62 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.

What was the production budget of My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding was made for about $5 million and grossed more than $368 million worldwide, a sleeper hit that never once topped the weekend box office.

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

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

Which 2016 animated film took My Big Fat Greek Wedding's record as top-grossing film never to be number one?

Adjusted for inflation the Greek wedding was still bigger, worth about $322 million in 2016 dollars.

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, the legendary crasher who lives with his mother and has moved on to funerals, a cameo that went uncredited in the film.

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

Rudolph and Kristen Wiig were Saturday Night Live castmates, which is where much of the film's improvised chemistry came from.

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

Melissa McCarthy was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2012 Academy Awards for playing Megan, the groom's blunt sister; Wiig and Annie Mumolo were nominated for the screenplay.

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 appear as themselves at Lillian's reception performing "Hold On", their 1990 Billboard Hot 100 number one, as the film's closing surprise.

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

Andie MacDowell plays Carrie; she took a steep pay cut to make the low-budget film in exchange for a share of the profits, which earned her far more once it became a worldwide hit.

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

Rowan Atkinson plays Father Gerald, the nervous priest whose mangled vows ("awful wedded wife", "Holy Goat") turn Bernard and Lydia's wedding into farce.

For how many consecutive weeks did Wet Wet Wet's 'Love Is All Around' top the UK singles chart?

Wet Wet Wet's cover of Love Is All Around spent 15 consecutive weeks at number one in the UK in 1994; Richard Curtis later reworked it as "Christmas Is All Around" for Bill Nighy's Billy Mack in Love Actually.

What was Richard Curtis's working title for the film released as Four Weddings and a Funeral?

Curtis's early drafts carried the title Four Weddings and a Honeymoon; the funeral was added in later rewrites, and the finished 1994 film became the highest-grossing British film to that date.

In which year is The Wedding Singer, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, set?

The Wedding Singer is set in 1985, a year the film milks with a DeLorean-driving villain, a Boy George-styled bandmate and a soundtrack of mid-eighties hits.

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?

Robbie's song is "Grow Old with You", which Sandler co-wrote with Tim Herlihy; the film was the first of three Sandler-Barrymore pairings, followed by 50 First Dates and Blended.

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, the flamboyant wedding coordinator with the unplaceable accent, and returned for the 1995 sequel; B.D. Wong plays his assistant Howard Weinstein.

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

Aline Brosh McKenna adapted The Devil Wears Prada (2006) before writing 27 Dresses, which director Anne Fletcher made as her second feature after Step Up.

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

Nick takes Rachel home to Singapore, where Colin and Araminta's wedding was shot at CHIJMES, a former convent, with the reception staged among the Supertrees of Gardens by the Bay.

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

Kwan optioned the rights for just $1 so he could keep creative control and insist on an all-Asian cast; the film earned about $239 million on a $30 million budget.

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

Pretty Woman (1990) first paired Richard Gere and its leading lady under Garry Marshall, with Hector Elizondo as the hotel manager; Runaway Bride brought all four back and grossed $309 million worldwide.

Most of Mamma Mia! (2008) was shot on location on which Greek island?

The wedding chapel scenes were shot at Agios Ioannis on Skopelos, whose beaches, with neighbouring Skiathos, stand in for the fictional island of Kalokairi.

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

The tiger belongs to Mike Tyson, who plays himself, punches Alan and later air-drums to Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" in his mansion.

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

Beverly Hills Cop took $234 million domestically in 1984, a mark no R-rated comedy passed until The Hangover's $277 million run in 2009.

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?

Muriel's hometown is Porpoise Spit, the stifling beach town she flees for Sydney with Rhonda; Gold Coast locations stood in for it during filming.

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

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 film 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 2009 Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.

The screenwriter of Rachel Getting Married (2008) is the daughter of which legendary director?

Jenny Lumet, daughter of Sidney Lumet and granddaughter of Lena Horne, wrote the script; Jonathan Demme directed it with Anne Hathaway as the recovering addict Kym.

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

Benjamin's car runs dry on the road into Santa Barbara and he sprints to the church; the scene was shot at the United Methodist Church in La Verne and echoes Harold Lloyd's Girl Shy.

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?

Monsoon Wedding took the Golden Lion at the 2001 Venice Film Festival, making Nair the second Indian director to win it after Satyajit Ray for Aparajito in 1957.

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, Palm Springs beat the festival's previous sale record by what amount?

Neon and Hulu paid $17,500,000.69 at Sundance 2020, topping the $17.5 million paid for The Birth of a Nation in 2016 by exactly $0.69.

In Sweet Home Alabama, Jake secretly makes glass sculptures by planting rods in the sand to attract what?

Jake plants metal rods on the beach so lightning strikes fuse the sand into glass sculptures, which he sells through a New York gallery; Melanie learns of it only late in the film.

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, Buttercup is forcibly betrothed to which prince of Florin?

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?

The Bride's name is Beatrix Kiddo, censored with a bleep every time it is said in Volume 1 and revealed only in Volume 2; her alias was Black Mamba in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.

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?

George leads the whole table and then the restaurant in "I Say a Little Prayer"; Everett's scene-stealing turn earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

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 in July 2005 and took $56 million to Wedding Crashers' $34 million; the crashers still finished the year sixth at the US box office.

In Wedding Crashers, which numbered rule is "No excuses, play like a champion"?

Jeremy shouts Rule #76, "No excuses, play like a champion," at John during one of their crashes; the crashers' numbered rulebook is a running gag throughout the film.

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?

During the quail hunt Sack deliberately peppers Jeremy in the buttocks with birdshot, and Jeremy spends the rest of the weekend limping while Gloria fusses over him.

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

The Clearys' waterfront estate is on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a short drive across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the family's Washington base, and the weekend scenes were shot on location there.

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, then the senior senator from Arizona, appears as a guest congratulating the Clearys, with Democratic strategist James Carville beside him for a bipartisan touch.

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

Isla Fisher took Breakthrough Performance at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards as the clingy Gloria Cleary, the same night Wedding Crashers won Best Movie and Vaughn and Wilson won On-Screen Team.

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 feature directorial debut of which director?

Adam Shankman, a former choreographer, made The Wedding Planner as his first feature; the Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey vehicle grossed $94.7 million despite negative reviews.

Which two ABBA members composed the score for the 2008 film Mamma Mia!?

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who wrote the group's songs, produced the music and Andersson composed the score; Catherine Johnson adapted her own stage book and Phyllida Lloyd directed.

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

Donna's villa and courtyard were built in full on Pinewood's 007 stage, the vast soundstage originally made for The Spy Who Loved Me, complete with real trees kept alive under lights during the shoot.

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

27 Dresses was shot mainly in Rhode Island, with Newport's Gilded Age mansions Rosecliff and Marble House among the wedding locations.