The only thing better than a Harry Potter wedding is a Harry Potter wedding during the cosmic event of the century.
Which is why we were thrilled to hear that Nashville couple Thomas Brandt and Rachel Sloan will be saying their nerdy vows during the eclipse. They even have a section on their wedding website where you can learn more about the once-in-a-lifetime astronomical occurrence.
Brandt proposed to Sloan at — where else — The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios, Florida, according to Nashville's WKRN. They plan to wed at Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro, TN, an attraction that recreates life in Tennessee from the 1830s to the 1930s. They even had Harry Potter invitations — and her bouquet is made of spells from the series.
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The attire: "Wizard," of course.
"He's very science-oriented. I am more spiritual and so it's a good day that's meaningful for both of us," Sloan told WKRN.
"I got a custom Quidditch ring made for her and I proposed to her in front of Hogwarts, and...that's kind of where the theme came from," said Brandt. "I think of her when I think of Harry Potter."
Brandt and Sloan may be the only couple to plan a Harry Potter eclipse wedding, but they're not the only ones to say "I do" during the eclipse.
According to The Charlotte Observer, couples are lining up to tie the knot in the places with the best eclipse views — the path of totality, stretching in an arc from Oregon to South Carolina — during that approximately two-and-a-half-minute period when the moon will completely cover the sun. The newspaper reported that at least a dozen eclipse weddings are happening in South Carolina alone today.
Connie Turner, a wedding planner and the owner of Blue Jar Barn in Belton, SC, is holding an event called Solar Eclipse of the Heart, in which six couples will exchange vows in an open field — five will marry, and one will renew their vows.
"I hear a solar eclipse is beyond tranquil," Turner told the Observer. "Everything goes silent as you stand there, in the dark, watching. What a moment to be with the person you love, exchanging vows. They will kiss, put on their special glasses, turn, and watch the eclipse."
Moon Pies will be served.