Stop the Wedding

6.2/10 · 1,989 ratings20161h 26mWeirdness 5/10Bingo card

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The premise

A meddling man and woman determined to stop a wedding for the good of the bride and groom instead wind up falling in love with each other.

How unusual is it?

Middle of the road, with a twist — an enemies-to-lovers arc keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

Who’s in it

You’ve seen this pairing before: Rachel Boston and Niall Matter have made 2 Hallmark movies together.

Behind the camera

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Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The protagonist is a divorce lawyer, which is a rare and cynical profession for a Hallmark lead.
  • The central romance results in a marriage after only six days of knowing each other.
  • The son of the groom attempts to bribe the bride to leave his father.
  • The movie features a chase to Las Vegas involving celebrity sightings on Twitter.

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 28 to find more movies that do the same thing.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
The film begins with Anna, a high-powered divorce lawyer, visiting her aunt Belle in Seattle. Belle is annoyed by her new neighbor, movie star Sean Castleberry, who plays loud music while practicing for a role. After Anna returns to San Francisco to start her own firm, Belle calls with a bombshell: she is engaged to Sean after knowing him for only a month, and the wedding is in two weeks. Meanwhile, Sean's son Clay, a successful surgeon in Boston, receives the same news and is equally horrified, given his father's history of three failed marriages. Anna and Clay have a 'meet-disaster' at the airport involving a spilled coffee and a broken phone before realizing they are both in Seattle for the same reason. They decide to form an alliance to sabotage the union. Their plan involves forcing the couple into 'real-life' situations to expose their differences, including a grueling hike that leaves the pampered Sean wheezing and a high-society opera event where Belle feels ignored by the paparazzi. However, the plan backfires when the parents realize the kids are meddling and decide to elope to Las Vegas. Anna and Clay chase them to Nevada, bonding over their shared cynicism and past romantic failures. A major conflict arises when Clay overhears Anna discussing a divorce settlement on the phone and mistakenly believes she is a gold-digger targeting his father's wealth. After a confrontation in Las Vegas, Anna clarifies the misunderstanding, and Clay realizes he has fallen for her. They return to Seattle just in time for the ceremony. Realizing that love can happen quickly—as evidenced by their own six-day romance—they stop trying to prevent the wedding and instead join it. The movie concludes with a double wedding where Sean marries Belle, and Clay marries Anna.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Anna visits her aunt Belle and meets the 'neighbor from hell,' movie star Sean Castleberry.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Belle and Sean announce their engagement after one month, prompting Anna and Sean's son Clay to fly to Seattle to stop it.

  3. Midpoint

    Anna and Clay attempt to sabotage the relationship through compatibility tests, including a disastrous hike and a paparazzi-filled opera gala.

  4. Turning Point

    The parents elope to Las Vegas to escape their children's interference, leading Anna and Clay on a cross-state chase.

  5. Climax

    Clay mistakenly accuses Anna of being a gold-digger after overhearing a work call, nearly ruining their burgeoning romance.

  6. Resolution

    Anna and Clay reconcile at the airport and rush to the wedding, resulting in a double ceremony for both couples.

28 tropes in one movie

We counted 28 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

The backstory

  • Music by Peter Allen.
Stop the Wedding is a 2016 American-Canadian made for television romantic comedy film directed by Anne Wheeler and starring Rachel Boston, Niall Matter, Alan Thicke and Lini Evans. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephanie Bond.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.2 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.2567

Higher-rated than 28% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Stop the Wedding belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Laughter is always preferable to tears-- unless it is tears from laughter, which I also enjoy.”
    — BelleDiscussing her outlook on life with Anna.
  • “It's not love, I've met him. He's a slick one. That type of charm is dangerous.”
    — AnnaWarning her aunt about Sean's celebrity persona.
  • “I'm a surgeon, I'm really good with my hands, terrible with my feet.”
    — ClayWhile dancing with Anna at the opera gala.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Anna Colton

    Lead

    Divorce Lawyer

    CynicalProtectiveControllingHardworking
  • Clay Castleberry

    Love interest

    Orthopedic Surgeon

    Romantic interest and son of the groom

    SkepticalCharmingAthleticDefensive
  • Sean Castleberry

    Supporting

    Movie Star

    Father of the love interest

    RomanticImpulsiveCharismaticDramatic
  • Belle Colton

    Supporting

    Retired Art Teacher

    OptimisticKindPatientArtistic

Questions people ask about Stop the Wedding

Where can I watch Stop the Wedding?

Stop the Wedding is available via fuboTV, Philo, and Hallmark+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Stop the Wedding?

Stop the Wedding runs about 1 hour and 26 minutes, and was released in 2016.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia