As we continue our countdown of the best movie weddings, we would like to recognize a few individual contributions to the canon:
– Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson did well, showing up on our list in five films each.
– Julie Andrews‘ two appearances were released nearly 40 years apart (legend).
– Rob Reiner appears three times: once as an actor and twice as director.
– Steve Martin may or may not have worn the same ruffled tuxedo shirt in both of his list appearances.
– Two of Anne Hathaway‘s four ranked roles came in Oscar-winning or Oscar-nominated films.
Store that knowledge away for the next time you want to really impress a date, and let’s get back to the best movie weddings countdown.
Table of Contents
Best Movie Weddings: 100-61
Best Movie Weddings: 60-21
Best Movie Weddings: 20-1
Best Movie Weddings: 60-21
60) Sixteen Candles
Sam’s family has forgotten her 16th birthday because they’re distracted by her sister Ginny’s wedding taking place the next day. Talk about rude. So when Ginny shows up to her ceremony totally wasted, stumbles down the aisle, and makes a complete fool of herself, all we can say is this: Karma’s a bitch, sis. At least Sam gets to make out with her megacrush Jake Ryan at the end of the movie—maybe it’s not such a bad birthday after all.
59) Furious 7
Three words: tank top wedding.
58) License to Kill
This demonstrates the importance of an out-of-office automatic email reply, but let’s give it up for skydiving into your own damn wedding. Easily the best way to win over a skeptical father-in-law to-be.
57) Blue Valentine
A lot of our selections are about the happily-ever-after weddings we all dream of, but the sad truth is that they’re not all rainbows and butterflies. Marriages are difficult. People get older. They change. You realize that maybe you shouldn’t have given up your career ambitions, or that you never really knew the person sitting in front of you. Blue Valentine is a raw example of what happens when love fades.
56) Marie Antoinette
What is Marie Antoinette best known for? Her extravagance. While it didn’t do much good for the pre-revolutionary French population, she does make for the perfect wedding inspiration.
55) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Nothing’s worse than coincidentally planning your wedding on the same day Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic, and having said wedding subsequently crashed by Death Eaters. But you do have to give a nod to the high points of the celebration—Bill and Fleur’s devoted attention to each other, dancing to festive Irish tunes, and a tasteful lavender-themed wedding tent that you wouldn’t expect at the Burrow.
54) A Walk to Remember
It’s impossible to watch A Walk to Remember without shedding a tear (or few). Bad boy, Landon Carter, falls in love with the uninterested Jamie Sullivan, only to learn that she is dying of leukemia. He makes it his goal to fulfill every dream she has before the summer is over, including getting married. Their wedding is simple, sweet, and very true to who they are. In the same church Sullivan’s parents married in, her reverend father swears the two together in front of friends and family. Sob!
53) American Gangster
“Will all of my groomsmen get their tuxes?” “Will my vows be badass yet endearing?” “Can I still hit the cabbage patch as well as I did at prom?” These questions can drive the coolest of grooms into a state of anxiety. So imagine exchanging your vows, while at the same time knowing your sizable order of heroin is being smuggled into the U.S. from the jungles of Southeast Asia. Nervous anymore, grooms? You’re welcome.
52) The Great Gatsby (2013)
Any wedding that is named the Louisville “WEDDING OF THE YEAR” in 1920 of all years—a year known for its nuptials—and includes a string of pearls worth $350,000 (that’s $4.5m today people) is worthy of a spot on our list, even if said marriage is doomed. No marriage can withstand the lure of Leo!
51) Meet the Parents
It would be difficult to sabotage a wedding more spectacularly if you were doing it on purpose. But in spite of a literal shitstorm, Bob and Deb get married and it’s gorgeous, from the trellis archway alter to the cat ring-bearer. Getting the details right is nice, but the most important thing is that at the end of the day, you’re married.
50) Sideways
The pieces all fall into place, but it’s a little sad to see Jack end up at the altar—not because we would prefer to see him play his mid-life crisis all the way out, but because he really doesn’t deserve to get married after this trainwreck bachelor weekend. In the end, justice is served only to Miles, which is both unfair and well-deserved. Is he a bad guy? No. But when you take your buddy out to celebrate his wedding, you’re the co-pilot, not the wing man.
49) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Aragorn and Arwen’s wedding is kind of too big. (There has to be a joke about fire hazards and dragons here but we’re a formalwear brand so chill.) We find that the hobbits, two of which saved Middle-Earth, are in the back of the crowd. If you have short friends, be cool and seat them toward the front. In the positives column: Faramir, Eomer, Gimli, Legolas and Gandalf—best groomsmen ever?
48) Gone with the Wind
Scarlett gets married exactly three times in Gone with the Wind—but never to Ashley, who she’s been obsessed with since forevs. Nearly four hours of movie, and she doesn’t even end up with THE guy at the end? We feel scammed.
47) Runaway Bride
There’s indecisive, and then there’s Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride, one of the purest wedding movies on our list. She leaves four men at the altar, prompting reporter, Ike Graham, to write a story about her. Eventually, the two fall in love—but bad habits die hard. She runs, yet again, but later seeks out Graham and proposes (très chic). The two have a very simple, very private wedding ceremony on a hilltop. The best bit? They literally ride off into the sunset on horseback.
46) Rocky Horror Picture Show
Let’s set the record straight: Throwing rice at weddings doesn’t actually kill birds, so rice it up. We arrive at the tail-en of this wedding, and as the bride and groom make their getaway we’re treated to some pretty aggressive style choices: all-white patent leather shoes (on the groom, no less), a red tartan tie paired with a different red tartan cummerbund, and white socks with black loafers a la David Letterman. After this, the movie gets pretty boring—your standard “newly-engaged couple separately seduced by a trans alien and lab-grown beefcake” story, etc., etc..
45) The Jerk
Be sure you and your partner aren’t pressured into a religious ceremony, even if the priest is certified. (Nice ruffled shirt though.)
44) Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Ren Faire wedding on steroids! Even if you’re not going for a Medieval theme, you have to admire the way they worked seasonality into the color palate—very important to consider when choosing wedding attire. Connery sandbagging a very mulleted Costner at his own wedding is a very Connery move.
43) When Harry Met Sally
I think I speak for every bride when I say: I just want my Maid of Honor to look at me the way Meg Ryan looks at Carrie Fisher trying on her wedding dress. While relationship dynamics make for an awkward vibe, you can’t complain about the venue—it’s the perfect city wedding. Open floor plan, big windows with a view of the New York skyline. And plenty of room to get down to the live band music.
42) Brokeback Mountain
In Brokeback Mountain, both protagonists get married—unfortunately, neither one of them end up with the right person. Ennis and Jack’s intense love for each other spans decades, but is kept a secret as they both settle into marriages with women. Ennis’s church wedding to Alma may seem sweet on the surface, but knowing his secret gives it an underlying air of deep sadness.
41) The Sound of Music
“How do you solve a problem like Maria?” You don’t. You ask her to marry you, and hope to whoever’s listening that she says yes. In this iconic musical, Julie Andrews looks ethereal. She glides through the cathedral in an elegant, white wedding dress and 14-foot long veil—a stark contrast to all the nuns and wedding-goers donning black. Perhaps one of the most recognized and well-loved scenes in the world, it definitely deserves to be in our top 100.
40) Independence Day
So… you’re about to fight a technologically advanced alien race by flying into the heart of the looming mothership to shoot a nuclear missile into the command center. What does a guy do before such an impossible act to be properly motivated to get home? How about marrying Vivica A. Fox? Mission complete. Roger that.
39) Scarface
Top 5 things you need to know about the wedding depicted in Scarface: 1.) It takes place during a montage. 2.) That montage is set to the tune of 1983’s “Push It to the Limit”. 3.) Both Michelle Pfieffer and Al Pacino wear white. 4.) They make out for an uncomfortably long time while the best man and maid of honor make bedroom eyes at each other. 5.) He gives her a tiger as a wedding present. Enjoy!
38) I Love You, Man
Peter has spent his adult life focused on relationships over friendships, so when he gets engaged, he sets out to find a best friend—one worthy of calling his best man. On the way, he picks up a hodge-podge group of dudes to stand up with him, and even finds “the one.” If we’re being honest, choosing a best man (or being asked to be one) is a big, emotional deal, so it’s nice to see it treated as such in the wedding finale.
37) Robin Hood: Men in Tights
The brevity of the vows here are nice. But as a general rule, threatening your bride with an ultimatum didn’t work out well in the Middle Ages and it won’t work out now, Mervin.
36) Joe vs. The Volcano
When you marry your boo on an exotic island in the Pacific… except it’s moments before you’re about to offer yourself up as a human sacrifice and jump into a volcano cuz you think you’re dying of a rare disease anyway. Then your new wife offers to jump into the volcano with you because “where you go, I go,” and it’s all very heartwarming, except for the molten lava gushing beneath you. Then you hold hands and jump into the volcano, but it coincidentally erupts at that very moment and propels you out into the ocean, where you land on a raft, unharmed, and find out that you actually don’t have a fatal disease, but were used as a pawn by a wealthy businessman. You know, just your typical wedding scene.
35) The Wedding Singer
Enter Sandman. The Wedding Singer is one of the best examples of wedding movies. The story is always about Robbie and Julia, but along the way we experience a wide variety of wedding styles. Of course there are a lot of vintage Sandler jokes (and a predictable amount of them aimed at Buscemi), but the POV never really becomes cynical, even if the protagonist does. Also, Band > DJ.
34) Wayne’s World 2
There are only a handful of reasons you should ever break up a wedding, and if you decide to do it, you’ve got to get out in front of the thing—don’t wait until halfway through the ceremony. And make sure you work through exactly what you will say to reason with the bride or groom.
Or screw it, just pound on the glass and yell their name.
33) Spaceballs
Bill Pullman in a space tux steals the wedding (like, literally, steals it from another groom) in Mel Brooks‘ most popular genre spoof. It’s not just a send up of Star Wars, but also the never-once-happened-in-real-life movie trope of a wedding being broken up at the last minute but the “correct” suitor. Brides have agency!
32) Up
Pixar is a repeat offender in toying with our feelings, and Up might be one of their greatest emotional rollercoasters. Carl and Ellie progress from meeting as children to newlyweds, complementing each other perfectly. Their wedding is traditional and small, but a perfect testament to Ellie’s rambunctious, adventurous personality and Carl’s reserved, but curious nature. We all know what happens next, but it’s a little reminder that a 4 minute montage, representing both of their lives together, can live on through a 96 minute movie.
31) Out of Africa
We tried to think of something pithy to say about this very short and not-so-sweet movie wedding, but we couldn’t find the words. You know what they say: When in Mombasa!
30) Romeo + Juliet
Ah, to be young, meet your soulmate at a rave, and get secret married 24 hours later. Hey, we’d probably get hitched, too—young Leo and Claire Danes are kinda the ultimate ’90s heartthrobs. Too bad their dramatic teen love story couldn’t have ended a little happier…
29) Four Weddings and a Funeral
Anytime the guy who plays Mr. Bean pops up in a movie, you know it’s gonna be… Mr. Beany.
28) The Grand Budapest Hotel
There’s a lot to be said for an intimate, picturesque ceremony, and that’s exactly what we get in this film. The bride and groom are joined by groom’s professional colleagues—which may not sound ideal until you learn that among them are Bill Murray and Voldemort—all dressed like a demilitarized version of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
27) Step Brothers
Marriages can come with a bit of familial baggage. After all, finding love again is hard enough without two sons who disapprove. The movie begins with a couple typical wedding reception behaviors to avoid—oversharing, the occasional outburst, and shifting focus away from the bride and groom. All wedding no-nos. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly successfully hit all three—but what else can you expect from 40-year-old sons who refuse to grow up (or move out)?
26) Tommy Boy
Key takeaways: Watching your dad remarry should be considered a net positive, no matter the circumstances, if he lives through the reception. And never trust that wily Rob Lowe. So handsome, but so wily.
25) Kill Bill Vol. 2
Okay, technically it was a wedding rehearsal, but we can still learn valuable lessons from the Massacre at Two Pines Chapel. For one, it rarely ends well when your ex attends your wedding, invitation or no. First-kiss tongue tends to make people uncomfortable, and while it is your day, they brought gifts (probably). A “wedding dress rehearsal” is not a thing. Finally, you can do worse than “Love Me Tender.”
24) Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite was a weird, thankfully brief, cultural phenomenon. It’s no surprise that the wedding scene, which was added as an afterthought, is equally awkward. But there is no arguing that Kip’s synthesized wedding song to Lafawnduh is pretty great.
23) Corpse Bride
It’s normal to feel nervous about getting married, but remember: As long as you make a pact with a skeleton to sacrifice your own life, things will turn out fine.
22) Moonrise Kingdom
When you meet your soulmate, you don’t wait for the world to give you permission. And when you’re 12 and you’re misunderstood, that means running away and getting hitched in a non-legally binding ceremony orchestrated by some weird scout camp quartermaster. This is one of maybe two times when it’s appropriate for your groomsmen to wear neckerchiefs. You figure out #2.
Side note: Why are the villains always redheads?
21) Rachel Getting Married
Families are complicated, and no matter how happy the occasion, there are always undercurrents: resentment, anger, disappointment, and jealousy to name a few. In this case, those undercurrents rise to the surface, making the wedding itself an undercurrent to a more important story: forgiveness, acceptance, and the love of family. It’s beautiful, as is Rachel and Sidney’s wedding. Dude can sing.