The 8 Most Disastrous Movie Weddings!

Weddings are one of the happiest and most important events of our lives -- or at least they are supposed to be! You tie the knot with the person you love, have the fanciest celebration ever with a beautiful dress, your close people all around, and the most delicious cake. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? And though, in real life, most weddings go as planned with no big force majeures, movie weddings go wrong quite often. It is one of the popular cliché tropes of romantic comedies when the main characters realize that they still love each other and have to ruin the wedding of their loved one to reveal their feelings. Sometimes weddings turn into a real disaster for other reasons as well, and today we’re going to reminisce about the craziest (and funniest) ceremonies-gone-wrong from our favorite movies! 

1. Bride Wars (2009)

To get married on the same day as your best friend and have a joint ceremony -- isn’t that a dream? It seemed lthat way for Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Liv (Kate Hudson) as well, until they started to become super competitive. The rivalry of two brides ends up in a real fight, after Liv plays some not-so appropriate Spring Break footage of Emma as she’s walking down the aisle. After the bridal wrestle, the two friends end up apologizing and making up, but one thing is sure: the guests will remember this wedding for a long while. Available on VOD/Digital.

2. Runaway Bride (1999)

The whole movie is a wedding catastrophe, as the beautiful Maggie (played by Julia Roberts) keeps running away from her numerous weddings, leaving her fiancés waiting for her at the altar. This phenomenon doesn’t go unnoticed by a columnist, Ike (Richard Gere), who wants to investigate this case and write an article about it. As these two spend more time together, they realize that they’ve fallen in love with each other and decide to get married. However, Maggie stays true to herself and flees again. So, if you love the movie tropes about canceled weddings, this one will definitely become your favorite. Stream on Paramount+.

3. Shrek (2001)

No one likes having uninvited guests to the most essential day of their lives. But when those guests turn out to be a huge fire-breathing dragon, a talking donkey, and a big scary ogre who wants to steal the bride -- that’s when it becomes slightly more troublesome. If that wasn’t enough for Lord Farquaad, his big day gets absolutely ruined when he finds out about Fiona’s true nature. Well, not to mention being eaten by the dragon. That was… unfortunate. Stream on Peacock.

4. You Again (2010)

When Marni (Kristen Bell) flies back home to meet her brother’s fiancée, she didn’t know she’d be facing her arch enemy from high school, who used to bully her. No wonder why she wanted to stop the wedding and reveal Joanna’s secrets to her future husband. Even though, after all the messy fighting and confrontations, ex-enemies make amends, and the nearlyweds end up in a hospital after Marni’s trap in the treehouse. To make up for everything, Marni organizes a low-key and cute wedding right in the hospital, and they live happily ever after. Stream on Hulu and Disney+.

5. The Little Mermaid (1989)

Imagine trading your beautiful voice -- and life in general -- for a guy, only to find out that he’s suddenly marrying another woman. But when Ariel and her friends find out that the beautiful stranger who appeared out of the blue is actually the evil sea witch Ursula, they do everything to prevent the hypnotized prince from marrying her. Luckily, they manage to chase the ship, destroy Ursula’s necklace, and break the curse on Prince Erik. All of a sudden, the romantic ceremony turns into havoc, which in its turn becomes a true battle between good and evil. Stream on Disney+.

6. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

This British classic presents not one, but a couple of peculiar weddings. The first one turns into a comedy, when the priest keeps making mistakes, confusing the names of the bride and groom, calling the bride “awful wife” (instead of “lawful”), and prays to the "Holy Goat". Well, that’s what happens when you let Rowan Atkinson (or any of his characters) lead your ceremony! The movie ends with another unsuccessful wedding, as the bride finds out that her husband-to-be is in love with someone else and slaps poor Hugh Grant with all her strength. Stream on Pluto TV and MGM+.

7. "Tangled Ever After" (2012)

The short sequel to the hit animated film is also worth mentioning, as it completely represents the term “wedding chaos”. When Maximus and Pascal accidentally lose the rings, they have to run (and fly) through the whole kingdom in order to bring them safely back. Oh, and they have to find the rings within a few minutes before the priest ends his speech. The almost-impossible mission somehow ends up in a success, with yet another trouble rearing its head when Maximus causes the wedding cake to roll out of the castle. Well, what else did you expect when making animals your best men?! Stream on Disney+.

8. Shotgun Wedding (2023)

Last but definitely not least, a newer addition to the disastrous weddings collection! This time, the blame is not on ex-lovers, friends, bridesmaids, or best men, but on actual pirates, who take hostage of the whole company right before the holy ceremony. Luckily, the bride and the groom (played by Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel) manage to escape and now, instead of dancing to their first song as newlyweds, they have to save both themselves and their families and friends. Stream on Prime Video.