Wedding of Vernon Dursley and Petunia Evans

The wedding of Vernon Dursley and Petunia Evans took place sometime in the last third of 1977. The wedding celebration marked not only the beginning of Vernon and Petunia's marriage, but also Petunia's final estrangement from her sister Lily.

Prelude to the wedding
At some point in the 1970s, Petunia left her home in Cokeworth to pursue a typing course in London. This led to her getting a clerical job, where she met Vernon Dursley, a junior executive whose complete ordinariness she found appealing. Vernon also took a fancy to Petunia, and the two went on a number of dates, which mainly involved Vernon discussing himself and his narrow views of the world.

Vernon proposed to Petunia in his mother's sitting room in late 1977. Petunia gladly accepted, but secretly worried what Vernon would think when he met Lily, who was then in her seventh year at Hogwarts. She eventually told Vernon about Lily being a witch on a date, and while he was shocked, he assured her he would not hold it against her.

The couple's first meeting with Lily and her boyfriend, James Potter, went poorly. Vernon tried to impress James with the car he drove, and when James responded by describing his racing broom, Vernon assumed he must be living on unemployment. James told Vernon about his parents' fortune in Galleons, but since Vernon could not tell whether he was being had on or not, he became angry. The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant and Lily bursting into tears.

Wedding
Petunia and Vernon married by sometime during the last third of 1977.



Fearing that she would be, yet again, overshadowed by her sister, Petunia refused to have Lily as a bridesmade, which upset Lily. Vernon refused to talk to James at the reception, but described him as 'some kind of amateur magician' within his earshot.

Aftermath
By the end of that year, Vernon and Petunia had already settled at 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. Petunia and Vernon's only child, a son named Dudley, was born on 23 June, 1980. The couple took pride in being a "normal" family, unlike Lily, who married James Potter.

Appearances

 * Pottermore