as magical as a wizard’s adventure”

(excerpt from Chloe and Cody’s wedding ceremony script, Lisa Cockington, 2023)

Background

Chloe and Cody’s Wedding  06.10.2023

These guys had known each other for years, had dated for years, and had been trying to get married for a while.  When they finally set the date – they knew they wanted it to be something low key and fun, like they are. 

With a shared love of Harry Potter – they gave me the brief of creating something that had blended the theme into their ceremony without it being full on.  Ie they weren’t wanting to get dressed up as characters within the book. They also had come up with a number of ideas that they would incorporate into the setting and the style of their wedding.

The starting point was that they both identified with one of the Harry Potter houses – Chloe with Slytherin and Cody with Hufflepuff – so this led to the theme colours of green and yellow.

Whilst looking around at venues, Chloe fell in love with Kuitpo forest (SA) as it felt like the Forbidden Forest, and nestled amongst the trees was Kuitpo Hall, a quaint little stone building that could easily have been Hagrid’s Hut or any of the other old world buildings in the novels. This would set the perfect mood for their wedding

Then Chloe and Cody let their guests know that this day would be a little different by sending invitations they designed as if they were straight from the books – Marauder’s maps with the invitations coming from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.  They didn’t have to say it was themed – it was obvious to all who knew them!

And so the themed setting of their wedding was established, and now all they had to do was add the details.

Their Wedding Day

When I arrived as the celebrant – the most striking thing in Kuitpo Hall was the Groom and Groomsmen’s matching bright yellow sneakers!  It brought an immediate smile to my face, and I’m guessing the guests as well – as their quirky nod to Cody being from HufflePuff.  Everything else within the little stone cottage looked like a traditional wedding, apart from one thing beneath the arbour  – A big brown Sorting Hat!  (More on this later).

Then Chloe arrived, and her traditional white dress had been altered slightly to contain green flowers – signifying her allegiance to Slytherin.

As the bridal party walked down the aisle, to the Harry Potter Theme Music, instead of holding flowers, they each proudly paraded a beautiful hard copy Harry Potter book in front of them!

And so the green and yellow theme had been blended into traditional elements, and  Harry Potter had been announced.

And then for the ceremony.  Harry Potter must have controlled my hands as I wrote the script and love story, using countless references to magic, wizardry, love potions, forbidden forests etc at every opportunity within what was still a traditional script.  But it was enormously fun to see the look on their faces every time the words that they may be have been expecting morphed into harry potter versions.

Their love story was true to who they are, but just told in a setting akin to a Harry Potter book with sentences like these:

…..“Their journey continued with a proposal that would have made the ghosts of Hogwarts applaud with joy.”……

…..”In the end, their love story has been like a magical door hidden deep within the forest, waiting for them to enter and discover its secrets”……

….”Their love, like a well-brewed potion, can and will withstand any magical or muggle challenge”…..

When it came to their vows, we called upon some tried and tested wizardry to decide who would go first.

I raised the Hogwarts Sorting Hat.

I gave it a spin on the understanding that whoever it was pointing towards when it landed, would go first with their vows. Their vows were traditional but of course a little fun and quirky just as they are.  They were beautiful. And in the ring exchange, just a little magic was woven in:

Cody, I give you this ring as a symbol
of my love and devotion, 
just as a wand chooses its wizard, 
my heart has chosen you. 
With this ring, I promise to stand by your side 
through all of life’s adventures and challenges 

As they exited the hall – triumphant in their marriage, there was no doubt in anyone’s minds that this was a beautiful match, and a marriage that was uniquely authentic to who they were as individuals, and it was all the more memorable for it.

Reflections

The feedback from Chloe and Cody was that not only did they love it, but so did their guests.  It was a great way of showcasing their personalities, creating something unique that would be unforgettable to their guests, whilst still honouring the meaningful significance of their love and their union in marriage.

It also was a relatively low cost way of creating special memories, as the focus was on the theme, and not expensive decor or food.  The whole day in fact was low key, relaxed and fun, with a stand up reception right outside the doors of that quaint little stone cottage.

Themed weddings aren’t for everyone, but they are incredibly special for others, and as we see in this one – they don’t have to be overwhelming.  Just some gentle massaging of traditions to give a fresh look to a beautiful wedding ceremony.

Image Credits: Noah’s Way Photography