One of the ways to find inspiration for a wedding is to watch a good movie, it will give you ideas for both aesthetics and moods. Romantic cinema is an inexhaustible genre, in which you can find quite a few films about weddings. And yet they often remain within the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies. That's why we looked at movies of different genres to find something inspiring for weddings and encourage us to look at them from other angles.

The Young Victoria (2009)

Weddings are the time when we allow ourselves to have royal celebrations. Perhaps this desire to celebrate luxuriously and aristocratically grew out of childhood fantasies about the prince and princess of dreams. Maybe it's the pull to experience something unique and out of the ordinary. Anyway, if there is a desire to celebrate in splendor and luxury in a castle or manor, you can get in the mood and get inspired by watching director Jean-Marc Vallée's film with Emily Blunt as the future queen and Rupert Friend as Prince Albert.

The film is mainly set in 19th century England and is centered around the romantic love story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. this couple has influenced the wedding industry in their own way to this day. Queen Victoria got married in a white dress, which was a symbol of wealth and status at the time, but was not as associated with weddings as it is today. Many other women followed Queen Victoria's example and the white dress became the traditional wedding dress. Even today, brides often choose a princess-type wedding dress silhouette with a full bottom and an aristocratic corset.

Although there is no shortage of gorgeous outfits in the film, the royal wedding scene, which shows the Queen's iconic wedding dress, would have been longer. But this nuance does not overshadow the hopeful love story, correspondence with letters and romantic walks in the palace garden. That's where the magic of historical films lies - the opportunity to linger in another time and reality.

Love Story (1970)

Director Artur Hiller's classic film with Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neill in the lead roles accurately portrays what is included in the title - it is a beautiful love story of two Harvard University students. Compared to recent movies about high schoolers and college students, this one feels really clean and a little naive, but not shallow at all. The film follows the classic Romeo and Juliet scenario, where the rich boy's parents try to oppose his marriage to a girl from a lower social class. However, this couple doesn't take that into account and they proved that these are just silly parental prejudices.

However, despite the fact that the young couple overcomes all the obstacles that arise when starting a joint adult life, they face something inexorable, so the romantic love story turns into a heartbreaking tragedy and you have to shed a tear. Of course, you can point out the clichés of the romantic drama genre in the film, but the dreamy views of the film and the lively discussions between the two characters are a real pleasure. One cannot fail to mention the small but heartfelt scene of the marriage ceremony of the two graduates.

in this film, the heroine Jenny expresses to her beloved Oliver the popular aphorism "love means never having to say you're sorry" or, roughly translated, "love means never having to apologize". Whether it really is, can be debated, but at least in one aspect you can learn from this phrase - to love in such a way that you don't do anything to the other person for which you should apologize. Also, this film featured the instrumental version of the touching song (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story, which was later sung by Andy Williams.

Melancholia (Melancholia, 2011)

Gorgeous wedding scenes with voluminous wedding dresses are most often seen in the countless Hollywood romantic films devoted to this theme. And yet, the wedding as an element of the script appears from time to time in art cinema as well. Lars von Trier's cinematic masterpiece centers around two sisters, Claire played by Kirsten Dunst and Justine played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Half of the film follows Claire's wedding, but there is an important nuance - already in the prologue of the film, it has been revealed to the audience that the apocalypse awaits the earth, because the planet Melancholia is approaching it.

Viewing a wedding in such a context of inevitable destruction may not be entirely encouraging, however, if you distance yourself a little from the sad and tragic, then such a view gives a completely new perspective to the wedding. Although the characters of the film are not yet sure about the future development during the wedding celebration, the wedding is celebrated anyway. Sometimes the filming technique used even resembles a wedding video. The celebration has all the classic elements of a wedding - a castle, a dress with tulle roses, a limousine, and paper lanterns are thrown into the air at night, so there will be no shortage of inspiration.

There is no lack of internal torment either, but that is another story about marrying your loved one - it is infinitely beautiful, but all personal and global problems do not disappear with it. But it just goes to show that everyone can take something different from this movie, and one of the possible lessons might be that weddings should be celebrated even when the apocalypse is looming.

My King (Mon Roi, 2015)

French cinema has an inexplicable magic - it can be very true, open and harsh, while at the same time being indescribably romantic and dreamy. Likewise, director Maiven Lebesko's film is simultaneously cheerful and even fun, and full of sad twists. And all this is harmoniously intertwined in the story of the film, solving this phenomenon - often what initially seemed so compelling and special starts to interfere and get in the way of relationships. There are people who charm with their expressive personality, the ability to enjoy life, and initially it even seems that it is good to be with such people, because they also awaken the joy of life in those around them. The same thing happens with the main character Tonya, but when she and Giorgio, who enjoys life, develop a close relationship, she realizes that it is not so simple.

The main roles of the film are played by Emanuella Berko and Vincent Cassel, their portrayal of a couple goes through everything - from carefree moments to serious complications. They also celebrate a joyful wedding with a picnic in the park, which once again proves that it is possible to do it this way - relaxed and free. The brother of the main character Tonya is played by Louis Garrel, and if you want to stay longer in the world of French cinema, you can watch basically any of his films, because this actor has the unique French charm that is revealed in almost all the films in which he starred.

Leap Year (2010)

This Anand Tucker film is a classic romantic comedy that will entertain and feel good while remaining tasteful. Sometimes you just want to relax and this movie is suitable for a light movie night in a wedding-themed mood. It should be noted, however, that although the film's script revolves around a wedding for which the character played by Amy Adams is diligently preparing, this wedding does not take place, as her plans are affected by various unexpected twists. And yet the film is not entirely without marriage, because in her adventures she ends up in a touching wedding at the foot of the mountain. Visual pleasure in the film is provided by unrepeatable views of nature, as it was mostly shot in Ireland.

The main character follows her lover, who has gone on a business trip to Ireland because she can't wait for the proposal and has decided to do it herself. It turns out that the Irish have a tradition that allows women to propose to their loved ones on February 29 of a leap year. Although the film is mainly entertaining, watching it makes you think that the wedding is sometimes set as an attainable goal in life and on the way to achieving it, it is forgotten that the wedding is not a checkmark for career achievements and that relationships are a part of life where the irrational and emotional cannot be ignored.

Palm Springs (Palm Springs, 2020)

Often, after the wedding, the newlyweds admit that the day passed by almost without noticing, and if there was such a chance, they would like to experience it again. in this film by Max Barbakov, two wedding guests, played by Andy Samberg and Cristina Milioti, get caught in a time loop and have to relive the wedding over and over again. this comedy/sci-fi genre mash-up can inspire a sunny and bright summer wedding.

And if you try to approach this philosophically, then you can learn from this film that in reality, even after the wedding, it seems that there were some mistakes or nuances that would be done differently the second time, even if the wedding took place ten times, it would not matter much, because the main thing is that the new couple is together and happy.

Author of the article: Renate Berga