For Roshna, getting married to someone who was not a Potterhead was unthinkable. But then she met and fell in love with Arun Prakash, who hasn’t read any of the books. But he more than made up for it when he got the entire story from her and watched all the movies.
But Roshna received the ultimate surprise on the day of their sangeet – Arun transformed the venue to a Harry Potter-themed extravaganza.
The ‘Roshna weds Arun’ notice was tastefully exchanged for this board, with references only a Potterhead would understand.
There were flying keys, snitches, and candles which hung from the ceiling.
‘Have you seen this wizard?’ props, right out of Azkaban.
The Sorting Hat had a place too.
So did a friendly wizarding duel.
And yes, Arthur Weasley’s ingenious flying car
Those are just some of the things that made the couple’s sangeet venue a Potterhead paradise.
But how did this happen? For that, let’s wind the Time Turner back to how Arun and Roshna met.
Arun is a 27-year-old software developer who says he has read all but one novel in his life. Roshna is a 24-year-old software engineer who calls herself a Potter ‘fanatic’.
Both of them are originally from Chennai and met two years ago. Arun had moved from Los Angeles to Chicago for an internship and Roshna was doing her Masters in Computer Science. They began talking on Facebook and connected almost instantly.
“His sense of humour and happy personality was an instant attraction for me,” Roshna says. The two began dating a few months later.
When they decided to get married, Arun wanted to surprise his fiancée with a Harry Potter-themed sangeet. “This was the only reason I had her tell me the entire story, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it,” Arun admits. However, Arun grew to love Harry Potter too, and soon, had a favourite character – Severus Snape!
Then came the more difficult task – finding a way to bring the theme to life. Given that the couple was based in the US and the wedding was to happen in Chennai in October 2017, Arun had some trouble finding the resources. But with the help of Elegant Weddings, a Bengaluru-based service, and help from his family back in Chennai, he was finally able to pull it off.
The first inkling Roshna got of the Harry Potter theme was on October 27, the day of the sangeet. She entered the hall and saw that their names written in what is popularly called the Harry Potter font. She rushed in and once she saw what the theme was, her excitement knew no bounds.
“The 11-year-old in me was screaming with joy! The attention to detail was magnificent,” she gushes. “I only wish I could freeze time so I could explore everything. I was very touched by the effort he put into planning it all the while he was in another country. It must have been a humongous task!”
Roshna is not wrong about the attention to detail at the venue. There was a statue of Dobby, and even Ollivanders’ wand shop got a place in the ensemble.
Not only did the washrooms have Moaning Myrtle, the cupcakes at the venue were artistically ‘made’ by house elves.
And there were little corked bottles of potions like Amortentia, Felix Felicis and the Draught of Living Death too!
Arun also went on to improvise a little with this throne, made of wands.
Looks familiar, doesn’t it? That’s because it resembles the Iron throne from Game of Thrones, which is loved by Arun and Roshna both.
And there HAD to be an ‘Always’ reference, which found place on their wedding cake.
One of Arun’s favourite moments from their unconventional sangeet was waltzing with Roshna – much like Harry, Ron and Hermione did with their dates at the Yule Ball in the fourth instalment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Arun says he even took a few lessons in waltz for the same.
For Roshna, it was all about taking pictures with the props and exploring the mini-Harry Potter world that was created for her. “I almost forgot it was my sangeet! It was like I’d been transported to a film set!” she exclaims. “Aside from exploring the decor and the theme, my favourite moment was when Arun sang a fusion of romantic songs, including some of my favorites.”
While this definitely brought Arun and Roshna closer, she says that that Harry Potter-themed sangeet was merely the icing on the cake for them.
“I’m pretty sure he spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about this and planning for this. Some of these qualities were actually what made me fall for him in the first place because I’m not a planner or surprise-giver myself. But, even otherwise, I would have happily married him sitting on our couch in our living room,” she smiles.
