Twenty-one years later, we still have one question: Who plans the wedding planner's wedding?
Because while Mary knows more than anybody about throwing the nuptials of your dreams, would she really be able to enjoy her own big day while sweating all the little details herself?!
Anyway... on Jan. 26, 2001, The Wedding Planner waltzed into theaters, a glossy, charming, feel-good slice of cake that was met with mixed reviews—but which incidentally turned Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey into queen and king of the rom-com realm for the rest of the decade.
Lopez plays the enviably organized and polished Mary Fiore, who as the film's titular professional has it all figured out when it comes to other people's love, but who has yet to meet Mr. Right and is starting to wonder if she shouldn't just settle for Mr. He'll Do, as her doting Italian dad is hoping. (Yes, J.Lo is supposed to be Italian, as is Justin Chambers' accent.) Fireworks come along in the form of pediatrician Steve (McConaughey), who's perfect except for the fact that he's engaged to Fran (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) and Mary is planning their wedding.
How will it turn out? (Spoilers down the aisle.)
So maybe this movie wouldn't get made exactly in that way now. But, it was a confection of its time, and you can't fight that Lopez-McConaughey chemistry, so much so that you don't care who gets crushed in the making of their end-scene kiss. (Don't worry, Fran has cold feet anyway.)
And we're guessing that there are quite a few things you didn't know about the making of this film—which, like a wedding, had all kinds of behind-the-scenes moving parts that combined to form a magnificent whole.
But unlike a cocktail hour that drags on too long while you're starving and just want to cut into that filet of beef you picked for your entrée, we'll get right to it. Here are 14 secrets about The Wedding Planner:
Feel free to renew your vows: The Wedding Planner is currently streaming on Peacock.
(E! and Peacock are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)
(Originally published Jan. 26, 2021 at 4 a.m. PT)