Whimsical Harry Potter Wedding

From Caitlin Gerres Photography: “Jiney and Stephen love Harry Potter and wanted to weave that into their wedding day in a romantic and whimsical way. The Historic Post Office was transformed with strings of lights, a nod to the floating lights in the Great Hall. The ceremony arch had three Quidditch inspired hoops. The tree branch centerpieces were inspired by the Womping Willow. Place card keys like the ones Harry had to catch in Sorcerer’s Stone and a Golden Snitch necklace hung from the branches at each table. And an owl sat behind the sweetheart table. They served two magical specialty drinks: Butterbeer and a Black Magic. Jiney also chose magical elements for her wedding day look, like her crystal tiara and the exotic protea in the bouquets.”

A whimsical Harry Potter wedding in Hampton, VA

About the Wedding

We wanted the wedding to feel like you stepped into a “magical world.” We talked about subtle ways to incorporate Harry Potter elements into the wedding with our wedding planner as well. The Historic Post Office was recently renovated and provided the elegant industrial/modern type of venue that matched what we had envisioned. The location was also very convenient in Hampton, close to the airports and decent travel distance for family in New York. I also wanted shades of rose gold/copper and mauve colors, brown tufted leather couches, big flowers and dark greenery, nitrogen smoke, hanging lanterns, secret bar menu – things that you don’t see or experience all the time!

Originally, we wanted to skip florals and lighting – but we’re glad that we didn’t because they made a huge impact on the wedding ambiance! My husband actually surprised me with the hanging string lights during the dress rehearsal. I REALLY wanted them, but knew it was a splurge item we both decided to skip, so I walked in confused wondering if they had left the lights up from a previous wedding. We also splurged on guest interactive activities like the photobooth, late night snacks, and nitrogen ice cream bar. It was really important for us to make sure our guests had a memorable and great time! – Jiney

Special Traditions

My family is Korean, so we incorporated some things like Korean appetizers, traditional hanbok attire (my family in Korea had one special made for me) during the reception, and décor elements like dates/chestnuts which represent children in the traditional paebaek ceremony. Some people actually started eating the dates!
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