Wedding Bells Ring on Prime Time
Some of the most exciting and most watched episodes on television center around weddings. From the famous soap opera wedding of Luke and Laura on ABC's General Hospital in the early 80s to the more recent reality-based wedding of Bachelorette Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter on ABC, viewers have been mesmerized.
The most famous wedding of all time worldwide was the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles that was broadcast here in the United States on ABC, NBC and CBS in the 80s. Everyone in the world stopped to watch and see history in the making.
The ratings on television soared during these weddings. Luke and Laura's wedding had 30 million viewers glued to ABC, November 16, 1981, which is not bad for fictional characters. Trista and Ryan’s wedding raked in 17.1 million fans for ABC on December 6, 2003. With almost one billion people worldwide tuned in on July 29, 1981, Princess Diana and Prince Charles proved that everyone loves a royal wedding.
For those of us in the wedding business, we have heard, seen and experienced a lifetime of wedding memories and moments that would fill pages of books and hours of film. We truly can understand why viewers love to watch these shows. Weddings can evoke all emotions - sadness, joy, jealousy and anger - all in just one wedding, too.
Viewers have enjoyed watching the wedding planning shows, such as "Bridezilla" and "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway" to see all the drama that surrounds the planning process. It’s like a train wreck. You simply can’t look away.
For those who want to experience fairytale weddings, they tune into shows such as "Platinum Weddings" and "Married Away" so they can dream.
This season, as in past seasons on prime time television, new shows have emerged that have a wedding theme. The first show this season is "Rules of Engagement" on CBS that focuses on an engaged couple, Adam (Oliver Hudson) and Jennifer (Bianca Kajlich), their friends, a long-time married pair, Jeff (Patrick Warburton) and Audrey (Megyn Price) and a bachelor on the prowl, Russell (David Spade). "Rules of Engagement" is a comedy that explores the different phases of male and female relationships. It can be seen Monday evenings 9:30/8:30C on CBS.
You can hear wedding bells ringing on FOX's new show by famed producer David E. Kelley, who has created such greats as "Ally McBeal," "The Practice," and "Boston Legal". "Wedding Bells" is a romantic dramedy about the Bell sisters, Annie (KaDee Strickland), Jane (Teri Polo) and Sammy (Sarah Jones) who inherit the "Wedding Palace", a wedding venue and wedding planning business from their parents' divorce. It shows how the sisters balance planning complicated and elaborate weddings, while trying to figure out their own love lives. To catch the bells sounding, tune into FOX Friday nights at 9/8C.
And if you can't get enough wedding shows, check out "Til Death," which is also on FOX, Wednesdays 9:30/8:30C. "Til Death" is a comedy about longtime married couple, Eddie (Brad Garrett) and Joy (Joely Fisher) and their next door neighbors, young newlyweds, Steph (Kat Foster) and Jeff (Eddie Kaye Thomas). Eddie and Joy are closing in on day 9,000 of their marriage while Steph and Jeff have been married only days. This show is about new marriage versus old marriage.
Just when you thought that every wedding show was covered, NBC is going to launch "The Real Wedding Crashers," which is a wedding twist on the MTV's hit "Punk'd". On this show, brides and grooms will help fool their families as their weddings turn into complete disasters. Nothing is safe! Stay tuned to NBC to learn the launch date, which should be late April.
Whether you are planning a wedding and need a break from the stress, or just need a good laugh, you're sure to hear wedding bells ringing on prime time this season. Tune in and get a good dose of humor, which is one of the most important ingredients to add to a successful wedding!