Aug 14
45 Harry Potter-Themed Wedding Ideas
By Wedding Spot
Do you solemnly swear that you’re up to planning a Harry Potter wedding? Well, you’re in luck! This post is full of Harry Potter-themed wedding ideas and inspiration for ways to incorporate the magical book and movie series into your special day. Read on for tips about venues, decor, invitations, and more to set the mood and charm your guests with the wonderful world of Harry Potter.
Explore 45 of our favorite Harry Potter-themed wedding ideas:
Harry Potter blends whimsical charm with quirky, fun aspects to create a unique world where books come alive and owls deliver mail. Take a step into Harry Potter’s wondrous world of witches and wizardry with these ideas.
Venues perfect for a Harry Potter-themed wedding
Location: Tampa, Florida
If you want to recreate various sets from Harry Potter all in one venue, the Event Factory has it all – a castle room for Hogwarts looks, an Enchanted Forest room to serve as the Forbidden Forest, and a ballroom that mimics the Great Hall of Hogwarts. The Courtyard Chapel calls to mind the architecture of the Hogwarts castle with stone archways and lancet windows.
Location: Bandon, Oregon
For a venue that channels the cliffside cave vibes from the Half-Blood Prince, look no further than this private estate perched right on the rugged coastline of the Pacific. The estate offers options for a beachfront or cliffside ceremony, and indoor areas with floor-to-ceiling windows to provide panoramic ocean views.
3. The German Society of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
If you’re having a Harry Potter-themed wedding, this probably means you like books. What better place to get married than in a library? But it’s not just any library — The Joseph Horner Memorial Library is two stories with galleried bookcases, antique furniture, and wood paneling. Move to the Auditorium for the reception, with large windows and plenty of room for dancing.
Find the perfect venue for your Harry Potter-themed wedding!
Get Started Free4. Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC
Location: Washington, DC
Stepping through the doors of this hotel in DC’s Penn Quarter makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time, with its blend of historic architecture and modern elegance. The Paris Ballroom, with its expansive skylight, Roman-style columns, and vaulted ceilings is a modern take on the Hogwarts Great Hall. The grand and ornate staircases offer the perfect place for a photo opp.
Location: Claremont, California
This historic site is nestled in the hilly contours of the San Gabriel Mountains. For a serene and whimsical ceremony or reception area, the Courtyard Gazebo is framed by a collection of trees wrapped in twinkle lights. A pathway winds through a grove of olive trees that evokes Harry Potter’s Forbidden Forest and makes for a dramatic photo backdrop.
Location: Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania
Of this list, this venue looks the most like Hogwarts from the outside, with the dramatic, conical tower. With terraces, balconies, expansive grounds and gardens, a grand staircase, and vaulted halls and ceilings, this historic private estate is perfect for a magical wedding.
Location: Shelby, Alabama
Customize this castle to make your very own Hogwarts – it even has a moat, a drawbridge, suits of armor, and a lake like the Black Lake of Harry Potter. The ballroom is adorned with chandeliers, high ceilings, and a grand stone fireplace – perfect for your own personal Great Hall.
Harry Potter-themed wedding decorations
8. Incorporate the four different house colors of red, gold, green, and blue with Hogwarts banners, tablecloths, flowers, or lights.
9. Wear the scarves of your favorite Hogwarts houses during your wedding photoshoot.
10. Place a decorative Mirror of Erised so your guests can gaze into it and find what they most desire.
11. At the entrance to the reception, have a Pensieve with dry ice to mimic the misty memories floating on its surface.
12. Like the Great Hall of Hogwarts, hang DIY “floating” candles from the ceiling to make it look like they’re magically suspended in the air.
13. Incorporate lanterns like the ones used at Hogwarts on the reception tables and around the ceremony space.
14. If your ceremony or reception space has a fireplace, put a pot of Floo Powder beside it for quick transportation of your guest witches and wizards.
15. Make spellbook centerpieces by making your own book jacket or book cover and putting it over books you already own. Add some favorite titles like A History of Magic and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
16. Hang golden snitches around the reception area, or make winged keys to recreate the scene from the Sorcerer’s Stone.
17. Shake off your muggle status and wear a sash for a bridal party photo shoot that says “From Muggle to Mrs.” Or “I found my keeper.”
18. For his and hers chair hangers, try a set that quotes the Deathly Hallows: “After all this time? Always.”
19. A decorative picture that reads, “She’s a catch, he’s a keeper” is a way to infuse Quidditch – and puns – into the décor.
Reception ideas for your Harry Potter-themed wedding
20. Put a talking Sorting Hat on a table at the entry and have your guests’ place cards sorted into the four houses of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, and seat them at themed tables accordingly.
21. Name the tables for different Hogwarts magic classes or have themed centerpieces.
22. Put your name in the Goblet of Fire to seal your Unbreakable Vow with your beloved.
23. For a life-sized game of Wizard’s Chess like in the first Harry Potter book, get a giant lawn chess game or an oversized indoor chess set.
24. Try your hand at Quidditch cornhole – you can DIY or have it custom made.
25. Invite the catering staff to join in on the fun with costumes like Hogwarts school robes or the outfits of their favorite characters.
26. Name the food tables after different popular locations in Harry Potter’s world – The Burrow for the hors d’oeuvres table, the Room of Requirement for the gifts table, Honeydukes for the sweets table, the Three Broomsticks and the Leaky Cauldron for drinks and food.
27. Have themed snacks and desserts like butterbeer, treacle tart, and pumpkin pasties.
28. Serve pre-mixed drinks in a cauldron and add dry ice for a misty effect.
29. Offer signature cocktails named after potions – Felix Felicis for a champagne toast (and good luck), Amortentia, Polyjuice potion, and Veritaserum, to name a few.
30. Have a DIY cocktail table and let your guests mix their own potions, with different liquors and magical mixers. Buy your own bottles and use wizard-themed labels for ingredients like wolfsbane, gillyweed, phoenix tears, and other magical ingredients.
31. Stock your photo booth with Harry Potter-inspired props like round glasses, cloaks, scarves, a stuffed Hedwig, broomsticks, and wands.
32. Extend the theme to your wedding favors with things like chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, wands, and house pins.
33. For a bridal party gift, give them a flask to store their Polyjuice potion.
34. Give your guests glowing wands to send you and your partner off with magical flair.
Dress ideas for your Harry Potter wedding theme
35. This ballgown with black lace is reminiscent of Fleur Delacour’s peacock wedding dress.
36. For something like Hermione Granger’s Yule Ball dress, try this romantic ruffled gown – it even comes in blush.
37. A black tulle ballgown for a more mysterious, Bellatrix Lestrange vibe.
38. This long sleeve dress is simple and elegant, like Cho Chang’s from the Yule Ball.
39. This tiered dress with lace detail is more than a step up from even the fanciest Hogwarts dress robes.
Harry Potter-themed wedding invitations
40. Harry Potter is full of old-fashioned communication and handwritten letters. Fashion each invitation like a Hogwarts acceptance letter.
41. Make your invitations the eye-catching bright red of a Howler.
42. For a sense of adventure, turn each invitation into the Marauder’s Map.
43. Put your wedding in the headlines with a Daily Prophet-style save the date.
44. Include owls into the invitation theme with these owl post stamps.
45. For thank-you’s, customize this Marauder’s Map card to say, “Wedding Managed.”
Use these Harry Potter-themed wedding ideas as inspiration for your big day!
No matter what theme you ultimately choose for your wedding, we have plenty of additional suggestions to spark new ideas. If you want to emulate the Yule Ball, explore options for your wedding with these Christmas wedding ideas. If you need more ideas for how to incorporate your own magical skills into your special day, check out this list of DIY wedding table decorations.
In addition to Harry Potter, we also have posts with Game of Thrones-themed wedding ideas, Twilight-themed wedding ideas, and a bunch of other unique wedding themes you have to see!
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Wedding Spot
The Wedding Spot blog is designed to help couples navigate every step of the wedding planning journey. From before the engagement to after you say “I do,” our goal is to give you the tips, ideas, and inspiration to prepare for your big day — and all that comes with it.