What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Big Wedding
Justin Zackham · Film · 2013
If you loved The Big Wedding, start with The Wedding People (Alison Espach) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Big Wedding across media.
If you loved the chaotic forced proximity and family tension in The Big Wedding, you will enjoy these messy matrimonial tales.
Books on the same thread
The Last One at the Wedding
Jason Rekulak · Book
Explores: estranged family, class disparity, hidden secrets.
Like the strained dynamics in The Big Wedding, this story explores the high-stakes pressure of an estranged family forced together under the watchful eye of a wedding celebration.
The Wedding People
Alison Espach · Book
Explores: unexpected friendship, existential crisis, social awkwardness.
Much like the awkward social choreography found in The Big Wedding, this narrative captures the strange, unexpected bonds that form when strangers collide during a wedding weekend.
The Perfect Couple
Elin Hilderbrand · Book
Explores: wealth and privilege, family secrets, wedding gone wrong.
If the underlying tension of The Big Wedding kept you entertained, you will appreciate how this story escalates the classic wedding-gone-wrong trope into a high-stakes mystery.
Lies and Weddings
Kevin Kwan · Book
Explores: wealth disparity, social climbing, scandal.
The Big Wedding thrives on the absurdity of family secrets, a theme mirrored here as a wedding serves as the perfect, volatile backdrop for social scandal and drama.
Series on the same thread
Modern Family
Steven Levitan · Series · 2009
Shares 2 threads with The Big Wedding: Dysfunctional Family, Family Comedy.
Fans of the dysfunctional ensemble cast in The Big Wedding will find a familiar, hilarious comfort in this look at the messy, complex lives of a modern family.
The Great
Tony McNamara · Series · 2020
Explores: Political Intrigue, Gender Politics, Royal Court.
The Big Wedding masters the art of the explosive relationship, and this show elevates that intensity to a royal scale, focusing on the power struggles between spouses.
Big Love
Will Scheffer · Series · 2006
Explores: Religious Fundamentalism, Modern Polygamy, Family Secrets.
Just as The Big Wedding explores the moral complexity of unconventional family structures, this series dives deep into the tension and secrets inherent in a non-traditional household.
Happy Endings
David Caspe · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with The Big Wedding: Ensemble Comedy.
The Big Wedding highlights the fallout of romantic history, and this series perfects that energy by exploring how a failed ceremony forces an entire friend group to recalibrate.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Conways
Podcast
Explores: wedding preparation, relationship dynamics, humorous anecdotes.
While The Big Wedding uses fiction to explore wedding stress, this podcast offers a real-world look at the humorous, relatable chaos that defines the journey toward marriage.
The Big Picture
Podcast
Explores: Hollywood, Awards Season, Film Criticism.
If you enjoyed the ensemble comedy of The Big Wedding, this show provides the same conversational, witty energy that you crave when analyzing the mechanics of film.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Big Wedding about a couple that is still married?
No, The Big Wedding features Don and Ellie Griffin, a long-divorced couple. They are forced to pretend they are still happily married for the sake of their adopted son's wedding ceremony when his biological mother decides to attend.
Why do the parents have to pretend in The Big Wedding?
In The Big Wedding, the parents must act like a happy couple because their son's biological mother is ultra conservative and Catholic. They want to avoid causing issues for their son during his wedding, so they hide their divorce from her.
Does the plot of The Big Wedding involve the couple's past?
Yes, The Big Wedding forces the lead characters to confront their past. As they play the happy couple in front of wedding guests and family, the awkward situation causes Don and Ellie Griffin to face the history of their previous relationship.
Who is the biological mother visiting in The Big Wedding?
The biological mother visiting in The Big Wedding is an ultra conservative Catholic woman who flies halfway across the world to attend the ceremony. Her unexpected arrival is the primary reason the Griffins must stage their reunion.