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Couple plans wedding, then Harry Potter
2007-07-19
One Oregon couple's wedding night will be especially magical. Courtney Lanahan and Shawn Gordon of Clackamas are heading straight from their wedding reception Friday to a bookstore to get the final Harry Potter book. The book's official release date is Saturday but many stores will be hosting midnight events to celebrate the debut of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." The wedding starts at 7. The reception will follow. And at 11:30 the limo will whisk the new Mr. and Mrs. Gordon away -- to the mall. "It's the best wedding present," Lanahan said. The couple didn't realize when they set their wedding date that they'd be backing up against the book's release date. Harry Potter fan Lanahan, 23, and her sister started talking after they realized the conflict. Her sister suggested the couple stop at the bookstore on the way to the hotel, but Lanahan was unsure -- her fiancee is not a Potter fan. She mentioned it to him anyhow but thought nothing would come of it. On the sly, Gordon, 24, decided to surprise his new bride and contacted the Barnes & Noble at Clackamas Town Center that she frequents. But after realizing the amount of planning involved, he decided to let her in on the surprise. The Barnes & Noble staff were thrilled to host the happy couple, said Page Jordan, community relations manager for the store. The couple will miss the pre-release activities and probably won't win the costume contest when they show up in their wedding attire. But as a wedding gift, the store will get them the first spot in line. Lanahan, an elementary school teacher working as a substitute, worried that the kids and parents would be mad. She tries to stay on top of children's literature and knows how much this book means to everyone. But the store said it will make a big announcement to make sure there are no sore feelings. She said they aren't leaving for their honeymoon until a week after the wedding so she has that time to finish the book.
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