Southern Sundays: Our Favorite Southern Wedding Movies for Valentine's Day | Table7 Events

It's been a running joke in my house that the only movies I own are based around a wedding.  I never realized this until my little sister pointed it out a few years ago.  It is a pure coincidence and dates back to the days of VHS.  As I stared at the shelf, there sat:  Father of the Bride, Sixteen Candles, The Wedding Planner, Serendipity, Runaway Bride, Cinderella, The Wedding Date, Made of Honor, The Wedding Singer, Wedding Crashers, you get the picture...  I am not a movie collector in any way, so the fact that 98% of the movies are wedding related is a little disturbing to some.

I thought I would share some of my favorite Southern wedding movies with you for an easy Valentine's Day date night, at-home, curled up under a cozy blanket with your sweetie.

Steel Magnolias:  Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts @1989

Story Line:  Revolving around Truvy's Beauty Parlor in a small parish in modern-day Louisiana, STEEL MAGNOLIAS is the story of a close-knit circle of friends whose lives come together there. As the picture opens, we find Drum Eatenton shooting birds in the trees of his back yard in preparation for his daughter's wedding reception that afternoon. Shortly thereafter, M'Lynn and Shelby (Drum's wife and daughter) depart for Truvy's to get their hair done for the wedding. "Just the sweetest thing," Annelle Depuy Desoto (who may or may not be married because her marriage may not be legal) is introduced to Truvy's customers as her new "glamour technician." While in the chairs, the sour-tempered Ouiser Boudreaux shows up and entertains the assemblage with her barbs. It seems that the only one of the group who truly understands Ouiser is Clairee who is recently widowed and looking for a diversion. As she says, later in the picture, "If you can't find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me." Filled with humor and heartbreak, these "Steel Magnolias" make us laugh and cry as the realities of their lives in tiny Chiquapin Parish unfolds.

Southern State:  Louisiana

Favorite Quote:  
Truvy:  What are your colors, Shelby?

Shelby:  My colors are "blush" and "bashful."

M'Lynn:  Her colors are "pink" and pink."

Shelby:  My colors are "blush" and "bashful" Mama!

M'Lynn:  How precious is this weddin' gonna get, I ask you?

Shelby:  "Pink is my signature color!"

Favorite Song from the Soundtrack:  "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams

My Best Friend's Wedding:  Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett @1997

Story Line:  A woman who, by a promise made years earlier, is supposed to marry her best friend in three weeks, even though she doesn't want to. When she finds out that he's marrying someone else, she becomes jealous and tries to break off the wedding.

Southern State:  Chicago (not the South, but the bridesmaids pull in that Southern sass, so I'm including it.)

Favorite Quote:  "I've got moves, you've never seen!"

Favorite Song from the Soundtrack:  There are too many great wedding songs on this one, but I will stick with the classic, "The Way You Look Tonight" by Tony Bennett    

Forces of Nature:  Sandra Bullock & Ben Affleck @1999

Story Line:  Ben Holmes, a professional book-jacket blurbologist, is trying to get to Savannah for his wedding. He just barely catches the last plane, but a seagull flies into the engine as the plane is taking off. All later flights are cancelled because of an approaching hurricane, so he is forced to hitch a ride in a Geo Metro with an attractive but eccentric woman named Sara.

Southern State:  Georgia

Favorite Quote:  "Marriage hath in it less of beauty but more of safety, than the single life; it hath more care, but less danger, it is more merry, and more sad; it is fuller of sorrows, and fuller of joys; it lies under more burdens, but it is supported by all the strengths of love and charity, and those burdens are delightful."

Favorite Song from the Soundtrack:  "Everlasting Love" performed by U2

Sweet Home Alabama:  Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey @2002
(My favorite of all the Southern movies because of my long time Patrick Dempsey crush.  This infatuation began with Ronald Miller back in 1987 long before his McDreamy role.  With this in mind, I have a hard time admitting that Jake Perry stole my heart in this one.) 

Story Line:  Melanie Carmichael, an up and rising fashion designer in New York, has gotten almost everything she wished for since she was little. She has a great career and the JFK-like fiancée of New York City. But when he proposes to her, she doesn't forget about her family back down South. More importantly, her husband back there, who refuses to divorce her ever since she sent divorce papers seven years ago. To set matters straight, she decides to go to the south quick and make him sign the papers. When things don't turn out the way she planned them, she realizes that what she had before in the south was far more perfect than the life she had in New York City.

Southern State:  Alabama (Even though it was mostly filmed in Georgia)

Favorite Quote(s):  Since this is my favorite of the bunch, I get a few...

"Nobody finds their soul mate when they're ten. I mean, where's the fun in that, right?"

"The truth is I gave my heart away a long time ago, my whole heart, and I never really got it back."

Melanie:  "You're the first boy I ever kissed, Jake, and I want you to be the last."

Jake:  "Why would you want to marry me for, anyhow?"
Melanie:  "So I can kiss you anytime I want!"

Favorite Song(s) from the Soundtrack:  "Marry Me" by Dolly Parton ("Sweet Home Alabama" by Jewel is a close runner up, but I prefer the original Lynyrd Skynyrd version or the Kid Rock version.)

Thanks to the wonderful movie resource site for the info:  Internet Movie Database
Photo Credit:  Pinterest and Southern Weddings

We would love to know if you have any favorite Southern wedding movies you would like to add to our list of Valentine's Day movie ideas!  Comment Below!