How to beat the covid-19 wedding blues

In our previous post we discussed some of the ways the coronavirus could upset your wedding plans.  That was four weeks ago and things have got considerably worse than we anticipated – to the extent that all public social gatherings involving more than two people have been banned as the country has been placed in lockdown. 

How long is this state of affairs going to continue?  Nobody knows for sure.  What we can say is that things will return to normal…eventually.  In the meantime, with wedding plans around the country on hold and all but “essential workers” confined at home, we thought we’d recommend some uplifting and humorous comedy movies that feature wedding preparations and celebrations – enjoy! 

NB, we’ve already featured 10 wedding themed movies in an earlier post so in this list some of the most obvious candidates are missing – for those other classics click here.

MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING

Julianne, played by Julia Roberts, anticipates a proposal from her handsome former college buddy Michael O'Neal, played by Dermot Mulroney.  Imagine her shock when he introduces her to sweet-natured fiancé Kimmy Wallace, played by Cameron Diaz.  Invited to be maid of honour at the wedding Julianne agrees – but only so she is better placed to sabotage the show and get the happy couple to split up before the knot is tied. 

THE WEDDING PLANNER

Jennifer Lopez stars in this light hearted romantic comedy as Mary Fiore, a highly ambitious and successful San Francisco wedding planner.   Having given up on love after catching her fiancé cheating she believes she is immune to cupid’s arrows.  To her dismay she finds herself falling for Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), a successful paediatrician and one of her wealthy clients.  You can probably guess the ending but the twists and turns are very entertaining.

Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash

SIDEWAYS

Jack enjoys the last few days of bachelor freedom with his mate Miles on a wine tasting trip that rapidly spins out of control.  This comically mismatched pair of losers find themselves toppling into midlife crisis as they mix wine with women.  Against all the odds, and after some hilarious adventures, Jack’s wedding eventually takes place… but that’s not the end of the story for mixed up Miles.  “Charming, thoughtful, and often funny, Sideways is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances” comments review site Rotten Tomatoes, which gives the film a near perfect 97% score.

BRIDE WARS

Childhood best friends Liv and Emma planned every detail of their respective weddings together.  Top of the wish list for both is New York's ultimate bridal destination, the Plaza Hotel.  They just didn’t plan to do it on the same day.  Cue an amusing bridezilla-fest as the two find themselves falling out big time.  Kate Hudson’s and Anne Hathaway's characters learn some important wedding planning lessons that you’ll find as instructional as they are entertaining. 

Photo by Rebecca Matthews on Unsplash

AMERICAN WEDDING

If binge-watching too many sickly sweet rom-com  wedding moves gives you an unwelcome sugar rush this should prove the perfect antidote.  Raunchy, gross and satisfyingly childish this will certainly take your mind off the more serious wedding challenges you are wrestling with at the moment.  NB, we won’t bother to describe the plot as there isn’t one…but who cares anyway when the laughs keep coming?

PLUS ONE

Single college friends Ben and Alice view a summer full of weddings, in which everyone but them is pairing off into marital bliss, as something to be survived rather than enjoyed.  They agree to be each other’s plus one at all these mortifying events.  It’s an amusing mashup of other popular wedding movies with two well matched leads and no shortage of entertaining wisecracks.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Native New Yorker Rachel Chu accompanies long-time boyfriend Nick Young to his best friend's wedding in Singapore.  What follows is a twist on the “Meet the Parents” theme when Rachel discovers Nick’s family is totally minted …and that he is therefore one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors.  No pressure then as Rachel find herself attacked from all sides by jealous socialites and Nick’s formidable mother.  Money may not buy love but it certainly stirs up plenty of the opposite!

THE HANGOVER

Not very romantic, but non-stop raunchy, gross and cringe-making laughs as four men behave badly, and then some, on a stag-do in Vegas.  The three worse-for-wear groomsmen have 48 hours to find the groom and get him to the wedding on time – which is not easy when none of them can remember much about the night before.  The movie became a massive hit – for good reason. 

27 DRESSES

Jane, played by Katherine Heigl is an idealistic, romantic and selfless soul who moonlights as a professional bridesmaid.  She’s also secretly in love with George, her boss.  Things get tricky when her sister Tess falls for George, swiftly wins his heart by devious means, the asks Jane to act as their wedding planner.  In the meantime Jane has met Kevin, a journalist who decides to feature her in an article about serial bridesmaids.  These two plot lines become entangled and all sorts of drama ensues.  It’s all a bit silly and frivolous, but a lot of fun – just what you need to take your mind off your own wedding challenges in this time of coronavirus.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

THE WEDDING DATE

Kat is not looking forward to attending the wedding of her spoilt and self-centred sister in London – the best man is her handsome ex-boyfriend.  In desperation she hires Nick Mercer, one of New York's better known and in-demand professional male escorts, a man guaranteed to inspire jealousy and lust.  The plan works beautifully until…you guessed it, the professional relationship with her plus one threatens to get a bit more personal as Kat realises that she too is not immune to Nick’s charm. 

We’re still here for you

Once you’ve watched that lot you’ll hopefully be in a better frame of mind to tackle any issues surrounding your own wedding.  The team at Clevedon Hall are now working from home but happy to give you any help, advise and support they can.  Visit our dedicated covid-19 web page for more information of what arrangements we’ve made for doing that.