We’re all familiar with what makes a wedding a wedding. Beautiful bouquets, heartfelt speeches, a three-tiered cake, a lightsaber photoshoot... Wait, what?
Yes, for some their big day is made special not just by celebrating with loved ones, but by being surrounded by the kitschiest nods to their favourite magical or fantasy franchise.
I’m talking Storm Tropper cufflinks, Hogwarts house jello shots and even a seating plan arranged by your literary preference; left for Potter fans, right for Tolkein die-hards. I’ve become obsessed with looking for examples online from a whole medley of fandoms; Doctor Who, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Disney.
My main source for these shows of extreme geekiness is, of course, Pinterest. Where else would I find wedding inspiration that somehow combines the sepia filter and plastic tat? For better or worse, Pinterest has become the home of the do-it-yourself wedding planner. It’s the premier place where today’s brides and grooms can get some serious inspiration for even the smallest detail of their big day.
According to a study commissioned by Pinterest in 2017, 40 million people use the site for wedding planning every year, with users saving nearly 900 million pins about weddings and making 378 million wedding-related searches every year.
You would be forgiven for thinking I stumbled on these wedding ideas because I, myself, am planning a wedding. I’m not. I’m just obsessed with the brilliant ways that these brides and grooms manage to squeeze every aspect of their favourite franchises into their nuptials.
There’s not one quote, piece of iconography or bit of merchandise left untouched by these rabid fandoms. They really have thought of everything. The most disturbing example of this are the ideas that ram multiple superheros, wizards and jedis down your throat. Cue the Thor, Batman, Deadpool, Hedwig, Tardis, Death Star, R2-D2, Millennium Falcon-themed cake.
That’s really where my love for these inventive fandoms starts to wane – when couples pick out quotes and props from multiple franchises and create a whole new Wedding Cinematic Universe. My inner nerd is screaming, “SPIDER-MAN DOES NOT BELONG ON A CAKE WITH BATMAN.”
Some fandoms are more prone to themed weddings than others – and the Harry Potter wedding has become an industry in its own right. When J.K. Rowling started writing about the Boy Who Lived, I doubt she imagined her words adorning wedding invites, centrepieces and even high heels.
The incredible merchandising opportunities of the boy wizard haven’t escaped the attention of the wedding industry. Searching for ‘Harry Potter Wedding’ ideas on Pinterest will often lead you to full-on listicles you can click through to visit various indistinguishable wedding websites. Other posts take you directly to Etsy shops chock full of corny but also rather wholesome nods to the Potter franchise.
Sadly I’ve never had the pleasure of going to one of these weddings of extreme nerdiness myself – I would truly love to see a Sonic Screwdriver holding together a bouquet of flowers or a Daenerys Targaryen-inspired up-do in the flesh.
Of course, everyone deserves to have exactly what they want on their big day, and there’s a lot to love about the combination of these corny tributes and the sanctity of marriage – a match made in heaven. But while I totally understand the appeal of surrounding yourself with odds and ends that remind you of your favourite show (just ask my Captain America figurine), but I was struggling to understand why you’d want them at your wedding.
Then I read an interview with newlyweds Anna Muehlenhaupt and Russell Moore, who say their wedding wouldn’t have been quite the same without the Harry Potter decorations and guests in fancy dress inspired by the Wizarding World. Speaking to INSIDER in 2019, Muehlenhaupt said she was mindful of keeping the celebration subtle. "I didn't want it to look like a children's birthday party, but I also didn't want it to look like including the Harry Potter-esque touches were an afterthought," she said.
The couple spent months with friends and family creating the most detailed of tributes to their favourite franchise. From centrepiece flowers made out of pages from Rowling’s books, to ‘floating’ candles hanging above their guests at the reception; these two went above and beyond the usual cheesy photo op and created an experience even the biggest Potter grouches could appreciate.
But what really struck me was the couple’s reasoning behind the Hogwarts-themed wedding. Muehlenhaupt said that decorating with the Boy Wizard in mind actually helped the couple “find the joy in planning” that they initially didn’t experience. And I suppose that’s what it’s all about. These geeky weddings might seem weird to outsiders like me, but if planning a wedding this way brings couples closer together, what’s not to love?
Obsessions is a regular column in which WIRED staffers share their current internet preoccupations. Read about our obsession with RuPaul's Drag Race here.
Hollie Wong is WIRED's social media editor. She tweets from @HollieWong
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
