Rebecca and Michael met in Canada at Ottawa Jail Hostel, which was once a jail and still has many historical features. One morning, a mutual friend persuaded Rebecca and Michael to take part in a tour around the Hostel. Rebecca comments, “Michael turned up late to the tour, and I remember being very unimpressed. Somehow, we ended up on a bench in a park chatting for hours until sunset. I remember him being very kind and easy to talk to as we had a lot in common – it felt like I’d known him for ages.” The couple went to Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte on their first date before seeing the new Harry Potter movie at the cinema. After three days together in Ottawa, they parted ways on their Canadian travels but kept in touch. They talked on the phone almost daily before Rebecca flew to Australia to see Michael – the rest is history. Michael popped the question in 2019 at sunset in Clayton Bay, South Australia. The pair had gone away for a long weekend, and Rebecca said “yes” immediately. SETTING THE SCENE Rebecca grew up near Canford School and had always dreamt of tying the knot there – it was the first venue the couple contacted after their engagement. They were disappointed to find out the venue was booked out during autumn and had to look elsewhere for their autumnal-themed wedding. The bride still managed to book a tour of Canford School and knew it was the perfect venue as soon as she walked into the property. She fell in love with the beautiful library with stunning chandeliers, the Great Hall that looks like a cathedral and the fantastic stone archway entrance that fits a princess. The stars must have aligned as the property had a cancellation and could accommodate their October wedding – everything was falling into place! The couple wanted their autumnal theme to be highlighted throughout the venue, so they incorporated seasonal colours and scents. The blooms featured burnt orange sunflowers, orange roses and mango calla lilies. The pair also had many pumpkins as well as brown and orange oak leaves sprinkled throughout the venue. The bride’s bouquet had a red-brown kangaroo paw for Michael and orange freesias for her late nan. The lovebird’s had to include their love for Harry Potter, so the bridesmaids’ bouquets were wrapped in ribbon representing the house colours, and they had a hidden hand-carved wand inside. The boys had mango calla lilies as buttonholes, and Michael’s was wrapped in a page of the Harry Potter books – precisely the page that says “Always”. The flowergirl dropped petals from Rebecca’s late nan’s roses, which they had collected for more than three years. There were four long tables for the wedding breakfast to highlight the house tables from Harry Potter, each dressed in a coloured chiffon runner, manzanita trees sprouting orange orchids and hanging candle lanterns. The top table even featured ‘flying’ keys! The pair gave guests macaron favours themed Bertie Botts Every Flavour Macarons, and loved ones had to guess what flavour they had. Everyone was placed onto their house tables in a sorting ceremony using a wax-sealed envelope that they had to open at the entrance of the Great Hall. The four-tiered cake matched the couple’s Harry Potter and autumnal theme. A hand-carved pumpkin made up the top tier, finished with gold leaf detailing. There was a gold stag and a gold doe on the cake, looking at each other from different levels to represent the love stories in Harry Potter. The pair even hid two tiny gold leaf footprints on the cake to represent the 29 REAL WEDDINGS
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