The Greatest Wedding Music Videos of All Time

Published On June 30, 2016 » By »

It’s summertime, and wedding season is in full swing. So to celebrate, we’ve compiled a list of the best matrimony-themed musical videos of all time, from the romantic to the dramatic to the just plain ridiculous. Just say “I do” and watch all of them now!

27. Maroon 5 – “Sugar” (2014)

Adam Levine cleaned up in a tux and upstaged every groom, in this clip featuring his band supposedly crashing real-life wedding receptions.

26. Naked Eyes – “Always Something There to Remind Me” (1983)

This was unrequited early-’80s love at its most bittersweet, set to a synthpop remake of a Burt Bacharach hit.

25. Beyoncé – “Best Thing I Never Had” (2011)

Long before Bey started singing about marital misery on Lemonade, she proved that Sean Carter is the luckiest groom in the world, radiantly parading around in white wedding-night lingerie, an $85,000 Baracci couture gown, and some very good hair.

24. Mariah Carey – “We Belong Together” (2005)

In the video for her massive comeback single, the emancipated Mimi – who is now about to marry for the third time — rocked the same Vera Wang wedding dress that she wore at her 1993 nuptials to first husband Tommy Mottola, whom she divorced in 1998. Eat your heart out, Tommy.

23. Paula Abdul – “Will You Marry Me?” (1992)

What man wouldn’t accept a marriage proposal from Paula Abdul, America’s sweetheart? Incidentally, this video came out the same year that Paula married Brat Pack actor Emilio Estevez, whom she divorced two years later.

22. Kelly Clarkson – “Behind These Hazel Eyes” (2005)

Kelly is now contentedly married to Brandon Blackstock, but of course, when she tackled the subject on marriage in one of her music videos, the woman who brought us angry anti-love anthems like “Never Again” and “Since U Been Gone” didn’t opt for a happy ending.

21. No Doubt – “Simple Kind of Life” (2002)

Gwen Stefani’s disappearing act in this video, in which she played a runaway bride — two years before she married future ex-husband Gavin Rossdale — was perhaps foreshadowing.

20. Miranda Lambert – “White Liar” (2009)

Before Blake Shelton was with current girlfriend Gwen Stefani, he was married to Miranda — whose own fictional music-video wedding, interestingly, also ended quite disastrously.

19. Nicki Minaj – “Moment 4 Life” (2011)

Her Minajesty “married” Drake in this controversial video, only fueling speculation regarding their real-life relationship. Clearly heeding the age-old tradition of “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something… pink,” Nicki wore a cotton-candy-colored wig for her sashay down the aisle.

18. Human League – “Love Action” (1981)

This was basically the MTV equivalent of that famous wedding scene from The Graduate. Apparently a lot of English synthpop frontmen were getting jilted at the altar back in the ’80s.

17. Chromeo – “Jealous” (2014)

Note to all you fiancés out there: Never hire Chromeo’s David Macklovitch officiate your wedding, unless you want him to run off with the bridge in a True Romance-style action sequence.

16. P!nk – “I Don’t Believe You” (2009)

P!nk donned the same the wedding dress she wore to her real-life wedding to Carey Hart for this video. But did she actually rollerblade at her wedding, like she did in this vid? We’d like to imagine yes.

15. Georgia Satellites – “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (1986)

Before Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty, there was this video. The ultimate redneck wedding was depicted in this fun clip, complete with pickup-truck processional, fried-chicken catering, and an eight-months-pregnant blushing bride.

13 and 14. Carrie Underwood – “Just a Dream” (2007) / “Mama’s Song” (2010)

Carrie delivered a five-hanky performance in the first video, portraying a young widowed bride wearing white at her groom’s funeral. The American Idol winner’s real-life mama and real-life groom starred in the latter, another tearjerker. We dare you not to get at least a little verklempt watching the mother of the bride say goodbye to her now-grown-up little girl.

12. Dixie Chicks – “Ready to Run” (1999)

In yet another runaway-bride themed clip, the Chicks looked like they were really enjoying being single ladies. In real life, though, all three Dixies are now happily married.

11. UGK – “International Players’ Anthem” (2007)

If you want to have the best wedding ever, make sure you invite Outkast’s Andre 3000 and Big Boi. That is all.

10. Jane’s Addiction – “Classic Girl”

Perry Farrell’s girlfriend and muse for more than a decade, Casey Niccoli, played his pagan bride in this stark but surprisingly touching document of early-’90s grunge love.

9. Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold” (2008)

Perhaps foreshadowing her troubled marital future with Russell Brand, this early Katy clip cast her as another angry runaway bride.

8. Greg Kihn – “Jeopardy” (1983)

More money was probably spent on the fried chicken in the Georgia Satellites’ video than on the entire production for this ludicrously low-budget horror mini-movie. But that’s part of its charm. Seriously, did Ed Wood direct this?

7. Sam Smith – “Lay Me Down” (2015)

The heart-on-sleeve troubadour mourned the loss of his groom in this tearjerking video, which flashes back and forth between wedding and funeral scenes shot at South East London’s St. Margaret’s Church. It’s sort of the modern-day answer to “November Rain,” which we’ll get to in a moment.

6. Nick Lowe – “Cruel to Be Kind” (1979)

One of the first videos to air on MTV, this was a funny reenactment of powerpopper Lowe’s actual wedding to Carlene Carter (daughter of June), starring Carlene herself as the bride and Rockpile legend Dave Edmunds as their chauffeur. The result looked like one of the most fun, if informal, weddings we could imagine. Lowe really did know the bride when she used to rock and roll!

5. Panic! At the Disco – “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” (2006)

“What a beautiful wedding,” indeed. This circus-themed ceremony, starring the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque, won Video of the Year at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, and with good reason.

4. The Darkness – “Is It Just Me?” (2005)

Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins is so awesome, he couldn’t really be blamed for wanting to marry himself in his dual-role, gender-bending video. This wedding was such a drag!

3. Madonna – “Like a Virgin” (1984)

Madonna the naughty Catholic bride alternated between a virginal snow-white ball gown and midriff-baring Boy Toy-wear in this sexy and iconic clip. Teenage boys of the ’80s everywhere no doubt fantasized about embarking on a Venetian honeymoon with Madonna after watching this.

2. Billy Idol – “White Wedding” (1982)

In the Gothic ceremony to end all Gothic ceremonies, Billy “married” his then-girlfriend Perri Lister, actually slicing her knuckle open as he forced a wedding band onto her pale left hand. Proving her commitment to Billy, or at least to her role in the shoot, Perri insisted that her finger be slashed for real, to make the scene more convincing. How very Goth of her! Decade later, Billy made a cameo in the ‘80s-themed, marriage-minded movie The Wedding Singer.

1. Guns N’ Roses – “November Rain”

No, this video’s ending didn’t make sense. And yes, the video looked like it cost more than Donald Trump’s wedding, which was ridiculous considering GNR’s previous gritty, street-bred style. And yes, the video was nine minutes long, which was about six minutes longer than it needed to be. But it featured Slash doing a mega guitar solo in front of a church, some really bad acting by Gilby Clarke, and supermodel Stephanie Seymour in a garter-flashing mullet dress. ‘Nuff said.

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This article originally ran on Yahoo Music.

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