EVENT DESIGN: "Harry Potter Great Hall" Theme
Harry Potter Great Hall Event Theme
✅ If you’re curious (or just pressed for time), click here for all the products we used to create this Harry Potter Great Hall themed event.
Theme:
Today, I’m sharing the makings of this magical, “Harry Potter” inspired event! This theme can be used as the base for lots of different events.
This event design was inspired by my client’s love of the Harry Potter book series. She used this love in the planning of her wedding proposal to her girlfriend.
She wanted the proposal to feel whimsical, lighthearted, romantic and personal.
Fortunately, the Great Room here at Content has a very similar feel to the Great Hall from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With a few strategic additions, we were able to transform the space into this couple’s literary dream-come-true.
The farm table was set for an intimate dinner for 2, using black matte finish dishware and copper chargers. Brass, amber, green and gold were used as a recurring color palate.
LITERARY REFERENCES:
All of the décor was inspired by a character or literary reference in the Harry Potter series. The color pallet was green and gold; a direct reflection of the engagement ring.
Hogwarts
To achieve the feeling of stepping into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry we hung the school banners from each of the windows and the school banner from the center of the room.
I also used a variety of old suitcases and vintage trucks piled up near the entrance to emulate Harry’s travel on the Hogwarts Express to school.
Goblet of Fire
This was actually a last minute addition to the “Witch Mantel” but I used a vintage, brass urn as the base and added a artificial, silk fire lamp inside.
If you don’t have a brass vessel this large, you can simply spray paint any vase with metallic paint to achieve a similar look.
Golden Snitch
I am obsessed with these adorable “Golden Snitch” desserts!
The snitch wings were purchased premade, and I used a tiny dab of glue with my favorite cordless hot glue gun to secure them to the Rocher candies.
Letters Flying Out of Chimney
To achieve this detail, we turned to Etsy for custom Hogwarts envelopes customized with the proposal details.
The envelope template was customizable, printed at our local print shop and included standard sticker “wax seals”.
We again used monofilament and a random pattern of envelopes which appear to be shooting out of the chimney.
“Always”
I have to admit, I did not understand the Harry Potter “Always” reference until it was explained to me and researched more here. With the new found information, I created a custom quote which was used on velum lined lanterns printed with the quote as well as photos of the couple.
Floating Candles
By far, one of the most time consuming projects of this event were the floating candles. Though time consuming, I will say, they made the most overall impact on the space and added a mystical feeling to the room.
Not only did the research for the appropriate LED candle take quit a bit of research, but stringing each candle and hanging one-by-one was a chore.
To achieve the look, tie a simple knot around the base of the bulb using a thin monofilament and hang the candle from the ceiling.
Even better, these candles come with a remote control so once the candles have been manually turned on, you can use the remote (from the safety of the ground) to turn them all on/off at the same time!
Don’t forget the batteries. We opted for white so they wouldn’t be seen through the plastic candle casing.
For this project, we used over 150 AAA batteries for we suggest buying in bulk!
Hedwig
No Harry Potter event would be complete without Hedwig, Harry’s pet snowy owl.
To achieve this look, I used a plush Hedwig snowy owl and a black metal hamper, turned upside-down and over onto Hedwig to emulate a cage.
If you’re going to replicate my DIY, be sure to find a basket without handles (or with handles that fold out of the way) so the “cage” can sit flush.
Here’s a few more photos of the space.
What do you think? Ready to throw a Harry Potter themed party of your own? Comment below with your favorite HP reference!
