Hello Friends!
Today I am so excited to share a very special Harry Potter wedding day!
Growing up my cat’s name was Cho Chang and my dog’s was Lily Potter. My family went to midnight Harry Potter movie premieres and I frequently rocked my wizarding robes around my childhood home. In college, I took an english class about Harry Potter and aced it, duh. My freshman dorm room was Harry Potter themed!
Last year I photographed a wedding in the UK. On my last day there, my intern and I went on a Harry Potter tour around London. I GEEKED OUT. I took way too many pictures and it turned into one of my favorite 2018 memories.
When Rebekah and Justin asked me to capture their Harry Potter wedding at Cloisters Castle I obviously did a happy dance! Their wedding had a Honeydukes candy bar, two REAL owls, and a patronus cake topper! They first started bonding because of their mutual love for Harry Potter. As a result, Rebekah and Justin got engaged at Harry Potter World!
Here is their story:
“We began like most couples do, online and discussing the intricacies of Snape’s pivotal role in Harry Potter (of course). Though we had begun to build a strong bond between each other, the timing was simply not right and life lead us both in different directions before we could really explore our relationship any further. But thanks to the encouragement of a good friend, and maybe a drink or two, we struck up conversation a year later, half a world away from each other, and finally made those long-awaited plans to meet up.
When we heard that Harry Potter World in Universal was going to have a Christmas celebration, we knew instantly that we were going. I [Justin] spent the months leading up to it planning the proposal and designing the ring, all the while endeavoring to keep it a secret. When the trip finally came around, we left for Florida with a group of close friends in tow, and a note in my bag asking TSA to not open the ring box in front of us.
Though my original plan for the proposal did not work out, we still found a lovely spot in front of the Hogwarts castle for me to fumble with my words and finally say what I had been waiting all year to say.
I’ll never forget Rebekah’s initial response: “No, no, no, no, no!” The sheer surprise and number of people around kicked in a sort-of fight-or-flight response. After realizing what she had said, her response immediately became a “Yes!” (And yes, this all played out while we were wearing our house robes.)
Harry Potter was what brought us together initially, and has been a constant source of love and entertainment for us that we both get to obsess over together. It only made sense that our next chapter in life was built around that same theme, and thus we began planning for our Harry Potter wedding.”
Here are some of my favorite images from Justin and Rebekah’s Harry Potter wedding day:
Photography: Kate Ann Photography
Photography Assistance and Invitation Suite Styling: Sarah Patarini
David La
Cassy Aust
