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Aisha Harris
Weddings tend to be a huge deal. They fuel a billion dollar industry, they stress people out and bring together a whole lot of strangers who'd never meet otherwise. Which is why they make for TV writers.
Linda Holmes
Quickie elopements in Vegas, ceremonies disrupted by exes, nuptials cut off by cold feet. If your favorite TV character is getting married, you can almost certainly bet it won't go smoothly. But it will be entertaining. I'm Linda Holmes.
Aisha Harris
And I'm Aisha Harris. And it's wedding season, so today we're talking about the comedy and drama of TV weddings on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour.
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Aisha Harris
So we're gonna be talking about a whole lot of tropes and common themes that occur when TV shows decide to have a wedding. Just before we start digging into all the sort of different types of TV weddings we see, like, why do you think that we just keep coming back to this? Why is TV like the perfect setting?
Linda Holmes
Well, there's a structural reason, right, which is that especially back when shows structured seasons around sweeps periods where they would always have specific times of year when they were trying to have like a big event episode that everybody would watch. And some of this even goes back to like before people typically time shifted viewing, so it was much more common to watch some episodes of something and not other episodes. They were always trying to find a way to make you sit down and tune into this particular episode. So things became at times very event centered. Yes, weddings were a thing that could be like a way to goose interest in the short term, get people to pay attention even to a show they did not always watch. The appeal of weddings, especially with long running characters, is that there are markers that are very predictable that you can kind of alter and mix up that people look forward to finding out about. Right. Like, what is the dress gonna look like, what is the location gonna be, what will the vows be? And of course, like a little bit of like, what will be the complications and what will go crazily wrong on this day?
Aisha Harris
Yes. Like, will this wedding actually happen? Is always the. And in real life, I mean, hopefully that's not usually the driving question going into any giving wedding. But that tends to be what it is. Especially when you're talking about shows that have been on for a while and you've been watching couples for a while, you're invested in seeing what comes of that.
Linda Holmes
Right.
Aisha Harris
So why don't we just kick it off by starting to talk about what we would classify as like a big event wedding. What do you think about when you think about the event weddings of tv?
Linda Holmes
So the first type that I think about are the straightforward kind of culmination of a long term plotline weddings. One place where you used to see a lot of these and they still happen is on soaps. And so it used to be that you would follow a couple for years and then they would build up to a big wedding and the whole show would be about that wedding for a week. For example, you know, the General Hospital wedding of Luke and Laura, which followed a very problematic storyline that began with him assaulting her. And it's very upsetting. To think about. I am not vouching for that storyline at all. But the wedding was a big enough deal that Elizabeth Taylor was on it.
Aisha Harris
Wait, I don't remember this.
Linda Holmes
Elizabeth Taylor made an appearance on General Hospital at Luke and Laura's wedding and that's how big of a deal it was.
Aisha Harris
Was she playing herself or.
Linda Holmes
No, no, no. She was playing someone named Helena Kassadine. She was playing a member of the evil Kassadine family. But that's also like, you know, Monica and Chandler on Friends and things like that. Ones where you've been watching the couple for a long time. They build up to the wedding, the wedding happens, it's generally happy and the payoff is it's the happ to a particular love story. So that's definitely one kind.
Aisha Harris
Yeah, absolutely. When we were first talking about doing this episode, I had one event wedding that immediately came to mind and I didn't even have to say it because Linda, you were like, is it this? And I was like, linda, yes. Am I that obvious? But it is true. When I immediately think of event weddings, I think of the season five finale of A Different World, which I was too young to be watching this live when it happened. But it was one of those TV weddings, like one of the first ones that I remember being very invested in when I finally did watch the whole show. This is kind of like the quintessential stop, like whoever should like protest, hold your peace. And so just to set this up a little bit, of course you have Dwayne Wayne, who's played by Kadeem Hardison and Whitley Gilbert, played by Jasmine Guy, who have had sort of this on and off again flirtation, then dating relationship throughout basically the entire series. In this episode, Whitley is getting married to Byron, played by Joe Morton, Papa Pope from Scandal. Uh huh, yeah, yeah. And so what I love about this episode, which was directed by Debbie Allen, Legend, Legend. It kind of departs from the usual way the episodes are filmed where it's like every once in a while as the wedding is proceeding with Byron, there'll be like a shaky cam and like a first person style camera shot that kind of gives you this surreal out of body experience for the viewer. And then at one point, Whitley sees Duane appear as the pastor and then as Byron and then as her mom. It's like, oh my God, he's everywhere, he's everywhere. And then of course there's the moment where they're about to say I do. And Dwayne interrupts, will you have me.
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Linda Holmes
I do.
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Natalie. Wait, wait.
Aisha Harris
You all heard. You heard it.
Linda Holmes
She said, and I do. But to who?
Aisha Harris
And you heard it. You heard the way that the audience just, like, exclaims, yes. That is like the culmination of years of investment, of a live audience. And that is what everyone wanted. And that's what I love about that type of event wedding. It's just so fun.
Linda Holmes
Absolutely. Well, this is definitely one of the categories, right? Because in addition to the weddings that we already talked about that do come off, there's a kind of a culmination of a story. There are also weddings that don't come off where, you know, the wedding is wrong and the wedding gets interrupted and doesn't happen. Yes. And one of my favorites falls into that category, too. At the end of the first season of er, Carol, played by Juliana Margulies, is getting ready to marry this kind of boring dude named Tag. She's still sort of in love with George Clooney, and, you know, but she's trying to move on. And so she's all set to marry this guy, and he actually pulls the plug on the wedding. Cause he realizes that she maybe is not as in love with him as he wishes, but she still feels very rejected. And so she winds up in the church, and she has this conversation with Doug Ross, played by George Clooney.
Aisha Harris
What's wrong with me? Why can't I fall in love with a nice guy, Someone who loves me, who wants to be with me, who's honest and decent? Boring. God, he was dull. The eternal question.
Linda Holmes
I love that little exchange. I think the injection of humor into that conversation and the way that when he breaks that sadness, she then is able to say, yes, he's dull. I think that moment between them is really warm. And after that, there's a whole reception where she and her friends and family decide they're gonna go ahead and eat the food and have the reception anyway. And it's a. There's a really lovely montage that shows a lot of the people from that first season and how close they are and what their relationships are. And it's a really nice tag to that first season and how good it is. But like I said, you also have ones that maybe you want to happen. They don't happen. And it's sad when they don't happen. I think about this one with during the second season of the Fox show Party of Five, this show that was often quite good. I thought there's a moment where Charlie, played by a very young Matthew Fox, gets cold feet on his wedding day, and by the time he pulls himself together, his fiance doesn't trust him anymore, and she leaves. And it's actually very sad. And you really get the feeling that this guy has kind of, like, blown his only opportunity to be happy. And they really play it as this very sad and difficult thing. And so that's one where you feel like, well, I kind of was hoping this was gonna happen, and this is very sad the way that it didn't.
Aisha Harris
Yeah. Yeah. I feel like one of the ones that I think of kind of falls into that category, depending on how you feel about the character's relationship, is the Grey's Anatomy Season 3 finale between Christina and Burke. Christina, played by Sandra oh, and then Burke, played by Isaiah Washington. And, you know, Christina, she was very much not trying to have the traditional wedding. And then, of course, things turn out so that she does wind up having a traditional wedding that she doesn't, like. She gets the cold feet. And then you have Burke, like, waiting at the altar, and she's taking too long, and then, like, he finally realizes, like, I'm trying to fit you into this box that, like, you don't want to be in. Just, like, that whole entire sort of, like, conversation, that moment that they have when he, like, finally leaves the altar and walks outside and, you know, says to her, like, I don't want to make you be something that you don't want to be. I love you. I need to let you go. I am wearing the dress. I'm ready, and.
Linda Holmes
And maybe I didn't want to before, but I want to now.
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Aisha Harris
It's so heartbreaking. And, of course, like, Sandra, oh, she is so good at doing the most in the best way possible. And I love the scene later on where she goes back to the apartment, and she sees that Burke has already taken the stuff out. She's still wearing her wedding dress, and she's like, he's gone. I'm free. And it's like Meredith cuts off the dress with scissors, and they wrap her arms around Christina. It's just like, I think some people might have been disappointed that it didn't happen, but it was very clear that Christina is not the type of person who was meant to be tied down in that traditional way. I love that moment. It's just. It's a classic Grey's moment. Yeah.
Linda Holmes
And I do Think that those thwarted weddings that don't happen are a big part of wedding events. Right. On tv, as are the sort of related phenomenon of weddings that they end up happening, but they end up happening in a kind of an improvised way because everything goes wrong. Right. That's your Jim and Pam on the office, where they were kind of losing control of the wedding that they had planned. So they ended up having a private ceremony on a boat at Niagara Falls before their official wedding with a lot of people. This is also your Jake and Amy on Brooklyn Nine Nine, where they couldn't use their original wedding venue because there was a bomb threatening, so the wedding got moved to the precinct.
Aisha Harris
But I do have some bad news.
Linda Holmes
There is a bomb at this wedding as well. What?
Aisha Harris
Your butt. Your butt is the bomb.
Linda Holmes
There will be no survivors. This kind of like the plans went awry, but it was still beautiful, is often used, I think, as a signifier that, you know, it's the love that really matters and not the trappings.
Aisha Harris
Yeah.
Linda Holmes
You know, you get the people saying, oh, it's not going to happen. It's not going to work. And then the friends are saying, we're going to do it. It's going to happen. So that's kind of its own, I think, category.
Aisha Harris
Yeah. I. I also think of the ones where there's the whole Mercury's in retrograde. Like, one thing goes wrong and then everything goes wrong. Yet at the end of it, it's kind of perfect that everything goes wrong. I think of Sex in the City, which had its fair share of marriages. But when Charlotte and Harry get married, Charlotte is convinced that the wedding is cursed because Harry saw her in her dress before the ceremony, and so she's the traditional one, even though she's already been married before. Everything that goes wrong does. Harry spills red wine on her dress while they're exchangin vows. The glass won't break because it's a Jewish wedding and it won't break. She slips. As they leave the altar, Miranda's speech catches on fire. I don't know if you remember this, but, like, during her toast, it, like, starts catching on fire. The other backstory is, like, Carrie had a casual fling with the best man, and then, like, he took it way more seriously than she did, and he feels jilted, so he spends the entire wedding, like, you know, scowling at her. And then his toast is kind of a mess. You used me for sex. Thanks, Allie. That's nice. Hey, Mazel tov.
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It was a mazel tov cocktail.
Aisha Harris
It's one of those things where it's like, this is the best case scenario. Like, I love seeing Charlotte, who is just always about perfection, like, see that wrench get thrown in. And yet, you know, Harry and Charlotte are still together all these years later, as we know from. And just like that. So perfect wedding does not necessarily mean you will be together forever. And I feel like those are the lessons, some of the lessons that TV tries to teach us with those types of episodes.
Linda Holmes
Oh, for sure, definitely. And the funny thing about all of these things, I think, to me is that the weddings that I have been to in my own life, very few of them are cataclysmic. If you think of them as plot.
Aisha Harris
You know what I mean?
Linda Holmes
It's a ritual, and it follows a kind of a ritual path. But on television, it's always the kind of like, oh, my gosh, everything's going wrong. Or else it's the other kind of wedding that obviously exists on TV is the disastrous catastrophe wedding.
Aisha Harris
Right.
Linda Holmes
Like the Red Wedding on Game of Thrones. Oh, God. Or on Dynasty. There was this wedding that happened in this fictional country called Moldavia, and these gunmen came in and it was one of those, like, end of season things where it was like, who got shot at the wedding? And it's interesting how at a TV wedding, something wildly unexpected is usually gonna happen, whereas at a real wedding, usually it's so, like, tightly choreographed and no one plans to call it off. And so you just kind of go and it's lovely and it happens and you love everyone and you take pictures and then you go home.
Aisha Harris
Yeah, I mean, I think one of my favorite examples of that, it's not quite as dramatic as, like, gunmen showing up. But I think of Cheers when Woody and Kelly get married in the season 10 finale, which is like a two parter and we don't actually even see the wedding. It all takes place behind the scenes. So, like, the entire Cheers crew has been hired to, like, help out, basically, in the second part of the episode. The entire episode takes place in the kitchen of the mansion where it's being held. And the minister who's supposed to marry Woody and Kelly dies right before the ceremony. And then the Cheers gang tries to keep everyone else from finding out. It's just like a kind of perfect sort of like, chaotic screwball where everyone has to have the perfect comedic timing and everyone does. At one point you have Lilith, played by Bebe Neuwirth, who, if you remember, Cheer, she was the very straight laced, like, deadpan. There's a Great moment where, like, she doesn't know what's happening yet, and then she finds out. Let's actually hear a little bit of that. What's taking so long? Shouldn't the wedding have started by now?
Sponsor
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Aisha Harris
Oh, my God. Someone died, didn't they? And it's like. It's perfect timing. It's like a truly great ensemble episode where everyone is doing their part to make it really fun.
Linda Holmes
Well, and Cheers also ends with that, really a very bittersweet episode in which Sam and Diane are planning to get married. And as it gets closer and closer, they just kind of realize that they shouldn't. Which is what I personally always wanted for the end of Russ and Rachel, honestly, is for them to be like, you know what? This is a bad idea. But Sam and Diane actually did that, and they said, you know, listen, we have other things we want to do. This is not the way to make both of us happy, even though love each other. Which is a really kind of mature and interesting decision for a comedy like that to make. And I. I have always really admired that ending as one of those weddings that ultimately isn't.
Aisha Harris
Yeah. I mean, that show had so many botched weddings or people. Diane especially leaving people at the altar. It starts with. Starts with her running away from. From getting married. You know, there's a lot of shows where weddings are sort of, like, baked into the narrative that I think we should at least, like, touch on briefly, because when we were talking about it, you mentioned the Brady Bunch and how that starts with a wedding. And then, of course, there's Happy Endings, which starts with a botched wedding and really sets the stage for the whole series where you have Alex, played by Alicia Cuthbert, and Dave, played by Zachary Knighton. It's the pilot episode. It's the opening of the episode. They're at the wedding, and then someone comes in and is like, you told.
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Aisha Harris
Hey, man, my nana's here.
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Aisha Harris
And then the rest of the series is kind of them trying to figure out, okay, how do I recover from the trauma of you leaving me at the altar, plus trying to keep our friend group together? It's rare That a wedding or a wedding that didn't happen can be so integral to the plot. The same is also true of something like How I Met yout Mother, where the entire final season takes place at a wedding. That's a choice to do an entire season on one weekend anyway.
Linda Holmes
Yes, I think that one felt a bit gimmicky to me.
Aisha Harris
Yeah.
Linda Holmes
The whole thing about the Brady Bunch was that they started with this wedding where everything went wrong. And it was sort of like the guys had a dog and the girls had a cat, and the cat and the dog got in a fight at the wedding and the dog chased the cat and they knocked over the cake. And then the parents were going on their honeymoon and they ended up bringing all the kids with them on their honeymoon.
Aisha Harris
I remember that.
Linda Holmes
Which is sort of like, you look at it and you go, hmm, really.
Aisha Harris
Blended families, Am I right?
Linda Holmes
That's sort of how they kicked off that show was this is a team now. Right. And I think that wedding was the way that they sort of set the stage for that.
Aisha Harris
Yeah.
Linda Holmes
Don't get a lot of Brady Bunchy weddings anymore.
Aisha Harris
No, no. But I mean, when you think about when that show came out at the end of the 60s, like, that was a time where it was becoming way more common for blended families to accepted and presented in the mainstream in a way that it was. And so it's kind of, I don't know, a little revolutionary in a way for such a really cheesy, kind of awful show.
Linda Holmes
Yeah. I mean, blended family, a wedding in that sense, it's probably one of the earlier ones on television that set up a blended family. Although there were other ones later on and.
Aisha Harris
Yeah, I mean, you know, we're talking about sort of a landmark sort of wedding when it comes to Brady Bunch. But we. We must not end this episode without also talking about the way in which queer and gay marriage kind of evolved and became a thing on tv. I think of something like the vow renewal, actually, of Captain Holt and Kevin on Brooklyn Nine. Nine.
Linda Holmes
One of my favorite couples.
Aisha Harris
Yes, yes. Favorite couple. Absolutely. I think in the lore of the show, they had gotten married in, like, 2011 when it became illegal in New York. Towards the end of the series, they go through a separation and they decide to renew their vows.
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Aisha Harris
And also, just like their previous Wedding ceremony, you know, it wasn't quite the same as having one. You know, in a time where gay marriage is now just completely normal.
Linda Holmes
And by then, also, like, Holt is so close with the team, and I think, like, he's opened up a lot and has a lot more friendships and stuff like that, at least in the. I think it's nice for him to kind of also do this in the context of having kind of the life that he has now and to be able to do it like that. I think there have been some queer weddings that are among my favorites. I think of David and Patrick on Schitt's Creek, who are also one of my favorite couples and one of my favorite extremely romantic stories. That proposal episode is really awesome. That wedding episode's really awesome.
Aisha Harris
The Tina Turner song.
Linda Holmes
Yeah, the Tina Turner. Really awesome. And there's so much character development, particularly of David through those episodes and through that relationship. For a long time, there were queer weddings on TV that were a little bit. They often didn't involve, like, central characters on shows, like. But they would begin to actually kind of show this on tv. Like when Carol and Susan got married on Friends, I remember it was a kind of a. Oh, Friends is having a gay wedding. That's, like, a big deal. Even though Carol and Susan were not, like, the central couple of the show, they were people that we cared about. And being able to give them this wedding that was sweet and meaningful did resonate. And I think you got a fair number of weddings like that before you started to get ones, like the Schitt's Creek one and like, Holt and Kevin. Every time I say Holt and Kevin, it makes me so happy. Cause I love them.
Aisha Harris
Yeah. Callie in Arizona on Grace.
Linda Holmes
Callie in Arizona on Grays.
Aisha Harris
Alex and Piper on Orange is the New Black.
Linda Holmes
Yeah. And, you know, just like other weddings, the queer weddings run the gamut of, like, great idea to maybe, like, less great idea. Yeah. But, yeah, I think just like blended families, you know, queer couples are something where you did not used to see when I was growing up, those weddings on TV as much. And now you see them all the time, genuinely.
Aisha Harris
Well, absolutely. You know, obviously, we couldn't get to everything. There have been so many TV weddings, and I'm sure we might have missed, like, a very, very specific niche category that we're not even thinking of.
Linda Holmes
Well, as I started to look back at this, I was like, oh, I'm gonna miss a bunch. Including a bunch that I cared about deeply when they happened.
Aisha Harris
Yes. Yes. As soon as we hit stop on this I'm gonna think of at least three more, but it's okay. We couldn't get to everything. You should let us know what your favorite TV wedding is. Find us at facebook.com PCHH and that brings us to the end of our show. Linda Holmes, thanks so much for being here. I can't think of anyone else who would have been as wonderful to talk to about TV weddings as you.
Linda Holmes
I absolutely agree. I would never want to chat about TV weddings with anybody except my favorite Different World fan.
Aisha Harris
Thank you. This episode was produced by Hafsa Fathoma and edited by Mike Katsif. Our supervising producer is Jessica Reedy. And hello Kamin provides RFY music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Aisha Harris, and we'll see you all next time.
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Pop Culture Happy Hour: Why We Love TV Weddings
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Host: Aisha Harris
Guest: Linda Holmes
Introduction
In the April 29, 2025 episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosts Aisha Harris and Linda Holmes delve into the fascinating world of TV weddings. Exploring why weddings are such a staple in television storytelling, the duo dissects various tropes, themes, and memorable moments from iconic TV shows. This comprehensive discussion highlights the blend of comedy and drama that makes TV weddings both entertaining and emotionally resonant for audiences.
The Allure of TV Weddings
Aisha Harris kicks off the conversation by pondering the recurring presence of weddings in TV narratives. She asks Linda Holmes why weddings are such a perfect setting for television storytelling.
Linda Holmes explains, “Weddings were a way to create big event episodes that could draw in viewers, especially during sweeps periods when shows aimed to maximize viewership” (04:10). She emphasizes that weddings provide predictable markers—like the dress, location, vows—and the inherent drama when things go awry, making them ideal for captivating storylines.
Types of TV Weddings
1. Culmination Weddings
These weddings serve as the payoff for long-term romantic storylines, often bringing resolution and satisfaction to invested viewers.
General Hospital’s Luke and Laura: Linda cites the legendary wedding episode featuring Elizabeth Taylor, highlighting its significance despite the controversial buildup where Luke assaulted Laura (05:19).
Friends’ Monica and Chandler: A quintessential example where long-term relationship development leads to a heartfelt wedding, delighting fans who have followed their journey.
Aisha Harris reminisces about the A Different World season five finale, where Whitley Gilbert chooses Dwayne Wayne over her fiancé, Byron, showcasing a dramatic and unexpected twist in a beloved series (05:51). This episode, directed by Debbie Allen, masterfully combines surreal elements with deep emotional stakes, culminating in a live audience reaction that underscores the event's impact.
2. Thwarted Weddings
These storylines focus on weddings that don't go as planned, often leading to significant character development and emotional depth.
ER’s Carol and Tag: Linda describes a poignant moment where Carol realizes she doesn't love Tag, leading to a heartwarming conversation with Doug Ross. This decision not only alters her character's trajectory but also enriches the show's narrative (09:01).
Grey’s Anatomy’s Christina and Burke: Aisha highlights the heartbreaking scene where Christina has cold feet, and Burke gracefully steps away, allowing her to embrace her true self. This moment emphasizes that a perfect wedding doesn't guarantee eternal happiness, adding layers to both characters (11:39).
3. Improvised and Chaotic Weddings
These episodes showcase weddings that encounter unforeseen challenges, often leading to comedic or dramatic resolutions.
The Office’s Jim and Pam: Linda recalls their private wedding at Niagara Falls, a spontaneous and heartfelt ceremony that contrasts with their larger official wedding plans (12:25).
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Jake and Amy: Aisha mentions their wedding moving to the precinct due to a bomb threat, blending humor with action as the couple adapts to unexpected circumstances (13:11).
Cheers’ Woody and Kelly: An episode where the minister dies at the last minute, forcing the Cheers crew to scramble and save the day. This scenario perfectly balances chaos with comedic timing, showcasing the ensemble cast’s chemistry (16:20).
Queer and Gay Weddings on TV
The evolution of LGBTQ+ weddings on television marks significant progress in representation and inclusivity.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Captain Holt and Kevin: Aisha praises their vow renewal, noting the show's commitment to portraying their relationship authentically and endearingly (21:21).
Schitt's Creek’s David and Patrick: Linda lauds their romantic storylines, particularly their proposal and wedding episodes, which are celebrated for their heartfelt and character-driven narratives (22:39).
Friends’ Carol and Susan: An early example of queer representation, their wedding was a groundbreaking moment that resonated with audiences despite not being the central focus of the show (22:40).
Linda observes that early queer weddings on TV often involved secondary characters, but recent shows like Schitt's Creek and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have featured main characters, reflecting broader societal acceptance and the normalization of diverse relationships (23:35).
Reflections on TV vs. Real-Life Weddings
Linda Holmes offers a candid reflection on how TV weddings often contrast sharply with real-life ceremonies. “In real life, weddings are tightly choreographed and rarely include dramatic interruptions,” she notes (15:14). In contrast, TV weddings are designed for maximum storytelling impact, frequently involving unexpected twists that heighten emotional engagement.
Conclusion
Aisha and Linda wrap up their discussion by acknowledging the vast array of TV weddings they couldn't cover, inviting listeners to share their favorite on-screen nuptials. They celebrate how TV weddings, whether triumphant, thwarted, or chaotic, continue to captivate audiences by reflecting both the glamour and complexity of real-life unions.
Notable Quotes:
Linda Holmes (05:19): “The wedding was a big enough deal that Elizabeth Taylor was on it.”
Aisha Harris (09:17): “What's wrong with me? Why can't I fall in love with a nice guy, someone who loves me, who wants to be with me, who's honest and decent?”
Linda Holmes (15:42): “It's a ritual, and it follows a kind of a ritual path. But on television, it's always like, oh my gosh, everything's going wrong.”
Join the Conversation
Share your favorite TV wedding moments with Pop Culture Happy Hour by visiting facebook.com/PCHH.
Produced by Hafsa Fathoma and edited by Mike Katsif. Supervising producer: Jessica Reedy. Music by Hello Kamin.