I remember the first time I saw a stack of Harry Potter books at a Borders bookstore – I was super skeptical, having been raised a LOTR and Star Wars from birth thanks to my father. I was gifted the first of the series, and immediately understood what the hype was about; I was absolutely sucked in. The best part, is that I hooked my dad on the HP train right along with me. So when Olivia reached out to me because she had seen our awesome Star Wars wedding that we had captured last year, and casually dropped the bomb that she and her husband, who had always wanted a Harry Potter themed wedding, were planning a Hogwarts vow renewal at Hogwarts in Universal, and then asked would I come document the day and capture their portraits all around the theme park and into Diagon Alley, I basically fell out of my chair.
I could tell from all of our chats together that Olivia and Justin’s love ran deep, and was the kind that make authors write love stories that have grown women sobbing like babies. When the couple met me at the entrance, along with their closest people, it was visible that everyone was there because they, too, believed in the love that bonded these two souls together. As the couple exchanged tearful, heartfelt, and at times hilarious vows, it truly felt as though we had the entire park to ourselves (we didn’t).
I have never enjoyed the park as much as I did that day, living it through the eyes of a couple who bonded with the stories within the Harry Potter series, gleefully capturing the wands they chose, and truly, the joy that was spending the day exploring a place you love, with a person you love. Plus, there’s nothing more amazing than working with a couple who are down for PDA in all kinds of public places, and who are so in love they totally forget that we are surrounded by thousands of people.
Olivia and Justin, thank you for taking us along on your love story and allowing us to capture your beautiful Hogwarts vow renewal, it was absolutely beautiful.
Makeup provided by: Sinful Makeup Artistry
One Comment
One mistake you made. They didn’t choose their wands. "The wand chooses the wizard Mr. Potter"