How could I resist the temptation of sharing a round up post about my trip to the Harry Potter studios?

So many people have been so it seems a little ludicris to share the same photos everyone will see and share the magic that maybe some never want revealed, so look away now if you're that someone! I'm not sharing many photos because the magic behind my visit was down to the fact that it all felt like a discovery, so I want to leave some of that for you to experience yourselves! But, I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the studios and took so many photos (my phone never stopped reminding me it was full!) that I've only just had the chance to go rifling through them and pick out my favourites to print and share.

We booked our tickets months ago at my sister's request, organising it around the time that ensured we'd see Hogwarts in the snow, and after visiting the German Market two weekends before it just topped up that Christmassy feeling - so what if it's November (it's pretty much over now anyway!).

It gave us the chance to combine a weekend in Watford away from work and home to celebrate my boyfriend and I's anniversary and catch up with my mum, sister and niece. Whilst it was all very fleeting considering how infrequently I see them it was nice to spend an evening at a lovely restaurant catching up whilst chowing down on Italian food and to spend the next day geeking out over Harry Potter.

The first thing I noticed about the whole set was how much smaller it all felt. Your first step onto the set of Harry Potter is the great hall where everything looks fantastic but the size of the room in general didn't feel as magnificent as it looked in the films - which is obviously to be expected! Although, that may be just due to all the other Potter fans getting in the way! I loved the fact that we were standing in this hall though, and all the decorations that had been put in place for Christmas looked amazing. 

As we wondered through we got to see so many costumes - from the everyday robes to some of the most memorable Yule Ball outfits, it made me want to do some dress making of my own, it's just a shame I'm not talented in that department! Some of the hair and make up was also on show and it was just a glimpse of what went into creating the characters that we see on screen. After popping to the outdoor part of the tour you go beyond hair and make up and see how our beloved Dobby was created as well as all those in Gringotts, the mandrakes as well as some of the magnificent things under the care of our Magical Creatures professor, Hagrid - oh and also, the man himself makes an appearance here too (in model and mechanical form!). On screen I assumed most of what I saw was just CGI and never really there but they don't mess about when it comes to mechanically bringing their creatures to life! On that note, can anyone get me a pet Hippogriff? I can deal with it being mechanical, less needy.

As I said, I don't want to spoil every part of the tour for anyone who has booked to go already or is hoping to go in the future, but I do feel the desire to share the amazing photos of the model of Hogwarts in the snow...so look away now if you want this part of the tour preserved for you! In my opinion, the photos don't do it justice!

One thing I would like to moan about is the price of the merchandise. It would have been nice to take some little bits home and it wasn't that I couldn't afford to buy things, it was just that I wasn't willing to part with my money. 

Enough of that though! Overall, I'd highly recommend the tour. We spent a lot of money on the weekend in general considering the fact we're trying to save up, but in all fairness it was worth it to spend some time with my family and experience the magic that we all love so very much! Even if I was too stubborn to spend money and bring a chocolate wand home, I'll still have all the memories from visiting the studios.

If you're off to the studios, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you do want a peak of more photos from the tour, check out my Instagram!