Friends is globally one of the most popular sitcoms around and it just so happens that between them, Friends characters Monica, Chandler, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe and Joey all managed to provide us with a wealth of wedding do's and don'ts throughout the 10 seasons of the show.The first epside, for example, really kicked into gear when Rachel sailed into Central Perk swathed in white chiffon and lace, fresh from fleeing her wedding to Barry. Why did she flee? Her gut told her so. The lesson here? Go with your gut. We all took it in, and subconsciously swore to avoid ever ending up in Rachel's wedding shoes.
A few seasons later we witnessed that most monumental of wedding fails in our very own London, when Ross and Emily stood together to say 'I do' in a part demolished church peppered with twinkling fairy lights. The setting was utterly romantic and so was the wedding. Until Ross tripped up whilst saying his vows that is, and swore to take 'thee Rachel' instead of Emily as his loving wife, just as said ex Rachel had entered the church no less. Not ideal. That one scene struck the fear into every would-be groom out there and for good reason.
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When Monica married Chandler the pair not only melted hearts the world over but proved the worth of decent grip on your wedding shoes too, and Phoebe's snowy wedding to Mike was a prime example of a large wedding gone wrong turning into a small wedding gone right. You get the idea. Keen to rediscover every other highly valuable wedding lesson we learned from Friends? Read on...
10 Wedding Lessons We Learned From Friends
Wedding Lessons From Friends
1 of 101. Go With Your Gut
Rachel was all set to walk down the aisle towards Barry and say 'I do' until it hit her, how much Barry looks like Mr Potato Head! Her gut instinct kicked in and she fled. Had she not legged it she wouldn't have kicked off the legendary on-off relationship with dear Ross and we would have had a far less entertaining sitcom on our hands.
2 of 102. Wear shoes with grip
Despite having rehearsed a dance routine to surprise Monica with, Chandler soon found himself sliding across the dance floor in his smooth-soled shoes. The lesson here? Ensure your wedding shoes have a good level of grip (top tip? Sand paper the underside if they don't) and dance the night away without fear of a fall.
3 of 103. Re-purpose your wedding dress
As Rachel, Monica and Phoebe proved ahead of Ross' wedding, wearing your old wedding dress (or someone else's in the case of Monica) has the potential to boost your mood no end. Sure it's advisable to get it altered to a less formal length or dyed a less obviously wedding-dress-esque colour, but each to your own.
4 of 104. Practise. Your. Vows
This is perhaps the biggest cautionary tale of them all. Practise your vows. Eradicate any possibility of letting the wrong name slip out, especially when said name happens to be that of an ex, and espeically when that ex happens to have waltzed in ready to hold up proceedings. It's unlikely in every case, but we're talking worst case scenario here. Practise. Your. Vows.
5 of 105. All you need is love
Yep, it sounds cheesy, and far too much like scene from Love Actually, but Mike and Phoebe's wedding proved that all you truly need are the people around you and the two of you there at the altar to have a truly wonderfuly wedding. After a snow storm put paid to any hopes of flower arrangements, a band and catering, Mike and Phoebe wed amidst fairy lights in the snow surrounded by their closest friends. Well, Phoebe's closest friends anyway. What more did they need?
6 of 106. You are more than a bridesmaid dress
When Rachel was faced with attending Barry and Mindy's wedding as a bridesmaid it was bad enough. And then she saw the dress. Unwilling to lose face though, and supported by current beau Ross, Rachel pulled her shoulders back, adjusted her horrific hat, and showed the attendeeds what for. Bravo that girl.
7 of 107. Bring whistles to a wedding dress sale
You have to hand it to Monica. She was prepared when it came to that wedding dress sale. She roped in her friends to scout the place out for that one dress, armed them with whistles to blow upon finding it, and had quite possibly trained for physical combat in preparation too. Now we're certainly not advising you get scrappy in your desperation to grab 'the one', but whistles. Now there's an idea.
8 of 108. Never lose sight of the groom
Chandler's disappearance in the moments before his wedding to Monica proved one thing - no matter how good their intentions are, never let the groom wander off prior to the wedding. It will only cause distress and upset for those who fear the worst.
9 of 109. Lorkins mean orchids when speaking to a Swedish florist
It was highly relevant when it came to Phoebe's wedding to Mike and you know, it might come in useful one day!
10 of 1010. Choose your wedding officiant wisely
Having Joey officiate Monica and Chandler's wedding was a cute idea, but it might have been worth checking what he was planning to wear on the day. His filming schedule caught up with him and he assumed his position in fake blood stained uniform. Not OK.
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