A Harry Potter-mad wife has branded her man Britain’s most romantic hubby after he surprised her with an £800 Valentine’s Day invite to dine in the Great Hall - with the invitation delivered by a real-life owl.
Brett Camborne-Paynter grabbed tickets to the sold-out Warner Bros. Studio Tour dinner for his Potterhead wife Stef Camborne-Paynter and in doing so he has set the valentines bar high for every bloke in Britain.
For the authentic Potter experience the 45-year-old concocted a plan to give the mum-of-two the full magical Harry Potter experience on her 46th birthday by having it delivered by 'Owl Post'.
Brett had a handwritten scroll delivered to a tearful Stef with the help of a tiny owl called Peanut, before handing over the official wax-sealed invite and toasting the occasion with a Hogwarts-themed cake.
The gobsmacked retail and admissions assistant said she doesn't know how chef Brett will top it next year, while the thoughtful Romeo joked it serves as a 'get-out-of-jail-free card' in future.
Stef, from St Austell, Cornwall, said: "When I opened the door and saw a real-life owl on my doorstep I don't know what I was thinking.
"I was just going 'oh my god' and I was shaking. I couldn't stop smiling and was grinning from ear to ear, I was speechless.
"There was a tiny scroll in a gift bag tied with a tiny bow attached to his leg harness.
"I opened it and it said 'your presence is requested at the Great Hall', then she handed me the letter.
"It was amazing having the invite delivered by owl, Peanut was really cute and definitely showing off.
"Brett had gone to a lot of effort, I don't know how he's going to top that next year.
"I think he's the most romantic husband in Britain, he's absolutely the best husband for sure."
Stef became a Harry Potter fan seven years ago after watching the first film in the franchise - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Since then, she's combined this passion with another - Lego - meaning the family, including daughter Christina Camborne-Paynter, 21, and 17-year-old son Logan Camborne-Paynter live alongside huge toy replicas from the films.
The models, including one of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the Knight Bus, have dedicated shelves in their living room that no-one but Stef can touch.
Stef said: "I got into Harry Potter around seven years ago. I just watched the first movie and was hooked from then on. I got into it quite late, not when the craze was happening.
"It's the magic that I love about it, you've got to keep some magic in life because some of it can be quite drab otherwise - for me it's the fantasy world of magic that runs alongside our world.
"I've always loved Lego ever since I was a kid so when my love for Harry Potter kicked in I started to look for Harry Potter Lego sets too.
"It's taken over a corner of the living room, Brett's not allowed to touch it."
Stef opened the door to her Valentine's Day surprise on her birthday (December 31st) and learned they'll be spending the day in London re-visiting places they used to meet on their early dates complete with an overnight hotel stay.
The couple, who've been married 17 years, will then get their gladrags on and head to the studios for a wizard-themed dinner on February 13th.
Stef said: "I had a newsletter email from the studios saying what special events they had coming up.
"I forwarded it to Brett but he's one of these people who doesn't really look at emails - he has 5,000 unread emails on his phone.
"He didn't mention it and life got really busy with Christmas preparation and work and I completely forgot about it so it was a complete surprise when what happened happened. He's very thoughtful.
"We were at home and Brett's parents were round for coffee and cake.
"I was sitting in the dining room with my back to the window and I couldn't see anything until I opened the door."
Brett conjured up the surprise after spotting the email from Stef, admitting he was convinced she knew as she was 'being extra nice' to him.
The dad-of-two said: "I like Harry Potter but I'm not as big an enthusiast as Stef.
"I would have sworn that she knew what was going on because she was being extra nice to me - but it was her birthday and Christmas - and the look on her face meant everything was a secret.
"Honestly I thought she was going to break down in tears, I was holding back tears as well. It was really good.
"I wanted to get the invite delivered by owl and was thinking about getting her a new Lego kit of Hedwig.
"I was going to buy it but I would have had to have built it, she wouldn't have liked that as I'm not allowed to touch them.
"I was talking about it with the boys in the kitchen and had a look around online and that's how I found the Bird Lady of Fowey, Sarah Worne.
"She said she had a perfect owl called Peanut for the job."
Brett joked that despite being praised online for his thoughtful gift, he views it as a 'get-out-of-jail free card'
Brett said: "It cost around £800 in total for all this, including the tickets, hotel stay and having Peanut deliver it but she's worth it.
"Everyone comments I've set the bar high, but I see it as a get-of-out-jail-free card."
Sarah Worne, who runs Bird Lady of Fowey, said: "It was beautiful, really touching and a real privilege to be invited to do this."
The scroll reads: "Your presence has been requested at Hogwarts Great Hall on the 13th of February 2022.
"Official invitation to follow. Delivered by Peanut."
