Creative Wedding Theme Idea: Harry Potter
Every now and then I photograph a creative wedding that has a really strong theme. Melissa and Mike’s Harry Potter-theme wedding was so amazing to photograph, and apart from the most cold, windy day ever, their wedding was THE party of their lifetime that they dreamed of and saw coming into fruition. Because it’s not easy to plan a DIY wedding, I wanted to feature this wedding on my blog to show how dreams can come true, and share some tips for photographing a Harry Potter themed wedding.
A Harry Potter Theme Wedding Starts with the Invitation
I’m in love with the invitations that Melissa made, and words like “invite you to witness the unbreakable vow” and replying with “Owl Post”! With the wax seal, it is perfect!
And of course, here are some of the cute owls of the wedding.
We were all enchanted with the cake of Golden Snitches, and table of Honeydukes, chocolate frogs, more golden snitches and the like!
Keeping the Harry Potter theme in mind while photographing the entire wedding
A lot of times, photographers will photograph a wedding with a signature style or “look” in mind. For me, I love the “true to life” look in images, so while photographing Melissa and Mike’s wedding, I kept this in the back of my mind, while pushing my creative eye towards anything that connects with Harry Potter colors, vibe, darkness, etc. This is the biggest piece of advice to give to any photographer who is photographing a wedding with a strong Harry Potter theme. It would be a big bummer if I created images to have a bright and airy look for a wedding that has a darker, moody, and almost fantasy vibe.
Here’s an example for Melissa and Mike’s first look and portraits at Elizabeth Park in Hartford, CT. When most people would want to find a place near some flowers or a bright open area for photos, I looked for a spot with great lighting that would produce the darker forest green, maroon, brown, gold-ish colors in the background. If you know me well, you know that I’m obsessed with portraits in a hay field or wildflowers. But, for Melissa and Mike’s wedding it was more important for me to create images with backgrounds that are consistent with the awesome Harry Potter wedding theme.
Flowers Made from Harry Potter Books
Mike’s boutonniere was handmade by Melissa, made out of a Harry Potter book and it complemented Melissa’s wedding attire and bouquet as well!
Another example of photographing with the Harry Potter theme in mind, was always searching for opportunities for unique lighting. When I met up with Melissa, Mike, and their dog Budnar at their home for the review of engagement session images, I quickly learned that capturing images with some unique lighting situations in the church was important. They expressed how they wanted to somehow mimic the ambiance and look of the Great Hall with the all the floating candles. During the ceremony, I saw the color from the stained glass window for a brief few seconds while the sun was out, and I caught this shot, exposing for the stained glass light. Such a unique space, but not enough time to play with different looks for portraits!!! But can you see that those church lights look like floating candles?
And of course, here’s a shot of what the church really looked like inside!
It’s all in the Harry Potter details
What Harry Potter wedding is complete without wands? Melissa and Mike had a specific wand for each guest. And of course, really cool ring shots with their wands.
Whomping Willows as Centerpieces for a Harry Potter Wedding
For all anyone who is planning a Harry Potter theme wedding, prepare to get inspired by these Whomping Willows as the table centerpieces to create the ambiance and vibe of this reception room. You can’t buy these exact tree centerpieces, because my client Melissa crafted these by hand. It takes a lot of time to make these items by hand, so make sure you set aside a lot of crafting time with some Harry Potter themed music as you design your Whomping Willows!
These are some of my top favorite shots from Melissa and Mike’s really fun reception. I loved how Melissa changed into a gorgeous emerald green velvet dress and added the gold hairpiece for a new, fresh look for the wedding.
It was such a thrill for all the wedding guests to be blown away by Melissa dancing with her dad to Bruno Mars’ song 24K Gold!
