The holy ceremony that ties the knot between two people is a much celebrated event worldwide. Weddings are an important part of popular culture and although the customs and rituals might differ from places to places, weddings remain to be important and joyous for all.
Movies too, haven’t been untouched by the cultural impact of weddings, and there is a plethora of Hollywood movies that feature a story built around the events of a wedding. If you’re the kind of person who wants to indulge in the warm feelings and the chaotic yet joyful events of a typical wedding, here are some of the best wedding movies you must watch.
1. 27 Dresses (2008)
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Released in 2008, the romantic comedy stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden in the lead roles and was directed by Anne Fletcher. The story revolves around the life of Jane Nichols (Heigl) who has an affinity for planning weddings and has been a bridesmaid for 27 weddings. James Marsden plays the role of a reporter who wants to feature Heigl for his article. Although the movie might seem clichéd at times with a formulaic storyline, it captures the spirit of a bride’s true feelings. A must watch for the wedding fans.
2. Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
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Directed by Andy Tennant, Sweet Home Alabama might appear to be another clichéd love story that ends in a wedding, but for those who are looking forward to wonderful performance by Reese Witherspoon will enjoy this to the fullest. Reese plays the role of a successful fashion designer who lives in upstate New York and is about to get married to the Mayor’s son. But Melanie has a secret past – an estranged husband (Josh Lucas) whom she hasn’t been divorced with. The romance ensues when Melanie returns to Alabama to get Jake to sign the divorce papers and finds that there’s more to her hometown than what she left behind. With equal doses of light hearted comedic elements and fairy tale romance, Sweet Home Alabama is definitive watch with family.
3. The Wedding Crashers (2005)
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With a misfit band of comedy giants like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson along with notable actors like Christopher Walken, Rachel Mc Adams, Bradley Cooper, Isla Fisher and Will Ferrell, the movie is one of the most hilarious takes on weddings. Vince and Owen play the roles of the titular characters and think of ways to crash weddings and enjoy the free drinks and women. After crashing several weddings the problem begins when Owen falls for a bridesmaid (Rachel Mc Adams) who is also about to get married to Bradley Cooper. Released in 2005, the Wedding Crashers was directed by David Dobkins and was well received by the audiences and critics alike.
4. Father of the Bride (1991)
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Listed among the funniest movies of all time, ‘Father of the Bride’ stars comedy veteran Steve Martin as the titular character. A remake of the 1950 movie of the same name, the movie is centred on Steve’s character – George Banks, the owner of an athletic shoe company who gets the news that his daughter (Kimberley Williams) got engaged to Bryan Mackenzie (George Newbern) on her trip to Europe. Despite of Bryan’s likeable appearance and a good financial status, he gets an immediate disapproval of George, while his wife approves of their wedding. Despite of the simple plot, Steve martin adds his signature style of oddly timed humour and makes it a must watch movie for the wedding enthusiasts.
5. The Hangover (2009)
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The comedy was directed by Todd Phillips and its huge commercial success made it first of the Hangover trilogy. The movie starred a rag-tag team of actors like Bradley Cooper, Heather Graham, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Jeffery Tambor and Justin Bartha. The movie is set around the events of a Bachelor party in Vegas and the chaos that follows when the groom (Bartha) goes missing. Having strangely forgotten the events of the night, the remaining friends must retrace their steps and find Bartha before the wedding. Said to have been inspired by real events, the movie was a major box office success and literally skyrocketed the Acting careers of Zach Galifinakis and Ed Helms.
6. The Wedding Singer (1998)
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Starring Adam Sandler in the titular role, The Wedding Singer was released in 1998 and is credited to be one of the most successful wedding movies in Hollywood. Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is a wedding singer and is engaged to his long-time girlfriend. He soon meets a waitress, Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) at a reception hall and starts developing feelings for her. Despite of the simple plot, the movie’s comedic elements come from the signature goofy style of Adam Sandler and his motley crew of actors like Rob Schneider and Steve Buscemi.
These are just a few selected movies from the long list of wedding movies made in Hollywood. Nevertheless, these movies capture the very soul of the fun event that weddings are. If you have some of your old wedding movies on film, you can also convert 8 mm or 16 mm film to DVD to protect them in a much safer format.
