Daily Times

A bride and groom ensured they had a spellbinding day with a Harry Potter-themed wedding that would be the envy of Hermiones everywhere.

Magic has been in the air for novelist and screenwriter JK Rowling fans Cassie and Lewis Byrom since they got engaged last year in Diagon Alley in Harry Potter World in Orlando, Florida.

They then spent a whole year creating a truly magical day no guest would forget.

Before the extravagant ceremony, Cassie had a tattoo done of the Deathly Hallows while Lewis had one of the Dark Mark, the symbol of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Each of the 130 guests received wands with their invites welcoming them to witness the making of the ‘unbreakable vow’.

Cassie wore a red garter decorated with the Hogwarts coat of arms, while her and her bridesmaids even carried paper bouquets made from more than 20 cut-up novels.

The rings were presented by the best man on a copy of the Half Blood Prince and were inscribed ‘Always’ – Severus Snape’s pledge to Harry’s mum, Lily.

And Cassie’s niece, Leigha, 18, performed a reading from The Order Of The Phoenix.

As if that wasn’t enough, the bridal party each wore Golden Snitch bracelets, and the couple acted out the books final battle between Harry and Voldemort with wands for amazing photos.

The newlyweds then transformed the grand Midland Hotel in Manchester into their very own Great Hall for their reception.

Their cake was topped with Lego figurines of Lord Voldemort and Cassie’s favourite character Bellatrix Lestrange – and the seating plan was arranged by the Sorting Hat.

Each place setting had a Golden Snitch – made from Ferrero Rochers with wings – and each table displayed a centre piece made from potions books, spells and horcruxes.

Wanted posters from the Ministry of Magic were hung around the hall with the faces of the bride and groom and their guests.

And of course the happy couple had 11 tables – named after the novels and the school houses of Gryffendor, Slytherin, HufflePuff and Ravenclaw – with the top table displaying the each of the house crests.

Cassie, 31, a finance worker from Stockport, said, “It was a mammoth undertaking. It was everything I wanted. It was the most magical wedding imaginable. We sifted through car boots, discount stores and second-hand shops every weekend for three months looking for Harry Potter paraphernalia. We stayed up until 3am most nights putting wings on Ferrero Rochers and searching eBay.co.uk for trinkets. The hotel staff was arguing over who was going to work that night – it was really lovely.”

And now the stress of planning such an extravagant wedding is finally over, Cassie has gone back to where
it all began… and is reading the Philosopher’s Stone again!