Weddings are supposed to be one of the happiest days in a lifetime. But it doesn’t turn out to be a fairy tale day for everyone. It’s a day that can be crimped or ruined by bridezillas, grooms with cold feet and embarrassing best-man toasts.
Luckily, we go to the movies to experience these events in their heightened states. Extraordinary couples who triumphed and overcame all odds to get married, as well as those who opened their hearts and helped those in need.
Here is a list of the Top 25 Modern Wedding Movies. We included a poll at the bottom so you could vote on which one is your favorite. Make sure to come back to check out the results!
Monster-in-Law (2005)
Charlotte (Jennifer Lopez) is blissfully happy with her new fiance, Kevin (Michael Vartan), until she meets his mother who is determined to drive them apart.
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Cultures and families clash in Mira Nair’s exuberant MONSOON WEDDING, a mix of comedy and chaotic melodrama concerning the preparations for the arranged marriage of a modern upper-middle-class Indian family’s only daughter.
Made of Honor (2008)
For Tom (Patrick Dempsey), life is good: he’s sexy, successful, has great luck with the ladies, and knows he can always rely on Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), his delightful best friend and the one constant in his life. It’s the perfect setup until Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip… and Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her.
Sex And The City: The Movie (2008)
A New York writer on sex and love is finally getting married to her Mr. Big. But her three best girlfriends must console her after one of them inadvertently leads Mr. Big to jilt her.
The Wedding Date (2005)
Kat Ellis is a single New Yorker who returns to her parents’ house in London to be the maid of honor at her younger half sister’s wedding. She is dismayed to discover that the best man is none other than her former fiance, who unceremoniously dumped her two years ago. Anxious about confronting him and eager to impress him, she hires debonair male escort Nick Mercer to pose as her boyfriend.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Toula is 30. And unmarried. Which means as a nice Greek girl–she’s a failure. All her cousins did the right thing–married Greek boys and made Greek babies. So everyone worries: what will become of Toula? Then one day she sees the ultimate unattainable guy and realizes the only way her life will get better is if she gets away from her big, fat Greek family.
Fools Rush In (1997)
Sparks fly and cultures collide in this romantic comedy about a casual night of passion that turns into the love of a lifetime. Alex Whitman is a New Yorker sent to Las Vegas to oversee a construction project.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
Robbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.
Honeymoon In Vegas (1992)
On her deathbed, a mother makes her son promise never to get married, which scars him with psychological blocks to a commitment with his girlfriend. They finally decide to tie the knot in Vegas, but a wealthy gambler arranges for the man to lose $65K in a poker game and offers to clear the debt for a weekend with his fiance.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
A young woman who’s reinvented herself as a New York socialite must return home to Alabama to obtain a divorce from her husband, after seven years of separation.
Three Men And A Little Lady (1990)
The hilarity soars to new heights as the trio from the original movie, continue to bring up baby Mary, who is now an adorably curious 5-year-old. All is well until Mary’s mother accepts a marriage proposal and permanently relocates to England — taking Mary with her! The ex-dads quickly discover how empty life is without their little lady, and go to outrageous lengths in their efforts to win her back!
Coming To America (1988)
A pampered African prince (Eddie Murphy) wants more out of life than the beautiful woman to whom he’s engaged. So, he heads to America to find a mate who will fall for him, not his riches, in this comedy from John Landis. Joined by his trusty sidekick (Arsenio Hall), the prince plunges into a job at a fast-food chain — and romance with the boss’s daughter.
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
A young woman who has been in and out of rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister’s wedding.
The Princess Bride (1987)
A fairy tale adventure about a beautiful young woman and her one true love. He must find her after a long separation and save her. They must battle the evils of the mythical kingdom of Florin to be reunited with each other.
27 Dresses (2008)
After serving as a bridesmaid 27 times, a young woman wrestles with the idea of standing by her sister’s side as her sibling marries the man she’s secretly in love with.
Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
The Proposal (2009)
A pushy boss forces her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary.
Runaway Bride (1999)
Roberts plays small-town girl Maggie Carpenter, whose marches down the aisle become a series of near Mrs. when she bolts before saying “I do.” Gere is Ike Graham, a cynical, big-city newspaper columnist eager to write a tell-all story about Maggie. But the more Ike finds out about the skittish Maggie, the more he finds he’s falling in love.
My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
Julia Roberts makes a pact with her best friend and former boyfriend Dermot Mulroney that if they aren’t married in ten years’ time, they will marry each other. Years later, Michael is about to marry someone else. She’s asked to be the maid of honor and agrees with a plan to break up the couple.
The Wedding Planner (2001)
Mary Fiore is San Francisco’s most successful supplier of romance and glamor. She knows all the tricks. She knows all the rules. But then she breaks the most important rule of all: she falls in love with the groom.
Bridesmaids (2011)
Annie’s life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian’s maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she’ll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you’ll go for someone you love.
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Living in a fantasy world of ABBA songs, Muriel Heslop waits for Prince Charming to come along and rescue her from her bullying father, her bitchy peers and the claustrophobic atmosphere of small town Porpoise Spit. But when Prince Charming is slow to arrive, Muriel decides to take control of her own life and rescue herself.
Father Of The Bride (1991)
George Banks (Steve Martin) and his wife, Nina (Diane Keaton), are the proud parents of Annie (Kimberly Williams), but when she returns from studying abroad and announces that she’s engaged, their whole world turns upside down, especially that of overprotective George.
Mamma Mia (2008)
Donna, an independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on the island is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited young daughter she’s raised alone. But Sophie has secretly invited three of her mother’s ex-lovers in the hopes of finding her father.
Honorable mention: I Love You, Man; The Corpse Bride; The Hangover; The Best Man; Meet The Parents
The third main source of wedding conflict is the likelihood that some folks will feel “left out” at some point. Honestly, at a crowded event, it is impossible to include and pay attention to everyone equally and always. Unfortunately, various other articles offered no magic oil to pour on troubled wedding waters, beyond old-fashioned compassion and tolerance.
Katherine Sharma’s family roots are in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. But after her early childhood in Texas, she has moved around the country and lived in seven other states, from Virginia to Hawaii. She currently resides in California with her husband and three children. She has also traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia, and makes regular visits to family in India. After receiving her bachelor’s degree. in economics and her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, Katherine worked as a newspaper and magazine writer and editor for more than 15 years. She then shifted into management and marketing roles for firms in industries ranging from outdoor recreation to insurance to direct marketing. Although Katherine still works as a marketing consultant, she is now focused on creative writing.