PLANNING a wedding is never an easy task. One has to worry about the venue, guest list, gowns, music, flowers, decorations.... But a fantastic way to put all brides- and grooms-to-be in the mood is to look to the movies for inspiration.

That is, besides thumbing through today’s The New Paper Wedding Planner.

Curl up with your partner and watch these romantic flicks. And perhaps learn a lesson or two from their memorable on-screen nuptials that show us what marriage can be like – for better or for worse.

Love Actually (2003)

The happy couple: Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor)

The wedding moment: This light-hearted British flick purports, via Wet Wet Wet’s ubiquitous theme song, that love is all around us.

It also portrays different aspects of love – courtship, love lost, betrayal, lust and love that passes by. What stands out is the unforgettable wedding of Juliet and Peter. During the recessional, the newlyweds are surprised by musicians popping up from the pews and balcony to serenade them with the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love.

A real joyous treat.

Lesson learnt: It pays to have great friends. Peter’s best man Mark arranges the romantic wedding, knowing full well it’s what Juliet has dreamt of. That he’s secretly in love with her is another story.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)

The happy couple: Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Arwen (Liv Tyler)

The wedding moment: The ageless love between a man and an immortal elf princess will go down in pop culture history as one of the most enduring romances of all time.

After a long, torturous war, Aragorn finally weds his beloved of 39 years. It is a bittersweet affair as their union means Arwen has to sacrifice her immortality.

Lesson learnt: True love reigns, regardless of the differences between the lovers. That Arwen chooses to give up eternal youth and life to be with Aragorn also speaks volumes.

Sex And The City: The Movie (2008)

The happy couple: Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mr Big (Chris Noth)

The wedding moment: A movie like Sex And The City requires more than one wedding for sure. Carrie gets – forgive the pun – carried away by the preparations and the wedding becomes way too big.

Big Vivienne Westwood gown, bigger New York Public Library venue, ever-growing guest list... Ironically it’s too big for, well, Big. He gets cold feet and leaves Carrie at the altar.

But there’s always a happily-ever-after. They eventually exchange vows in a simple wedding in New York City Hall, sans fanfare – and in the spartan white pantsuit she originally envisioned herself wearing.

Lesson learnt: Both parties need to be in tune with what sort of wedding they want and come to a compromise.

Carrie learns the hard way, through public humiliation, that it was an error not to heed Big’s wishes of a small “just you and me” wedding.

The Sound Of Music (1965)

The happy couple: Maria (Julie Andrews) and Captain von Trapp (Christopher Plummer)

The wedding moment: The ceremony between Maria and the Captain was a grand event, considering it took place during WWII.

The walk up the steps of the Mondsee cathedral with pipe organs playing the processional is absolutely majestic, even for a movie.

Incidentally, the music composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein has become one of the most popular pieces of processional music, alongside Pachelbel’s Canon, Bach’s Air on a G string and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.

Lesson learnt: Wedded bliss can be found even in times of strife. And Salzburg, Austria is a great honeymoon destination.

The Godfather (1972)

The happy couple: Carlo (Gianni Russo) and Connie (Talia Shire)

The wedding moment: How can one top a mafia wedding? This was an extravagant outdoor reception fit for the daughter of a mob kingpin. The icing on the cake is the crooning Frank Sinatra lookalike, whose serenades will make all female guests swoon.

Lesson learnt: Family, food and festivity – the Italians sure know how to throw a great party. If you don’t have a guest who can give an impromptu – but good – performance, don’t be cheap. Hire a professional entertainer.

Father Of The Bride (1991)

The happy couple: Annie Banks (Kimberly Williams) and Bryan Mackenzie (George Newbern)

The wedding moment: This all-time family favourite shifts focus from the bride to the parents. As the title suggests, the movie deals with the relationship issues between father (played by Steve Martin) and daughter as daddy’s little girl prepares for her wedding and flies the coop.

The anxieties that the father develops as he prepares to give his daughter away are at once hilarious and heartwarming.

Lesson learnt: For the fathers, it may be hard to let go of your little girl. But remember to breathe, and of course, trust in your daughter’s judgment.

This article was first published in The New Paper.