Synopsis

Divorce mediators John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey make a hobby of entering strangers' weddings under false pretenses, enjoying free food and romantic opportunities. Their routine changes when John falls for Claire Cleary, a woman from a powerful Washington family. As the pair become entangled with Claire's relatives and jealous fiance, their carefully maintained deception threatens both their friendship and John's chance at a genuine relationship.

Factoids & Trivia

• The premise grew from producer Andrew Panay's enthusiasm for attending weddings as a young man, combined with screenwriter Bob Fisher's experience inventing false identities to attend Washington, D.C., lobbying events for free food.

• The screenplay was initially set on Cape Cod. The production moved the story to Washington, D.C., partly because filming in spring made Cape Cod less practical and partly because the filmmakers knew the capital well.

• Principal photography began in Washington, D.C., on March 22, 2004, and continued for a reported 52-day schedule. Locations included the Lincoln Memorial, Maryland's Assateague Island, and the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels.

• The filmmakers held approximately three and a half weeks of rehearsals before shooting. Those rehearsals helped shape the characters' voices and created room for carefully controlled improvisation.

• The football sequence was staged and photographed like a televised NFL game. The approach was intended to make the action feel familiar and authentic rather than like conventional movie coverage.

• The movie was made for an estimated $40 million and earned approximately $288.5 million worldwide. It opened in the United States on July 15, 2005, and later reached the top of the domestic box office during its third weekend.

• The original home-video release included deleted scenes, featurettes, audio commentaries, a collection of wedding-crashing rules, promotional commercials, and music-related material.