Some of the best episodes of television shows feature weddings. Sometimes, fans have waited for multiple seasons for their favorite couples to finally tie the knot. Other times, it’s a surprise wedding that nobody anticipated. The episodes are fun, romantic, and memorable.
There are several wedding-themed episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. The weddings are usually planned quickly and around everyone’s surgery schedules. Someone shows up late. A flower arch is an essential item, and there’s always a meaningful glance between someone in the bridal party and a wedding guest. Grey’s Anatomy knows how to make good wedding episodes.
Cristina And Owen – 7.9
In the seventh season premiere, “With You, I’m Born Again,” Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) and Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) decide to get married after the infamous hospital shooting at Seattle Grace Mercy West. After the emotional trauma of the shooting, the couple realizes that it’s time to get married. It’s a rushed wedding inside Dr. Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) apartment living room, but it’s still classy and casual with candles and twinkle lights.
Cristina wears a nontraditional red slinky dress, and the wedding is complete with drinking and dancing. It’s not the most glamorous wedding, but it’s everything Cristina and Owen need. After experiencing a horrific shooting, the show needed a romantic wedding.
Callie And Arizona – 7.9
In the season seven episode “White Wedding,” fans couldn’t wait to watch the wedding between Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Dr. Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw). For the couple, everything seems to be going wrong. Callie’s mother is uncomfortable that her daughter is marrying a woman and she doesn’t attend the wedding. Upset about this, Callie nearly cancels the wedding—that is, until Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) reminds her that she loves Arizona. Their marriage will be real and valid because of their love and commitment.
Callie and Arizona’s wedding is fun with an outdoor circus tent and plenty of dancing. The wedding was also monumental as a single-sex wedding on a scripted television program. It was a big deal in 2011.
April And Matthew – 8.1
For the most part, fans have mixed opinions about Dr. April Kepner (Sarah Drew) on Grey’s Anatomy. She’s not the most well-liked character, and fans have different opinions on her romantic relationships. Some fans “ship” her with the EMT Matthew Taylor (Justin Bruening) and others love her relationship with Dr. Jackson Avery (Jesse Williams).
In the season ten mid-season finale “Get Up, Stand Up,” April is going to marry Matthew. It’s a very romantic wedding inside a barn. April looks beautiful in her wedding dress, and it seems like the perfect wedding. It’s ultimately interrupted by Jackson, who passionately professes his love to April. She runs off with him, and surprise! They elope instead.
Catherine And Richard – 8.2
In the eleventh season finale “You’re My Home,” the hospital staff at Grey Sloan Memorial deal with one crisis after another. It doesn’t seem like Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and Dr. Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) will get married after all. They have a fight and Catherine gives back her engagement ring.
Meredith finally comes to the rescue and reminds them that their time together is precious. The hospital chapel is filled with flowers and everyone gathers to celebrate Richard and Catherine’s wedding. It’s not the most memorable wedding ceremony on the show, but the entire episode had plenty of tears and heartfelt moments.
Jo And Alex – 8.4
The season 14 finale, “All of Me,” was an episode fans had waited for—the wedding between Dr. Jo Wilson (Camilla Luddington) and Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). The original wedding plans go awry, and they quickly plan a ferry-boat ceremony with Meredith officiating the wedding. Who else could officiate besides Alex’s best friend?
The wedding is gorgeous, and fans were happy to see Alex and Jo laugh and look so much in love. Meanwhile, April is surprised when Matthew proposes again after her marriage to Jackson ended. April accepts the proposal and the two decide to get married. It seems April likes spontaneous weddings.
Bailey And Ben – 8.5
In the season nine episode “Run, Baby, Run,” Bailey and firefighter Ben Warren (Jason Winston George) have a memorable winter-themed wedding. Like most weddings on Grey’s Anatomy, there are a few mishaps before the ceremony, including Bailey being late because she has to perform an emergency operation on Richard’s first wife, Adele (Loretta Devine). Even if there’s a wedding, the doctors know they have to save lives.
Luckily, Ben is sweet and understanding. He’s happy to marry Bailey—whenever the time comes. Their wedding is blissful, fun (with macaroni and cheese cupcakes!), and everything Bailey and Ben deserve.
Owen And Amelia – 8.7
Most fans disliked Owen’s brief relationship and marriage with Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone). They ultimately get married in the season 12 finale “Family Affair,” even though it’s wrong. Everyone knows it’s a doomed marriage. It’s an intense episode, including April’s emergency C-section delivery on a kitchen table.
In fact, some fans even overlook Owen and Amelia’s wedding. It’s a typical small church wedding with simple flowers. That’s it. Like Owen and Amelia’s marriage, it’s forgettable. Luckily, the rest of the episode has more intense moments.
Cristina And Burke – 8.8
Grey’s Anatomy has many memorable season finales, including the third season finale, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All?” It’s Cristina’s big day, in which she’s going to marry Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington). Everything is perfect. It’s an elaborate church wedding and Cristina looks stunning in a strapless gown.
However, Burke ultimately leaves Cristina, thinking that he’s forcing her into the marriage. Cristina is heartbroken, and the episode stomps on viewers’ hearts with Cristina’s emotional sobbing and clinging to Meredith’s arms. It’s an episode no one could ever forget.
Izzie And Alex – 9.3
In the show’s fifth season, Meredith was planning her wedding to Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). However, when Dr. Izzie Stevens’ (Katherine Heigl) brain tumor takes a turn for the worse, Meredith gives Izzie and Alex her dream wedding in the episode “What a Difference a Day Makes.”
This is probably the most gorgeous gift in the world. Izzie and Alex have a magical garden wedding, and they pledge their love to each other with romantic vows. Alex beautifully says, “Today’s the day my life begins. All my life, I’ve been just me. Just a smart mouth kid. Today, I become a man. Today, I become a husband.”
Meredith And Derek – 9.6
The season five finale, “Now or Never,” is memorable for many reasons. The hospital staff takes care of a John Doe patient who was hit by a bus, but it turns out to be Dr. George O’Malley (T.R. Knight). They fight to save him, but he (spoiler alert) dies at the end of the episode. Meanwhile, the doctors also fight to save Izzie.
With everything going on, Meredith and Derek realize they don’t have time to run to the courthouse for their planned wedding. However, they want to be married to each other. They write their marriage vows on Post-It Notes while wearing their surgical scrubs. In the iconic scene, they promise to love and honor each other. They might not be legally married to each other until two seasons later, but they’re “married.” They couldn’t wait another day to be married, and the Post-It Notes are all that they need.