Sister of the Bride

The film opens with Dr. Stephanie Bishop, an anthropology professor, lecturing on the history of marriage contracts before being surprised by her boyfriend Ben, an economics professor, who proposes after only six months of dating. Though the ring is loose, Stephanie happily accepts. They travel to Palm Springs to spend the summer at the Bishop family vacation home, where Stephanie hopes to plan a wedding for the following year. However, the family gathering is immediately complicated when Stephanie’s sister Tracy and her long-term boyfriend Preston also announce their engagement. Tracy, a high-powered lawyer, claims the upcoming Fourth of July—just four weeks away—for her wedding date so Preston’s elderly grandmother can attend. Adding to the tension, their parents, Robert and Eleanore, reveal they are selling the beloved vacation home to fund their retirement travels. Stephanie’s father, Robert, is particularly skeptical of Stephanie’s engagement, fearing she is repeating a past mistake from her college years when she nearly dropped out to follow a musician named Dave. Conflict arises when Ben receives a prestigious job offer from his idol, James Quincy, at Oxford University in England. Stephanie is torn between her impending tenure track in LA and her love for Ben. When Tracy and Preston are called back to San Francisco for an urgent legal case, Stephanie takes over the wedding planning, dealing with a series of mishaps including a missing florist order and a photographer who goes into labor. During a double date, they run into Stephanie's ex-fiancé Dave, which reignites her parents' concerns about her impulsive nature. As the Fourth of July approaches, Stephanie and Ben have a heart-to-heart about their future; realizing they haven't discussed major life goals like the number of children they want or the move to England, Stephanie tells Ben to take the job and suggests they 'put a pin' in their relationship. Ben, however, seeks Robert’s blessing after bonding over a vintage Thunderbird repair and negotiates a hybrid role with Oxford that allows him to stay in LA. In a final twist, Preston’s grandmother falls ill, leading Tracy to postpone her wedding. Seeing an opportunity, Tracy gives her blessing for Stephanie and Ben to use the venue and the date. The movie concludes with Stephanie and Ben marrying on the Fourth of July, while Tracy and Preston announce they are buying the vacation house from the parents to keep it in the family.