Top 10 Wedding Themed Music Videos

Sam Smith knows how to get us right in the feels, and this video is no exception. Instead of beginning with a wedding, the first image is of Sam singing mournfully in front of a closed casket. We’re not sure who died but the video later reveals it to be his husband, who he married in that same church. “Lay Me Down” may not be as grand a production as some of the other videos on this list, but it's just as effective. In fact, as it was shot in just one sequence, its simplicity is what allows it to tell the couple’s story.

Known for her badass personality, audiences aren’t used to seeing the softer side to Pink but that’s exactly what we’re shown in this emotional video. Instead of celebrating a union like a lot of marriage themed videos, hers stands out since it’s about mourning the end of a relationship. Throughout the video, we’re shown memories from the wedding day that are now ruined by her failed relationship. Shot in black and white, Pink looks gorgeous in the same dress she wore to her 2006 wedding to Carey Hart. It’s heartfelt, emotional, and packs a punch.

Most girls dream of a fairytale wedding but Kelly flipped that idea on its head with this entry. Kelly thought up the concept of the video herself when she had the idea to make it like a “broken fairy tale.” To make her vision come to life, the video shows images of Kelly in her wedding dress when she sees a woman she suspects her ex of cheating with. There’s a lot of back and forth about whether her instincts are right, and ultimately she is. Kelly’s grief is palpable but she’s not one to be broken, as we see her stomping around in a damp swamp. But that last image is everything, as she walks out into the sunset.

Weddings often cause tears of joy but this one brings tears of real grief. The video begins with Carrie talking to her fiancée who’s about to be sent to war. As the video goes on, we get to see her dream of their wedding only to realize that it’ll never happen because he died in duty. The reveal is heartbreaking, and Carrie’s pain is felt through both her acting, and the song’s lyrics. It’s a startling image to see her walk down the aisle in her white dress only to have it transform into her black funeral attire. It’s quite the opposite effect from her other wedding themed music video, “Mama’s Song,” which features her real life husband Mike Fisher.

As the band’s first music video, the group decided to go big and really, what’s bigger than a circus themed wedding? Lyrically, the song begins with a couple who seem to have some underlying issues. The same concept plays out in the video as the couple fight, which leads to chaos among their families and guests. To carry out the video’s theme, the band hired real circus folk from the Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque. The video was a smash success that year and earned director Shane Drake the 2006 VMA Music Video of the Year Award, which in itself is pretty dang swanky.

When is it not a nice day for a white wedding? A traditional wedding isn’t exactly what we get from Billy’s video but that’s what makes it so unique. Billy and his bride, played by then girlfriend Perri Lister, have a Gothic ceremony that goes off the rails when he accidentally cuts her fingers with a ring made of barbwire. To make sure it looked real, Perri actually agreed to have him cut her finger for real... an image which didn't go down all that well with the folks at MTV. The whole thing is pretty surreal but that’s what makes it a classic.

Cold feet are a real thing but by the time most people get to the altar, they’ve got it together. That’s not the case in Katy’s video since her groom can’t seem to say “I do.” A frustrated Katy begins to sing about her fiancée’s up and down mood swings as disco lights fill the church. Instead of backing down, Katy chases her groom until he gives in. We later realize it was all a fantasy on his part and in the end the couple gets their happy ending.

Leave it to Mimi to make being a runaway bride look so good. The passionate and heartfelt companion to Mariah’s other video “It’s Like That”, “We Belong Together” depicts Mariah’s opulent wedding to an older, more mature man played by the dashing Eric Roberts. She’s tormented before the wedding and just as she’s about to go through with the nuptials, she’s saved by her younger ex-lover, played by Wentworth Miller. We also can’t help but wonder if Mariah was throwing a little shade at her ex-Tommy Mottola, since she wears her same Vera Wang wedding dress from their 1993 wedding.

The longest video on our list, this entry blends real-life and fantasy. At the time of the video’s release, lead singer Axl Rose was in a relationship with the video's bride, Stephanie Seymour. Their grand church wedding seems picturesque enough but as the video goes on, viewers realize that Axl is mourning Stephanie’s death, since it seems she committed suicide. In addition to the wedding, there are epic aerial shots of Slash’s guitar solo and the band’s performance at L.A.'s Orpheum Theater. Because of all the moving parts, the video cost a staggering $1.5 million dollars, making it one of the most expensive music videos of all time.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Simple Kind of Life” (2000)
No Doubt

“Sugar” (2015)
Maroon 5

“I Do” (Cherish You) (1999)
98 Degrees

Who would dump Beyoncé? Though the concept of the video is hard to believe, it’s still one that many can relate to. In it, Beyoncé prepares for her wedding to the man of her dreams after reminiscing about her ex who dumped her back in high school. The video switches to vintage home footage to show the foolish guy who let her walk away. She won’t let her ex ruin her day though, and throughout the vid, she struts around in some enviable wedding attires from her lingerie to the multiple stunning gowns. Even though it wasn’t her real wedding, no expense was spared. The dress she wore was a Baracci gown that cost a whopping $85,000!

Do you agree with our list? Which music video looks like your ideal wedding? For more can’t miss Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.