Sarah McCalla and RJ Johnsen didn't actually get married at Hogwarts Academy, home to Harry, Hermione et al., but since this is the summer of the last film, and since St. Albans School has been open for a century now and has that long communal table look down pat, it almost feels like they did.
RJ is the baseball coach at St. Albans, where instruction began way back in 1909. (Abner Doubleday would have been dead for only ten years by that point!) Sarah is a teacher as well. And these guys are both perfectly suited for their chosen paths, working with young people. They both laugh an inordinate amount, which is always a healthy thing, and both have the perfect demeanor for kids.
And they chose to hold their wedding right where they now reside. The ceremony was in the tiny St. Albans chapel and their reception was held in the dining room at the school. It was a wise choice. Hotel ballrooms may date back a decade or so but it's virtually impossible to step foot into St. Albans and not be swept away by the history. The dining room, besides looking like it could be a suitable home for the houses of Gryffindor and Slytherin, oozes with the memory of students from long ago, their names each etched upon wooden plaques that line the walls. Maybe it's the style of painting--the "font", if you will--but looking at each name makes one wonder where those students are today. Students from the 40's, the 50's, the Vietnam era--they're all there on the wall.
Thirty years from now, when Sarah and RJ's children might be getting married, they can come back to St. Albans and tour the place where mom and dad were wed. And everything will be exactly as it is today, just a lot more names on the walls. You have to love a place like that.
Thirty years is a long time. Sarah and RJ are just going on one month or marriage this week and becasue of that, I'm going to cut things short today. We're getting a little backed up here at Matt Mendelsohn World Headquarters and I know these guys want to see some pictures. So rather than me droning on, I'll give you some pics instead.
On a personal note, we're going to be on vacation for the next two weeks, so if I don't get back to your emails and phone calls right away, be patient. Enjoy the last throes of summer!
Matt