10 Movies That Celebrate Marriage

Films That Celebrate and Honor Matrimony

By Kris Rasmussen

With warm weather comes extravagant floral arrangements in beautiful churches and white dresses that cost more than most of us make in a month--or two. It's a time when couples in love take one of the ultimate leaps of faith in saying "I do."

But in considering a list of marriage movies, I didn't just pick films about the walk down the aisle. I also included those that celebrate the joys and struggles of the "ever after" following the wedding day. I even included movies that provide lessons about what not to do if you want your marriage to go the distance.

So if you haven't already seen them, check out these films with your significant other and reminisce about the highlights of your own marital journey together.

Photo: Jonathan Wenk/Columbia Pictures

'Up'

Who would have guessed that the deepest, richest love story in years would feature a flying house, a computerized dog, and an obnoxious kid? Pixar created a stunning animated feature for adults with a tender portrayal of a widower, Carl, beset with grief after losing his childhood sweetheart and partner for life, Ellie. Faced with sitting alone in bitterness or reconnecting with the world around him, Carl decides the best way to carry on Ellie's memory is to set out on an unexpected adventure to South America. Carl's actions become a hilarious but sweet ode to all that is beautiful and inspiring about sharing your life with another human being.

Quote: "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own."

Click here to Purchase 'Up'

Photo: Disney/Pixar

'When Harry Met Sally'

The awkward friendship between Harry Burns and Sally Albright as they eventually find love and marriage has made this film a romantic classic, but it is the real-life interviews with married couples throughout the film that has made this a favorite marriage movie of mine. Those anecdotes about people randomly meeting in elevators or on the street and staying together for decades gives some of us hope there is still a special person out there for us.

Quote: "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Click here to Purchase 'When Harry Met Sally'

'Shadowlands'

Famous theologian C.S. Lewis had already become a crusty old bachelor when he met a gregarious, feisty poet named Joy. Their marriage was certainly unconventional--it was originally a marriage of convenience so Joy could keep custody of her two sons. It was also unexpected; the two were pen pals long before they ever became a couple. Eventually this unlikely duo's marriage—which only lasted a few years—was filled with sadness as Joy lost her battle with cancer, but their love story has lived on in several books, plays, and other movies.

Quote: "Why love, if losing hurts so much? I have no answers anymore: only the life I have lived."

Click here to Purchase 'Shadowlands'

Photo: Price Entertainment

'Shall We Dance?'

I have to say I liked the original, foreign version better than the American remake with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, but both movies illuminate what complacency can do to a marriage. John is a man slightly bored with his very successful life and tries to find some happiness in taking dance lessons from a beautiful dance instructor, which leads his wife to suspect he is cheating on her. Surprisingly, through the language of dance, the married couple rediscover their attraction to each other.

Quote: "We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything.”

Click here to Purchase 'Shall We Dance?'

Photo: Miramax

'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'

No list about movie marriages and weddings could be complete without a mention of one of the greatest on-and-off screen couples ever--Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This movie not only celebrates marriages old and new--as a young, idealistic couple (played by Katharine Houghton and Sidney Poitier) announces their engagement to their parents--but it's a social commentary on interracial romance as a taboo in the 1960s.

Quote: "The only thing that matters is what they feel, and how much they feel, for each other. And if it's half of what we felt--that's everything."

Click here to Purchase 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'

Photo: Columbia Pictures