The Best Wedding Movies make perfect choices for movie nights. In general they’re sweet, funny, often campy, frequently lighthearted, and often relevant, as well. Some of the best wedding movies seem kind of fluffy, but there are several that show real wit as well as honesty. Check out my list of the best wedding movies and see if you agree!
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1. Four Weddings and a Funeral
For me, this is one of the best wedding movies because I’m a sucker for Hugh Grant. Plus, it’s not the same old wedding flick. It’s subtler, yet incredibly witty. Also, it has Mr. Bean. I’ll watch anything with Rowan Atkinson in it – except Bean, actually.
Plot: Charles doesn't know if he'll ever fall in love, let alone want to get married, but when he meets Carrie, he thinks she might be The One. There are just a few problems, like his issue with her feelings about sex, and the number of men she's slept with – ouch!
Main Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, James Fleet, and Kristin Scott Thomas
Mood: Witty, romantic, realistic.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.5/10
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2. The Wood
Roland is getting cold feet, which ultimately leads to nostalgia about his younger years. He loves the woman he's going to marry, but he still thinks about the proverbial “girl who got away,” his high school sweetheart, Tanya. He and his best friends, Mike and Slim, reminisce together, remembering what things were like as they grew up. Their talk ultimately convinces Roland to visit Tanya one last time – will that impede his trip to the altar?
Plot:
Main Cast: Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, Malinda Williams, and Jascha Washington
Mood: Funny, moving, touching.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6/10
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3. Father of the Bride
In any incarnation, this is one of my favorite wedding films. I’m partial to Steve Martin’s version, however – and I actually love the sequel, too. More to the point, I love the way this story deals with the dad’s perspective. As a shameless daddy’s girl, I tear up every time I watch this.
Plot: Annie is daddy's girl … so imagine how George feels when she comes home from Italy engaged, to a man his wife Nina loves but whom he loathes. George tries to accept the fact that he has to let his daughter go, that she has picked a good man, and that, no matter what, even during her wedding day, she will always be daddy's little girl.
Main Cast: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kelly Williams, and Martin Short
Mood: Touching, poignant, funny.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.9/10
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4. Bride Wars
I don’t know why, but I adored this movie. I have mad love for Kate Hudson and Candice Bergen, though. Also, with the recent Bridezillas phenomenon, this still seems extremely relevant in terms of the fighting – and sweet with the making up. It also shows what some friends feel like when one or both gets married.
Plot: Liv and Emma have been BFFs their entire lives, and are looking forward to getting married at the same time as well – until a clerical error means they'll be getting married at the same time and place on the same day. Then the claws come out, the hair gets blue, and the skin gets orange.
Main Cast: Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Chris Pratt, and Candice Bergen
Mood: Hilarious, relevant, true-to-life.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.4/10
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5. Mamma Mia!
This is more than one of the best flicks about a wedding you can ever hope to see. It’s also one of my favorite films. Since I’m also a total Momma’s Girl, this one always makes me cry, too. That song, that song! The relationship between mother and daughter is just so beautiful.
Plot: Sophie is getting married and she wants all of the men – three in total – who might be her dad to come to the wedding. Behind her mother's back, she invites all three candidates. At the same time, she's trying to decide if marriage is for her while mom Donna, with her three BFFs, tries to reconcile losing her daughter and attempts to deal with the fact that the love of her life is back on her island.
Main Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth
Mood: Touching, sweet, beautiful.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.5/10
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6. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
There’s nothing I don’t love about this movie either. I love that it was based around Nia Vardalos’s own love story – and that her real life true love plays Ian’s best friend! That's one of the aspects that makes it one of the best wedding movies ever made! I loved the immersion into Greek-American culture, I loved Gus, and I loved everything about Andrea Martin’s character.
Plot: Tula is in a rut, partly due to the fact that her entire big, boisterous family is pretty insular. After reaching an epiphany, she changes her life and meets the man of her dreams – but because he isn't Greek, problems arise, leaving her in a fight to accept the fact that her family is big, loud, and totally loving.
Main Cast: Nia Vardolos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, and Lainie Kazan
Mood: Hilarious, enlightening, heartwarming.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.7/10
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7. Wedding Crashers
Not all of the best wedding films are actually romantic. My enduring obsession with Vince Vaughn helps this movie land on the list. He plays the best womanizer. However, this is not socially acceptable behavior for real.
Plot: Jeremy and John have a habit of sneaking into wedding receptions, for free food, alcohol, and hook-ups – when they're not busy helping couples get divorced, that is. They finally crash the wrong reception, where John falls for Claire, the bride's sister, and Jeremy hooks up with the wrong woman.
Main Cast: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rachel MacAdams, and Isla Fisher
Mood: Funny, cute, manly!
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.8/10
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8. Runaway Bride
Julia Roberts makes a great bride. I placed this ahead of My Best Friend’s Wedding because she’s kind of awful in that one. Here, however, she pairs again with Richard Gere, and explains how serious cold feet can really feel.
Plot: Reporter Ike is off to do a story on Maggie, dubbed the Runaway Bride because she has left so many men waiting at the altar. In tracking down her whereabouts to discover why, he finds that she's about to take the plunge again. Spending time with Ike, however, makes her wonder if she's ready – but for entirely different reasons.
Main Cast: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, and Hector Elizondo
Mood: Thoughtful, funny, enlightening.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.3/10
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9. The Wedding Planner
Speaking of Runaway Bride, if you liked that, you'll probably like this. Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey don't pack quite as much punch as the aces pairing of Roberts and Gere, but they're still pretty cute!
Plot: Facing pressure to get married by her father, wedding planner Mary meets Steve in a damsel-in-distress situation, and sparks instantly fly. Problems arise, however, when she discovers that she has to plan a wedding … between Steve and his hard-as-rocks fiance, Fran.
Main Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Rocco, and Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.
Mood: Campy, funny, cute.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.9/10
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10. Monster-in-Law
This movie is a much better venue – teehee! – for Jennifer Lopez. Even people who don't necessarily like her will be rooting for her in this. Jane Fonda dazzles and Wanda Sykes is hilariously funny; the movie's worth the watch for those two alone!
Plot: Charlie finally meets the man of her dreams, and Kevin is into her too – but Viola, his mother, is not. From arranging an awkward situation with Kevin's ex to poisoning Charlie with peanuts, she tries everything possible to break up the two, due to her firm belief that Charlie isn't good enough for her son.
Main Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan, Jane Fonda, Wanda Sykes
Mood: Hilarious, lighthearted, relevant.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 4.2/10
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11. My Best Friend's Wedding
As mentioned earlier, Julia Roberts' character is kind of awful in this. At times it's hard to root for her, but at the same time, it's easy to sympathize, especially if you've ever had a best guy friend on whom you've had a crush. Even when you aren't crushing, it's hard to imagine losing him to another woman. The fact that it portrays a rather frequent real life situation makes it one of the most relevant wedding movies.
Plot: Julianne and Michael once dated, but now they're only friends, although they've promised to marry each other if they're still single by 28. Julianne gets somewhat into the idea as the date of her 28th draws closer, only to have Michael to tell her he's engaged. Firmly believing herself to be in love with him now, she engages in some dirty tactics to woo him away from perky Kimmy, even using her gay editor as a patsy in her schemes.
Main Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett
Mood: Funny, sad but sweet.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.4/10
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12. Bridesmaids
This is easily one of the highest rated movies on this list, and there's a reason for that: it's hilarious! Easily one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, it's like Hangover for the ladies but with a decidedly serious twist. Melissa McCarthy is one of the stand-out stars, but the entire cast is just phenomenal – and how adorable is Chris O'Dowd as Nathan?
Plot: Annie's best friend Lillian becomes engaged, and she is naturally the maid of honor – at first. She feels threatened by Lillian's new friend, Helen. The two women engage in a cordial competition that gets dirtier and dirtier, which puts both Annie's friendship and her new relationship in serious jeopardy.
Main Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Melissa McCarthy
Mood: Poignant, a little (delightfully) dark, uproarious.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.6/10
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13. The Wedding Singer
This is one of my favorite Adam Sandler movies, and it's a must for anyone who loves 80s pop culture. The soundtrack alone is enough to watch the film, but the chemistry between Sandler and the delightful, delicious Drew Barrymore is even better.
Plot: Robbie is not doing well. His rockstar dreams aren't coming true and his fiance stands him up at the altar. When he meets Julia, however, he starts to believe in love again, in spite of her fiance and his ex. But because he's awkward with no self confidence, he almost flubs that, too. A series of misadventures and a little help from Billy Idol combine to ensure a White Wedding, though!
Main Cast: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, and Matthew Glave
Mood: Campy, hilarious, strangely heartwarming.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.1/10
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14. The Wedding Date
I think a lot of women can sympathize with Debra Messing in this film. When you're single, haven't you wanted to take a really great looking guy to someone's wedding? Especially when it's a family member's wedding, that's always tough!
Plot: Kat doesn't want to attend her half-sister's wedding without a date – so she buys one. Since her parents want to set her up and the groom's best man is her awful ex, there's no other choice. Everyone finds Nick, her rent-a-date, absolutely perfect. Over time, Kat starts to agree – big time.
Main Cast: Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, Amy Adams, and Jack Davenport
Mood: Realistic, romantic, funny.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.8/10
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15. American Wedding
This was such a sweet rap to the American Pie trilogy. Yeah, I know they continued to make them, but I don't count any of those straight-to-video monstrosities, do you?
Plot: Jim and Michelle are finally heading toward the aisle! In an effort to make things special for her, Jim enlists his buddies; chaos ensues, especially since both Stifler and Finch want to date Michelle's little sister, and Jim's grandfather won't really accept her because she isn't Jewish.
Main Cast: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Sean William Scott, January Jones
Mood: Irreverent, sweet, funny.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.8/10
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16. The Hangover
This quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time – and just incidentally, it's also one of the best wedding movies ever. I would have loved to see more of Leslie Chow, but as it stands, I loved the plot, the acting, and the cameos. I wonder how it is that Bradley Cooper looks like such a sweetheart, but he always plays such a jerk?
Plot: Three friends and a tag-along brother-in-law head to Vegas for Doug's bachelor party – which he never gets to enjoy. Phil, Stuart, and Alan wake up with a tiger, but no groom, suffering incredible hangovers. They have to push through the pain as they retrace their steps all over Sin City, trying to find their friend before time runs out.
Main Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis
Mood: Dark, funny, violent, and awesome.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 6.7/10
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17. The Hangover 2
For all its similarities to its predecessor, I loved this movie. I'm glad Leslie Chow got a bigger role, and besides that, I have a secret and inexplicable crush on Zach Galifianakis. I'm also always glad to sweet a wedding movie from the male perspective.
Plot: This time it's Stuart's turn to get married, since he divorced his dancer wife from Vegas. The group heads to Thailand, the land of his fiance's family. In trying to make a good impression on his father-in-law to-be, Stuart instead loses the man's beloved son and, with Phil and Alan, embarks on another muddy, amnesiac journey to find another lost friend.
Main Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis
Mood: A little dark, hilarious.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5/10
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18. The Proposal
Call me crazy, but I will watch Ryan Reynolds star in anything, and Sandra Bullock is one of my favorite actresses, so this was a no-brainer. And you know, in addition to being a great wedding themed film, it's also just a really good movie!
Plot: Margaret Tate isn't socially gifted; she's married to her job. She's also Canadian, and finds out that she might get deported. Enter her poor, abused assistant, Andrew, who's got serious family problems. They come to a somewhat mutually beneficial arrangement to fake a marriage – and end up falling in love.
Main Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Craig T. Nelson, and Betty White
Mood: Funny, madcap, hopeful.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.3/10
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19. Made of Honor
A sweet romantic comedy about a man who falls in love with his best friend, while she's busy planning her wedding with the man of her dreams. To make things worse, he is her "maid" of honor. How will he win her over? More importantly, will he win her over?
Plot: Tom and Hannah have been just friends for over 10 years. They are poles apart in that he's a serial dater and all she wants is to meet Mr. Right. One trip to Scotland and Hannah is engaged to a handsome Scotsman while Tom, surprise surprise, discovers that he's in love with Hannah. Things take a funny turn when Hannah asks Tom to be her maid of honor and he reluctantly agrees while simultaneously plotting to win her back.
Main Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin McKidd, and Busy Phillips
Mood: Funny, sweet, moving.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 4/10
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20. Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama is the tale of one woman's continued efforts to leave her past behind only to come face to face with it and discover that this is probably where she belonged all along. It's one of the best wedding movies even though the wedding is different than you expect it to be -- plus, hello Josh Lucas!
Plot: Melanie Smooter starts a new life with a new identity in New York as a successful fashion designer dating a very successful man, Andrew Hennings. Life is perfect until he proposes. She's forced to return to her hometown in Alabama to take care of some unfinished business in the form of her husband, Jake Perry who refuses to divorce her even though it's been over 7 years. Her fiance of course is blissfully unaware of the situation and as the movie progresses, sparks fly between Jake and Melanie, leaving her utterly confused. Dream wedding or old life, what will she choose?
Main Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey, and Candice Bergen
Mood: Sweet, funny, charming.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.2/10
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21. License to Wed
The adorable John Krasinski is reason enough to watch this movie about a couple that must go through an insane marriage prep course led by an equally insane reverend to test whether or not the duo qualify to be married in his church. Laughs galore!
Plot: Sadie and Ben are in love and when Ben proposes, Sadie knows exactly where she wants to get married: the family church. Unfortunately, this isn't going to be a cakewalk as the only open date is two years and three weeks away and Reverend Frank insists that the couple go through his special marriage prep course before they can tie the knot. From a chastity vow to a bugged apartment to driving blindfolded to creepy robot babies, how much more can Ben go through before he breaks?
Main Cast: Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Robin Williams, and Eric Christian Olsen
Mood: Funny, irreverent, campy.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.1/10
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22. 27 Dresses
How many times will Jane have to be a bridesmaid before she can find her own Mr. Right? Find out in this delightful, sweet comedy about secret crushes, weddings and love.
Plot: Jane is an absolute sweetheart who can never say no, which is probably why she's been a bridesmaid 27 times! The 28th time comes knocking when her sister is about to marry the man Jane is secretly in love with. Along the way, she meets Kevin, a cynical but ridiculously good looking writer who starts to fall for her despite their different views on marriage. Will Jane feel the same way about him? Will she finally stop being a people pleaser? Will she find Mr. Right?
Main Cast: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, and Edward Burns
Mood: Funny, cute, charming.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5/10
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23. Sex and the City: the Movie
I still remember how excited I was when this movie released! It is an absolute treat for SATC fans with the reunited fabulous four, the amazing clothes (remember Carrie's wedding dress shoot?) and of course plenty of gossip and sex.
Plot: Commitment phobic Mr. Big and Carrie finally decide to tie the knot. What starts off as a "small wedding" somehow becomes a huge affair, making Big uncomfortable. The last straw comes when Miranda, after finding out that Steve has cheated on her, tells Big on the night of their rehersal dinner that they are crazy to be getting married. Big doesn't show up for the wedding and a devastated Carrie and her loyal trio end up in Mexico. The ever sexual Samantha is trying hard to deal with her new life and yearns for her old one while Charlotte is finally pregnant! The movie also has a special appearance by Jennifer Hudson.
Main Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, and Kristin Davis
Mood: Funny, dramatic, lively.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.5/10
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24. Muriel's Wedding
Muriel's Wedding is a hilarious story of a socially awkward woman who loves ABBA and dreams of her wedding day. Then she meets a crazy woman who literally turns her life around. Not a popular movie but I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Plot: Muriel lives a dull, boring life in Porpoise Spit, Australia. She spends almost all of her time alone in her room, listening to ABBA and dreaming of gorgeous weddings with herself as the bride. The only problem is, she's never even been on a date! Her life changes when she runs into carefree Rhonda from her high school who encourages her to take control of her life. The two move to Sydney, Muriel changes her name to Mariel and the fun begins!
Main Cast: Rachel Griffiths, Toni Collette, Bill Hunter, and Sophie Lee
Mood: Hilarious, relevant, moving.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7/10
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25. Rachel Getting Married
Weddings are chaotic enough as it is but what happens when your wedding involves an appearance by your estranged sister who happens to be a recovering addict among other things. Will old skeletons resurface or will the past be left where it belongs? Watch it for Anne Hathaway's AMAZING Oscar nominated performance as Kym if nothing else. It's not only one of the best wedding movies you'll ever see, but also the most moving.
Plot: Rachel is getting married to the love of her life, Sydney, and while everyone is looking forward to the weekend wedding, Rachel's sister Kym, the black sheep of the family who has been in and out of rehab for 10 years, makes her appearance. One thing leads to another and an old tragic incident for which Kym is held responsible causes a lot of friction in the already strained relationships, threatening to altogether ruin Rachel's wedding.
Main Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, and Anna Deavere Smith
Mood: Dramatic, sad, moving.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.5/10
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26. The Princess Bride
Although The Princess Bride is not exactly a wedding centered movie, I just could not leave it out of the list. Afterall, it's not just your "basic, average, everyday, ordinary, run of the mill, ho hum fairytale." Also, it's so much fun and will forever be one of my favorites!
Plot: A grandfather sits down his adorable grandson to read him a story called "The Princess Bride," and as he reads, the story comes alive. It is a classic fairytale with a twist. There's the mandatory beautiful woman, Buttercup who is in love with the handsome Westley but things turn tragic with Westley's apparent death. Buttercup is heartbroken and swears never to love again but accepts the marriage proposal of Prince Humperdinck. But even death is no match for true love. And if you think this is just another sappy love story, answer me this. Does a sappy love story have swordsmen, fencing, big-hearted giants, a sadistic six-fingered vizier, genius kidnappers, pirates and "rodents of unusual sizes"? I didn't think so
Main Cast: Cary Elwes, Chris Sarandon, Robin Wright, and Mandy Patinkin
Mood: Fantastical, adventurous, romantic.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 8.2/10
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27. The Marrying Man
Would you marry the same woman not once, not twice but four times?! Well, you would if you were The Marrying Man.
Plot: Charley Pearl, who is engaged to Adele Horner, heads off to Vegas with his friends for his bachelor party. While in a sleazy casino, he comes across singer Vicki Anderson who, unknown to him, is gangster Bugsy Siegel's moll. Charley wants her enough to climb through her bedroom window and when Bugsy finds him with his pants down, he forces them to marry each other! When Charley's girlfriend finds out about their wedding, he promises to get an annulment. But fate makes him run into her again and again and every time they meet, he can't help but want to marry her.
Main Cast: Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Elisabeth Shue, and Armand Assante
Mood: Dramatic, funny
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 3.1/10
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28. Jumping the Broom
Jumping the Broom is a classic tale of a seemingly perfect couple's relationship threatened by the coming together of their not so perfect families.
Plot: After yet another one night stand, Sabrina vows not to sleep with anyone until she's married. As fate would have it, she bumps (her car) into Jason. He proposes in less than six months and all is well until the two families come face to face. Both are dysfunctional in their own ways and socioeconomic differences, cultural differences and an overbearing mother-in-law to-be cause utter chaos and take its toll on Sabrina and Jason. Will the drama be too much for the two to handle or will love conquer all?
Main Cast: Paula Patton, Angela Bassett, Laz Alonso, and Loretta Devine
Mood: Funny, sweet, sympathetic.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.8/10
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29. Corpse Bride
Reasons to watch Corpse Bride? Tim Burton and Johnny Depp who make any movie beyond spectacular, in the way only they can.
Plot: Victor Van Dort is a shy groom who is engaged to Victoria Everglot and when things go wrong at the rehearsal dinner, Victor runs off to practise his vows by himself in the woods. Everything seems to go well and he preforms his vows perfectly, finally placing the ring on a twig on the ground. But it turns out the twig is really the hand of the Corpse Bride, Emily, who now claims she is his legal wife. Victor ends up in the land of the dead with his corpse bride. While everyone worries about who Victoria will marry in the land of the living, Victor desperately finds a way to get back.
Main Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, and Tracey Ullman
Mood: Animated, fantastical, funny.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 7.2/10
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30. Something Borrowed
What happens when a woman breaks the most sacred girl code and ends up sleeping with her best friend's fiance? You can find out in one of the best wedding movies to spring from a book.
Plot: Based on a best selling novel of the same name, Something Borrowed tells the tale of two best friends, Rachel and Darcy, who have known each other since childhood. Rachel is the good one who is used to letting Darcy "win" all the time, so much so that she lets go of her law school crush Dex for her. Six years later, Darcy and Dex are engaged, Rachel is the Maid of Honor, and on Rachel's 30th birthday, she and Dex end up sleeping together. Rachel confides in her best friend Ethan, who tries to convince her to do something about it. Dex and Rachel however try to forget the incident and pretend it meant nothing... except that it did.
Main Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski
Mood: Funny, dramatic, moving.
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 5.6/10
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The best wedding movies, for me, are always funny and sweet. Of course, since most of the best wedding movies are also romantic comedies, that just makes sense. If I had to pick a top favorite, it would definitely be Father of the Bride. Which do you think are the best wedding movies?
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