90 Fun Facts About Wedding Movies

Who wrote My Big Fat Greek Wedding and also starred as Toula Portokalos?

Nia Vardalos wrote the screenplay and played Toula, drawing on her own Winnipeg Greek family and her marriage to non-Greek actor Ian Gomez; the story began as her one-woman stage show.

Which actor produced My Big Fat Greek Wedding after his wife saw the stage show?

Tom Hanks's company Playtone backed the film after his wife, who has Greek roots, saw the stage show; made for about $5 million, it grossed over $368 million worldwide.

What is the name of the Portokalos family restaurant where Toula works in My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Toula works at Dancing Zorba's, her family's Greek restaurant, at the start of the film, before she enrolls in college computer classes and moves to her aunt Voula's travel agency.

Which 2016 animated film took My Big Fat Greek Wedding's record as the biggest US hit never to reach number one?

Sing earned about $270 million in the US without a single weekend at number one, opening behind Rogue One, and passed My Big Fat Greek Wedding's $241 million.

In Wedding Crashers, what do John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey do for a living?

John and Jeremy are divorce mediators, and the film opens on them at work, talking a bickering couple through a settlement before the two launch into wedding season.

Christopher Walken's William Cleary in Wedding Crashers holds which government post?

Walken's William Cleary is the Secretary of the Treasury, the Washington power broker whose daughter's wedding John and Jeremy crash before following the family to its waterfront estate.

Which comedian appears uncredited in Wedding Crashers as Chazz Reinhold, who now crashes funerals?

Will Ferrell plays Chazz Reinhold uncredited; he takes John to crash a funeral, where the sight of the grieving widow sends John racing back to win Claire.

Who plays Lillian, the bride whose best friend Annie spirals in Bridesmaids?

Maya Rudolph plays Lillian, who ends up sinking to the street in a couture wedding dress when food poisoning hits the bridal party at her fitting.

Which Bridesmaids cast member received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress?

Melissa McCarthy earned the nomination as Megan, the groom's blunt sister, who turns up at Annie's door late in the film and pushes her to take charge of her life.

What was the name of Annie's bakery in Bridesmaids, the business that failed in the recession?

Annie's failed bakery was Cake Baby; Officer Rhodes recognises her as its former owner during a traffic stop and spends the film nudging her to bake again.

Which group performs their 1990 hit "Hold On" as themselves at the reception in Bridesmaids?

Wilson Phillips perform "Hold On" as themselves at Lillian's wedding; Carnie Wilson said the filmmakers simply called and asked, and the cameo put the trio back in the public eye.

Which American actress plays Carrie opposite Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Andie MacDowell plays Carrie; she has said the rain-soaked final scene left the cast freezing, on a low-budget shoot that lasted just 36 days.

Which actor plays the bumbling priest Father Gerald in Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Rowan Atkinson plays Father Gerald, newly ordained and verbally bumbling his way through Bernard and Lydia's wedding; a co-star has said that watching a scene of his in the dailies convinced her the film would be a huge hit.

Which Four Weddings and a Funeral song was reworked for Love Actually?

Love Is All Around, Wet Wet Wet's cover of a Troggs song, topped the UK chart for 15 weeks in 1994; Richard Curtis later had Bill Nighy perform it as "Christmas Is All Around".

What did Richard Curtis first call Four Weddings and a Funeral, before adding the funeral?

Four Weddings and a Honeymoon was the plan until Curtis's friend Helen Fielding, later the author of Bridget Jones's Diary, urged him to go deeper and he added the funeral.

Which rock star helps Robbie serenade Julia on the flight at the end of The Wedding Singer?

Billy Idol plays himself on the flight, taking the intercom so Robbie can serenade Julia and then holding off her fiancé Glenn with help from the first-class passengers.

What song does Robbie write for Julia and sing over the plane's intercom in The Wedding Singer?

Grow Old with You is Robbie's gentle answer to "Somebody Kill Me", the howl of a breakup song he plays for Julia earlier in the film; Sandler wrote both with Tim Herlihy.

In the 1991 Father of the Bride, Steve Martin's George Banks owns a company that makes what?

George Banks owns Side Kicks, an athletic shoes company; Annie walks down the aisle in a pair of his sneakers, and the family lives in San Marino, California.

Who plays Franck Eggelhoffer, the eccentric European wedding coordinator in the 1991 Father of the Bride?

Martin Short plays Franck Eggelhoffer, whose accent is so thick that George cannot follow a word; Short brought the character back in 2020 for a video-call reunion short.

Aline Brosh McKenna wrote 27 Dresses after the success of which earlier screenplay of hers?

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) came first; McKenna then wrote Katherine Heigl a heroine who has been a bridesmaid 27 times and ends up the subject of a newspaper story.

In Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel Chu flies with Nick to which city for his best friend's wedding?

Singapore is Nick's home, and only on the trip does Rachel learn his family is among its richest; Colin and Araminta's wedding was filmed at CHIJMES, a former convent.

For how much did Kevin Kwan option the screen rights to Crazy Rich Asians in exchange for creative control?

$1 was the option price Kevin Kwan set after one producer urged him to make his heroine white; the token fee kept him involved in creative decisions on the film.

Runaway Bride (1999) reunited its two stars, its director Garry Marshall and Hector Elizondo from which 1990 hit?

Pretty Woman's two stars, Garry Marshall and Hector Elizondo all returned for Runaway Bride, a script that had spent about a decade in development with other actors attached.

In The Hangover, whose tiger do Phil, Stu and Alan find in their Caesars Palace bathroom?

Mike Tyson, playing himself, is waiting in their suite singing along to Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" before he knocks Alan out and demands his tiger back.

Which film held the record for highest-grossing R-rated US comedy for almost 25 years before The Hangover?

Beverly Hills Cop, reworked for Eddie Murphy after Sylvester Stallone left the project, took about $234 million in the US, a mark no R-rated comedy beat until The Hangover.

In Muriel's Wedding, which band's songs soundtrack Muriel's daydreams of escaping her dead-end hometown?

ABBA's songs, above all "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo", carry Muriel's fantasies; Toni Collette earned a Golden Globe nomination, and the film later became a stage musical with new songs by Kate Miller-Heidke.

What is the fictional dead-end beach town Muriel flees in Muriel's Wedding?

Porpoise Spit stands in for Tweed Heads, the New South Wales town where writer-director P.J. Hogan grew up and which he says he mocked mercilessly in the film.

Which star of The Philadelphia Story (1940) won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance?

James Stewart won Best Actor for playing reporter Macaulay Connor; he felt it was really compensation for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and displayed the statuette in his father's Indiana, Pennsylvania hardware store.

What was MGM's 1956 musical remake of The Philadelphia Story with Crosby, Kelly and Sinatra called?

High Society (1956) retold the story with Cole Porter songs, including the duet "True Love" for Crosby and Kelly, and was Grace Kelly's final film before she became Princess of Monaco.

Which tycoon helped Katharine Hepburn buy the screen rights to The Philadelphia Story?

Howard Hughes, then Hepburn's romantic partner, bought her the film rights to Philip Barry's play, letting her dictate the studio, director and co-stars for the 1940 film.

In Bride Wars, Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway's characters both dream of a June wedding at which New York hotel?

Liv and Emma have both dreamed since childhood of a June wedding at The Plaza; a clerical error books them for the same day, turning best friends into rivals.

Which Bride Wars cast member was nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress?

Candice Bergen plays Marion St. Claire, Manhattan's most famous wedding planner, whose double booking sets the feud in motion; the role brought her a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.

Rachel Getting Married (2008) was written by the daughter of which director of 12 Angry Men?

Sidney Lumet's daughter Jenny wrote the script while teaching drama at a Manhattan school; she had first tried acting, with a role in her father's thriller Q&A.

In The Graduate, Benjamin runs out of gas racing to stop Elaine's wedding in which California city?

Santa Barbara is where Benjamin's car runs dry, leaving him to sprint to the church; the wedding was actually filmed at the United Methodist Church in La Verne, California.

Which actor was cast as Mr. Robinson in The Graduate but fired during rehearsals?

Gene Hackman was cast as Mr. Robinson but Mike Nichols let him go in rehearsals and replaced him with Murray Hamilton; Doris Day turned down Mrs. Robinson because the nudity offended her.

Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (2001) won the Golden Lion, the top prize at which film festival?

Venice gave Monsoon Wedding its Golden Lion in 2001; two decades on, Mira Nair turned the film into a stage musical and directed its New York premiere herself.

Which future Oscar winner directed The Wedding Banquet (1993), about a gay Taiwanese immigrant's sham marriage?

Ang Lee directed it as the second film of his Father Knows Best trilogy; it shared the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1993 and was remade in 2025 with Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.

In Ready or Not (2019), the bride's in-laws hunt her after she draws which card on her wedding night?

Grace draws the one lethal card, Hide-and-Seek, so the Le Domas family must hunt and kill her before dawn; the film grossed about $57 million on a $6 million budget.

At Sundance 2020, the announced sale price of Palm Springs beat the festival record by what amount?

$0.69 was the margin: Neon and Hulu announced a price of $17,500,000.69 to edge past The Birth of a Nation's $17.5 million, though the deal was later reported to be worth about $22 million.

In Sweet Home Alabama, what does Jake rely on to turn beach sand into his glass sculptures?

Lightning does the work: Jake plants rods in the beach so strikes fuse the sand into glass, though real strikes leave only rough, hollow tubes called fulgurites.

In The Proposal, Margaret travels to her assistant's family home in which Alaskan town?

Andrew's family lives in Sitka, Alaska, though the town scenes were shot in Rockport, Massachusetts; Oscar Nunez's Ramone turns up as waiter, shopkeeper, exotic dancer and finally the minister.

In The Princess Bride, which character is Buttercup set to marry after she believes Westley is dead?

Prince Humperdinck chooses Buttercup as his bride while plotting to murder her and blame Guilder; Westley later assures her the marriage is invalid because she never said "I do".

What is the Bride's real name in Kill Bill, finally spoken in Volume 2?

Beatrix Kiddo is bleeped out whenever anyone says it in Volume 1 and is first heard in Volume 2; inside the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad she went by Black Mamba.

In My Best Friend's Wedding, the bride Kimmy's father owns which sports team?

Kimmy's father Walter Wallace owns the Chicago White Sox, which is why the wedding is a society event; the film opened second behind Batman & Robin but out-earned it worldwide.

Which Bacharach-David song does Rupert Everett lead a restaurant in singing in My Best Friend's Wedding?

I Say a Little Prayer starts with George at the lunch table and spreads to the whole restaurant; a reggae cover by Diana King on the soundtrack sent the 1960s song back into the US charts.

Which Steel Magnolias cast member earned her first Oscar nomination for playing Shelby?

Julia Roberts earned her first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, as the diabetic bride Shelby; Robert Harling wrote the original play in ten days about his own sister's death.

Which film kept Wedding Crashers out of the top spot on its July 2005 opening weekend?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened the same weekend with $56 million to Wedding Crashers' $34 million, yet the comedy ended up out-grossing it in the US, $209 million to $206 million.

In Wedding Crashers, Rule #76 says "No excuses, play like" what?

A champion: Jeremy barks "Rule number 76: no excuses, play like a champion", and the rulebook grew into a Rules of Wedding Crashing gallery on the DVD.

In Wedding Crashers, what do John and Jeremy spike Sack's wine with at the Cleary dinner?

John doses Sack's wine with eye drops, which leave him violently ill and clear the way for John to spend time with Claire; in reality swallowing eye drops can be far more dangerous.

Where does Sack shoot Jeremy during the hunting-trip prank in Wedding Crashers?

In the buttocks: Sack takes John and Jeremy hunting as a prank and shoots Jeremy there, leaving Gloria to tend the wound while John slips away with Claire.

Which state hosts the Cleary family compound where most of Wedding Crashers' weekend retreat takes place?

Maryland is home to the Cleary compound; Jeremy is desperate to escape the weekend there, but John overrules him and accepts the invitation to stay close to Claire.

The big Cleary wedding reception in Wedding Crashers was filmed at which Chesapeake Bay hotel?

The Inn at Perry Cabin, a waterfront hotel in St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore, hosted the reception scenes; the Chesapeake setting is why the Clearys sail and hunt during the weekend.

Which then-sitting US senator had a cameo at the Cleary wedding in Wedding Crashers?

John McCain turns up congratulating the Clearys beside strategist James Carville, a cameo the Drudge Report needled because he had once held hearings on studios marketing R-rated films to teens.

Who won Breakthrough Performance at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for Wedding Crashers?

Isla Fisher won as the clingy Gloria Cleary on a night when Wedding Crashers also took Best Movie; within four years she was headlining Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Under what name was the unrated home-video cut of Wedding Crashers sold?

The unrated DVD was sold as Wedding Crashers: Uncorked Edition, released in January 2006 with extra footage not in the R-rated theatrical cut.

In The Wedding Planner, what is Steve's profession when he rescues Mary from a dumpster?

Steve Edison is a pediatrician who pulls Mary clear of a runaway dumpster; she only later learns he is 'Eddie', the fiancé of heiress Fran Donolly, whose society wedding she has been hired to plan.

The Wedding Planner (2001) was the first feature directed by which choreographer, who later made Hairspray?

Adam Shankman made it his first feature after years as a choreographer; the leads were first meant for Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brendan Fraser before Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey took over.

Which songwriting pair composed the music for the 2008 film Mamma Mia!?

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote the music; for the film Andersson re-recorded the songs with musicians who had played on the group's original sessions.

Where at Pinewood Studios was the full set of Donna's Greek villa built for Mamma Mia!?

The 007 stage, built in 1976 to hold a supertanker set for The Spy Who Loved Me, housed the film's full villa set, and most of Mamma Mia! was shot on it.

In which New England state was most of 27 Dresses filmed?

Rhode Island stood in for much of a story set in New York City: 27 Dresses was shot mainly there, with Newport's Marble House mansion among its wedding locations.

In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula's father Gus treats every ailment with which cleaning spray?

Windex is Gus's cure-all in the film, sprayed on everything from pimples to warts. His other fixed idea is that Toula should marry and have children as soon as possible.

In Bridesmaids, the bridal party gets food poisoning after a lunch of which cuisine?

Brazilian food is Annie's pick for lunch, and it strikes during the fitting at an exclusive bridal boutique. Helen, the only one who did not eat there, is spared.

In Crazy Rich Asians, Rachel Chu settles things with Nick's mother Eleanor over a game of what?

Mahjong is the game, and Rachel uses her expertise in game theory to hand Eleanor the winning tile on purpose. The parlor was a redecorated mansion in Penang.

In the 1991 Father of the Bride, Annie Banks briefly calls off the wedding over which gift?

A blender is the gift, which Annie takes to mean her fiancé Bryan expects a compliant housewife. The pair had known each other for only three months when they got engaged.

In Runaway Bride, Maggie Carpenter flees her wedding to Ike Graham by jumping aboard what?

A FedEx truck is Maggie's getaway from Ike, the reporter who came to town to write about her. She had already left three fiancés at the altar before he arrived.

Mamma Mia! takes place on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi, a name that means what in Greek?

Summer is what Kalokairi means. No such island exists: it was invented as the home of bride-to-be Sophie, who invites three men there without telling her mother.

In The Proposal, editor Margaret Tate fakes an engagement to avoid being deported to which country?

Canada is where Margaret would be sent after a visa violation, so she coerces her assistant Andrew into marrying her. A suspicious immigration agent warns them that fraud could mean prison.

The Reese Witherspoon comedy Sweet Home Alabama takes its title from a 1974 hit by which band?

Lynyrd Skynyrd released the song in 1974. In the film, a New York fashion designer goes home to end her marriage to the husband she grew up with, so that she can marry a politician's son.

At Juliet's wedding in Love Actually, musicians among the guests strike up a song by which band?

The Beatles' All You Need Is Love fills the church, led by singer Lynden David Hall. Peter's best friend Mark organised the day, and his video of it later gives away his secret.

Which pop star led The Wedding Planner and later played brides in Marry Me and Shotgun Wedding?

Jennifer Lopez released her album J.Lo as The Wedding Planner opened, making her the first woman with a number-one film and album in the United States at the same time.

Which actress plays Jane Nichols, a bridesmaid 27 times over, in the 2008 comedy 27 Dresses?

Katherine Heigl plays Jane, who reaches a turning point when her younger sister gets engaged to the boss Jane secretly loves. Critics praised her performance but called the plot formulaic.

Which actor plays the ex-CIA father in Meet the Parents and the groom's father in The Big Wedding?

Robert De Niro plays Jack Byrnes, whose florist business is a cover story for a career interrogating double agents. His daughter's boyfriend meets him at her sister's wedding.

Which director made Corpse Bride, in which a nervous groom accidentally weds a dead woman?

Tim Burton made it his first stop-motion feature as director. Victor rehearses his vows in a forest and slips the ring onto what looks like an upturned root, which turns out to be a skeletal finger.

Which duo recorded the soundtrack of The Graduate, which ends with a bride fleeing her wedding?

Simon & Garfunkel recorded the soundtrack. In the closing scene Benjamin shouts from the church gallery, and Elaine defies her mother and runs from the sanctuary.

The Godfather opens at the wedding reception of which of Vito Corleone's children?

Connie marries Carlo Rizzi as the film begins, while her father grants favours to a line of visitors in keeping with Sicilian tradition. Almost 750 Staten Island locals played the guests.

Which actress plays Samantha, whose birthday is forgotten amid a family wedding, in Sixteen Candles?

Molly Ringwald plays Sam, whose older sister Ginny is getting married the day after her sixteenth birthday. The breakout role made her a star of 1980s teen films.

In Coming to America, Prince Akeem leaves which fictional African nation to find a bride?

Zamunda is Akeem's wealthy homeland, where he grows weary of a pampered life. He travels to America hoping to find a woman who will love him for who he is, not for his status.

Which pirate captain weds Will and Elizabeth mid-battle in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End?

Barbossa weds the pair while the fight rages. Will ends the film bound to one day ashore and then ten years guiding souls lost at sea, so he spends that day with Elizabeth.

Which comedian plays Miracle Max, the healer who revives Westley, in The Princess Bride?

Billy Crystal plays the folk healer whose pill revives Westley. He and Carol Kane, who plays Max's wife, worked out the couple's backstory before filming and improvised some of their lines.

Which poet's verse does Matthew recite at Gareth's service in Four Weddings and a Funeral?

W. H. Auden wrote Funeral Blues, which Matthew recites in his grief. It makes Charles and Tom see that Gareth and Matthew had been like a married couple all along.

Which actor appears uncredited as David Veltri, who gives a wedding toast, in The Wedding Singer?

Steve Buscemi took the part without a credit. His toast was the one sequence Roger Ebert singled out as a standout, even in a negative review of the film.

In the 2008 film Sex and the City, which designer gifts Carrie Bradshaw her wedding gown?

Vivienne Westwood sends the gown after Carrie falls for it at a Vogue bridal shoot. When the couple finally marry at City Hall, she wears the simple suit she had first planned on.

Which star dances up the walls and across the ceiling of his room in the 1951 musical Royal Wedding?

Fred Astaire did it on a set built inside a revolving barrel, filmed by a camera that turned with the room. Director Stanley Donen reused the trick 35 years later for Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling video.

Which star plays the bride Kay Banks opposite Spencer Tracy in the 1950 film Father of the Bride?

Elizabeth Taylor married her first husband, Nicky Hilton, in real life just 12 days before the premiere, and MGM made the most of it in the film's publicity campaign.

Which actress plays both author Mary Shelley and the Monster's Mate in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)?

Elsa Lanchester took the dual role, though the credits listed the Monster's Mate only as a question mark. Brigitte Helm and Phyllis Brooks had been considered for the part first.

Which director made Rachel Getting Married, about a woman out of rehab for her sister's wedding?

Jonathan Demme shot it in Stamford, Connecticut, in a naturalistic style. Anne Hathaway plays Kym, released for a few days to attend the wedding at her childhood home.

Which Danish director's Melancholia has a bride marry just before a rogue planet hits Earth?

Lars von Trier wrote and directed it, with Kirsten Dunst as the bride. The idea came from a therapy session, where he heard that depressive people stay calmer than others under heavy pressure.

Which designer created Bella Swan's wedding dress in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1?

Carolina Herrera designed it, and the gown was kept secret before the film came out. On set, the actress playing Bella was locked in a room wearing a Volturi cloak to cover it.

The 2011 comedy Jumping the Broom is set at Sabrina Watson's family wedding on which island?

Martha's Vineyard is home to the bride's affluent family, the Watsons. The film was shot elsewhere, though: Blue Rocks in Nova Scotia stood in for the Massachusetts setting.

Which Golden Girls star plays Annie, the groom's grandmother, in the 2009 comedy The Proposal?

Betty White plays Annie, who joins the bachelorette party at a bar. Later, when a family argument breaks out, she appears to have a heart attack.