Entertainment

The Best/Worst TV Weddings This Year

by Rachel Simon

When people want realism on TV, they tend to go to Parenthood or re-runs of Friday Night Lights, certainly not Modern Family, a sitcom that wraps up its plotlines in a shiny bow at the end of most episodes. Yet last week, the typically lighthearted ABC series took a turn for the serious when patriarch Jay (Ed O'Neill) revealed his disapproval of the wedding of his gay son, Mitch (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Shocked and heartbroken, Mitch un-invites Jay to the upcoming nuptials, all while Jay's wife (Sofia Vergara) and son-in-law (Eric Stonestreet) look on in disappointment. On Wednesday, Modern Family 's wedding is set to take place — but will all fights be resolved by episode's end, per usual, or will the sad realism of last week's episode have a lasting effect?

Chances are, it'll be the former. Modern Family may have changed course last episode by ending on a sour note, but it's hard to believe that they'd finish out the season before Mitch and Jay have made up. Most likely, Wednesday's wedding will have its share of mishaps, but by the end, the entire family will be celebrating Mitch and Cam's love. With the right amount of heart-to-hearts and perfectly intoned voice-over, tonight's episode should elicit the happiest of tears from its viewers.

Not all of this year's TV weddings can say the same, however. Modern Family aside, the vast majority of 2014's small-screen nuptials haven't gone exactly as planned; plenty of them could even qualify as total catastrophes. From least disastrous to most, a ranking of this season's TV weddings:

9. Bones — "The Woman in White"

Who Got Married: Booth and Brennan.

How'd It Go? After some issues that include a change in venue and a pesky murder (it is Bones, after all), the wedding goes off beautifully. Those vows, guys.

Happily Ever After? As of now, yes, but the previews for the finale don't bode well for the beloved couple.

8. Suburgatory — "Les Lucioles"

Who Got Married: Lisa and Malik.

How'd It Go? Wonderfully. The wedding was beautiful, filled with everything Lisa had dreamed about. Malik's parents' disapproval almost ruined things, but with George's help, everything worked out at the end.

Happily Ever After? Well, seeing as the series is cancelled, we'd like to think so. Wednesday's finale will be the last we see of the new Mr. and Mrs. LeFreak, unfortunately.

7. Trophy Wife — "The Wedding, Parts 1 and 2"

Who Got Married: Kate and Pete.

How'd It Go? Perfectly. The nuptials were funny and sweet, just like every episode of the cancelled-too-soon Trophy Wife .

Happily Ever After? Probably, but thanks to ABC, we'll never know.

6. Veep — "Some New Beginnings"

Who Got Married: Mike and Wendy.

How'd It Go? Relatively well, considering that none of the attendees paid any attention and nothing ever goes well for Mike.

Happily Ever After? So far, so good. As Mike will be the first to say, they're having a lot of sex, and, as we learned a few weeks ago, trying to have a baby.

5. Revenge — "Exodus"

Who Got Married: Emily and Daniel.

How'd It Go? Great. Nolan adorably walked Emily down the aisle, and the vows were romantic, even if they did include flashbacks to Emily's evilness.

Happily Ever After? Not quite; the groom shooting the bride a little while after the ceremony kind of put a damper in things.

4. How I Met Your Mother — "The End of the Aisle"

Who Got Married: Barney and Robin, finally.

How'd It Go? Pretty good, after a few setbacks. Panic attacks and near-disappearances aside, the duo's wedding ends up being a sweet, loving affair.

Happily Ever After? Hahaha. Did you see that finale?

3. Grey's Anatomy — "Get Up, Stand Up"

Who Got Married: April and Matthew — almost.

How'd It Go? Not well, thanks to Jackson standing up in the middle and declaring his love for the bride, and then the two of them running off together and leaving Matthew at the alter.

Happily Ever After? For Jackson and April, yes; the couple got married and are expecting a baby. Matthew, on the other hand, fared a bit worse.

2. Game of Thrones — "The Purple Wedding"

Who Got Married: Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell.

How'd It Go? The wedding itself? Great, if dead pigeons and battling dwarves are your kind of thing. Afterwards? Not so well, seeing as the groom was poisoned and died at the reception.

Happily Ever After? Depends who you're asking. For Joffrey, that'd be a solid no. For the rest of Westeros, nothing felt better than watching their hated ruler finally bite the dust.

1. Castle — "For Better or For Worse"

Who Got Married: Rick and Kate.

How'd It Go? Horribly, horribly, wrong, and that was before Rick's possibly-fatal car accident.

Happily Ever After? We'll find out in season seven.

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