With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, cupid’s arrows and professions of love will be lingering in the air. Whether you are single (status: currently dating this box of chocolates) or have a significant other in your life this holiday, the “romantic” inside us all can appreciate a good wedding. From cinematic nuptials to real-life matrimonies, here are some of the most iconic/sentimental weddings of all time.
1. Prince William and Kate Middleton
Catherine Middleton lived out every young girl’s fantasy of marrying royalty when she and the prince said “I do” on April 29, 2011 at the Westminster Abbey in London, England. The bride stepped out in a breathtaking Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown, setting wedding fashion trends for starry-eyed future brides across the globe. The most anticipated wedding of the year, amounting to a staggering $34 million dollars, brought all of England’s elite and a swarm of media outlets to the scene. As the two stood on the balcony and shared their first kiss as newlyweds, we couldn’t have been more happy for the lovely royal couple.
2. Jackie Kennedy Onassis and JFK
We can’t mention royal weddings without a nod to our nation’s own influential unions. Beloved as the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953. The wedding took place at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Newport, Rhode Island on a brisk, sunny day. Whitecaps crashed in the bay as crowds gathered in the street to catch a glimpse of the eminent couple. The ceremony included a whopping 1,300 guests, each of which the couple stood in line to greet. Although the marriage would ultimately be riddled by deceit and tragedy, the two lovebirds shared a blissful moment in history on that glorious day.
3. Sean Lowe and Catherine Guidici
ABC’s The Bachelor produced one of the cutest couples the hit show has ever seen. Although the show is often synonymous with staging scenes and creating flimsy, fame-hungry relationships, Sean and Catherine are definitely an exception to this more accurate than misguided perception. From Sean’s storybook proposal against the beautiful backdrop of Thailand, to the couple’s televised nuptials in the beach-side paradise that is Santa Barbara, CA, their adventure was nothing less than romantic. Amidst a flurry of fluttering rose petals, Katherine walked down the aisle and met her teary-eyed husband to be (cue the “awwws”).
4. Jane Nichols and Kevin Doyle – 27 Dresses
With a leading lady who is forever a bridesmaid but never a bride, 27 Dresses tells the story of a perpetual bridesmaid who just can’t seem to find “the one.” In true chick flick fashion, however, Jane Nichols (played by Katherine Heigl) is eventually swept off her feet by her seemingly cynical and unexpected counterpart, Kevin Doyle (played by James Marsden). Their wedding was nothing short of quirky as Jane performed her vows with all 27 of her bridesmaids in tow, each wearing the bridesmaids dresses Jane had worn at all of their individual weddings.
5. Juliet and Peter – Love Actually
A comedic and honest film depicting an array of different love stories that are somehow all interconnected, Love Actually features one of the most unforgettable cinematic wedding scenes. Juliet (played by Kiera Knightly) and Peter (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) perform their vows in a quaint local church, but the most iconic part of the ceremony takes place when a choir, hidden in the balcony, surprises the new bride and busts out into song. This melodious grand reveal has been recreated by real-life couples ever since.