Wedding Reception Forum

Is this too cheesey for a reception idea??

So the Finance and I are huge harry potter fans. Not to wear we would dress up or anything like that just love the movies and books. We want to add little bits of harry potter to wedding but DO NOT want a harry potter themed wedding. Is it tacky or weird to just have little hints of harry potter stuff around. Ex. we are using the book for the ring bearer to bring the rings down in, but possibly a harry potter cake and little other touches...

Re: Is this too cheesey for a reception idea??

  • manateehuggermanateehugger member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited October 2013
    Here's how I always feel about stuff like this: Will you look back 25 years from now and think you were a bit silly?

    The small touches, or even playing the theme song? Not cheesy. 

    A Harry Potter cake is not a little touch to me. That's cheesy, in my opinion, and belongs at a kid's party. 

    ETA: And I love Harry Potter too. But Harry Potter isn't an integral part of my relationship and future marriage with my fiance, you know?
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  • I think little touches would be nice.  For example, the pen(s) to write in the guest book could look like wands, wedding cake topper, the escort cards could be on a table next to the sorting hat or attached to a key, table names (ie. Slitherin),  Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as favours (you could just use jelly beans but label them as such), signature drinks with names ie. Love Potion (or something less cheesy, I don't know), and/or Harry Potter themed invites (maybe even used a red wax seal).
    Also, I thought this was a nice cake topper:
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/129556192/harry-potter-wedding-cake-topper-harry?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest
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  • PDKH said:
    Here's how I always feel about stuff like this: Will you look back 25 years from now and think you were a bit silly?

    The small touches, or even playing the theme song? Not cheesy. 

    A Harry Potter cake is not a little touch to me. That's cheesy, in my opinion, and belongs at a kid's party. 

    ETA: And I love Harry Potter too. But Harry Potter isn't an integral part of my relationship and future marriage with my fiance, you know?
    I agree.  I'm actually not a fan of much more beyond a cake topper.  I like the feeling or theme of "wedding", not a kid's birthday party.  Whenever I see themed stuff, it just seems childish.
  • edited October 2013
    Touches are cute, not cheesy and reflect who you are.  I think figuring out a recipe for butterbeer would be great.  They serve a non-alcoholic version at Universal Islands of Adventure and it really is delicious.
    Definitely find pens that look like wands, that was a great suggestion.  Also, if you did a candy bar at the end of the evening, you could definitely incorporate a Harry Potter theme. 
  • This is one of those things that is completely opinion-based.  If it is something you really want to do, then by all means, do it.  You will always find people who are going to hate one idea or another.  I was at a wedding not too long ago that featured a candy bar.  I loved it, I thought it was a lot of fun and a great idea.  A few snarky guests were commenting about how it felt like a five year old's birthday party and not a wedding.  Whatever!  There is always someone who complains about something!  You can't please everyone, so my advice is to please yourself.  If you want to add Harry Potter touches at your wedding, go for it.  it's your day, do what makes you and your fiance happy.  For instance, for the cake, you could always go with a traditional wedding cake and surprise your groom with a Groom's Harry Potter themed cake.  Best of both worlds!
  • I think it's a great idea! I'm a fan myself. :)
  • I say if you love it, then go for it. We're big Trekkies, so we're adding in little touches that represent that (without having everyone dressed up as Klingons lol)... i.e. the boutenniers will have communicator badges on them, and we have a cake topper with the groom in a spock uniform, but the bride is still in her wedding dress... I think there are so many ways you can make your wedding YOURS without it being cheesy. Good luck!  

     

  • If it means that much to you and to FI, go for it.  I personally am not a fan of overly themed weddings but I do think that nice touches of things that are important to the couple are nice.  There is a fine line between "a few touches" and your guests thinking they walked into a child's birthday party accidentally though. 
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  • I would steer clear of things that are cheesy/themey - like the cake. I agree with @PDKH that themed cakes remind me of children's bday parties. 

    I think you can add elements of what you love without it being cheesy. Think signature cocktail, music, colors.. you could do colors from the different houses for various tables. So a few tables with scarlet/gold, a few with yellow/black, a couple with blue/bronze, and a few with green/silver. That's a subtle way to do it where the theme is still "wedding", but you've incorporated elements that are meaningful.
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  • I don't think it's cheesy, provided you aren't & FI aren't forcing the officiant to yell, "Accio rings!" when you do your vows :)

    I think incorporating what you love into your wedding is a great idea. If it's HP, go for it. I wouldn't side-eye a HP cake unless it was ugly or poorly made.

    PPs had good suggestions. I love the idea of renaming some cocktails HP-esque things.

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  • If you don't overdo it, I think it'll pass the anti-cheesy muster.

    Having one or two signature cocktails like "butterbear," @southernbelle0915's idea about tables decorated in Hogwarts house colors, and little touches like that all sound nice and un-cheesy.  For a groom's cake, a Harry Potter theme could also pass.  I wouldn't do it with the regular cake though.
  • A friend of mine recently got married, her now husband is a huge Indiana Jones fan so the recessional was the Indiana Jones theme song (one of his groomsmen also slipped him the hat to wear out too). It was perfect, funny and showed some personality without being ridiculous. There's a small moment that you could use to incorporate that part of your personalities, if your guests know you, they will probably really enjoy it.
  • I'm a huge HP fan too, but the FI isn't, so I'm trying to slip in little things that aren't super obvious to non-HP fans. For example, my flowers are made from book pages, so I found some cheap copies of the books and voila...no one knows but me and the few that get close enough to my bouquet to tell. You could use a quill for the guestbook. Also, for seating cards, I'm using random old fashioned keys (like the room of keys in Sorcerer's Stone) tied to a name card.

  • I agree to not over do it, the small touches people will pick up on without you having a "HARRY POTTER WEDDING!!!".

    I also agree about thinking how you would look back on your wedding photos in 30 years.

    Having theme songs used for your recessional or reception entrance (if you are having one) would be nice. My cousin and her now husband are big into video games, particularly classic ones, so they used the Super Mario theme song for their wedding party entrance. 

    Using HP colours is also another option. Butterbeer would be awesome, or Pumpkin Juice! If you are having a candy bar, find some HP candy (Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, chocolate frogs). 


  • doeydo said:
    I think little touches would be nice.  For example, the pen(s) to write in the guest book could look like wands, wedding cake topper, the escort cards could be on a table next to the sorting hat or attached to a key, table names (ie. Slitherin),  Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans as favours (you could just use jelly beans but label them as such), signature drinks with names ie. Love Potion (or something less cheesy, I don't know), and/or Harry Potter themed invites (maybe even used a red wax seal).
    Also, I thought this was a nice cake topper:
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/129556192/harry-potter-wedding-cake-topper-harry?utm_campaign=Share&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_source=Pinterest
    These aren't little touches, though. This entire paragraph sounds like a kid's birthday party, not a wedding. I'm a huge HP fan, but even I would side-eye this a little bit.
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