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It’s been 32 years since the first LGBTQ+ wedding on TV (“Can’t Help Loving That Man” on Fox’s Roc), 27 years since the first sapphic wedding on primetime (“The One with the Lesbian Wedding” on Friends), and 15 years since the first same-sex wedding between series regulars (“Prior Commitments” on Brothers and Sisters).
Since then, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated plenty of wins. The U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, for instance, and representation on TV has grown from some 34 queer TV characters at the time of Susan and Carol’s on-screen wedding in 1996 to 596 as of last year.
And while we’re still ways away from true equality (no thanks to the rise of anti-trans bills in recent years), celebrating queer love and queer joy on TV is more than just heart-warming entertainment — it’s also a political act.
That said, here are 6 of TV’s best LGBTQ+ weddings (so far).
Nomi and Amanita (Sense8)
As a celebration of trans joy and radical empathy, Nomi and Amanita’s wedding feels like a fairy tale.
In Sense8’s finale episode “Amor Vincit Omnia” (“Love Conquers All”), the good guys just won, the bad guys are gone, and the couple we first meet at the start of Netflix’s sci-fi epic are finally getting married. And not just anywhere — they’re getting married at the Eiffel Tower.
River El-Saadawi, the new leader of the formerly evil BPO and officiant of the ceremony, said it best: “This wedding is proof… that for all the differences between us and all the forces that try to divide us, they will never exceed the power of love to unite us.”
It’s the perfect queer wedding to end a very queer TV series, a gift from trans creators Lilly and Lana Wachowski.
David and Patrick (Schitt’s Creek)
CBC’s Schitt’s Creek is a comedy — a very funny one, in fact. But in its series finale, “Happy Ending,” I might have cried a tiny bit more than I laughed. It’s hard to tell because the episode accomplishes what the show quietly got better and better at across its six seasons: Make you laugh and cry at the same time.
In the episode, Patrick and David get their dream wedding ceremony despite a last-minute venue change. The Jazzagals give us a lovely rendition of the late Tina Turner’s “The Best,” David and Alexis have a small moment of sibling love before walking down the aisle, and Moira is… being Moira.
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And if you aren’t crying by the time David sings Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” you will start tearing up at David’s vows.
Mitch and Cam (Modern Family)
Mitch and Cam’s wedding was the two-part finale of Modern Family Season 5. And in true sitcom fashion, nothing was going right.
There was Cam’s wrong tuxedo, the officiant going into labor, and a literal wildfire that forced everyone to evacuate the wedding venue. The two episodes are as chaotic as you’d expect, but in the end, the family pulls through together.
The beauty of the episodes lies in the many small moments of love — from Lily looking so happy to see her two dads tying the knot to Phil’s short speech as the officiant. But perhaps best of all, especially for queer audiences, is Jay asking his son Mitch for a little walk… down the aisle.
The choice of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ “Home” was also *chef’s kiss*.
Angel and Lil Papi (Pose)
Angel and Lil Papi’s two-part queer wedding special captures much of what makes FX’s Pose such a gem. It’s a gorgeous audiovisual treat crafted with poise and love for its characters and their stories, unafraid to show trans and queer people of color’s heartache and celebrate their joy.
In “Something Borrowed, Something Blue,” Elektra gives all the ballroom girls wedding dresses. And in “Something Old, Something New,” Angel chooses a family that loves her and Lil Papi breaks out into song. Suddenly, he is backed by strings, Ricky on the back-up vocals, and everybody is singing along, with much of the crowd also clad in bridal white.
The entire thing feels tooth-rottingly romantic, but it’s also softly triumphant for the chosen family in attendance, all of them carving their own safe space and fostering joy in a world that denies it to them.
Also, a necessary note: Indya Moore’s Angel is absolutely stunning, and Angel Bismark Curiel’s Lil Papi is to die for.
Brittany and Santana, Kurt and Blaine (Glee)
Ryan Murphy’s Glee is responsible for altering the brain chemistry of a whole generation of queers.
Yes, the show aged like milk. But for many of us, it was the first time we saw LGBTQ+ characters and storylines on mainstream TV. And in the Season 6 episode “A Wedding,” the show gave us not just one, but two same-sex weddings.
The first one was between Brittany and Santana (played by Heather Morris and the late Naya Rivera), cheerleader best friends who fell in love across the show’s chaotic story arcs.
The second, made possible with help from tracksuit fashion icon Sue, was between Darren Criss’ Blaine and Chris Colfer’s Kurt. In a show full of memorable (and often unhinged) one-liners, Sue’s “Will you give America what at least 52% of it will legally tolerate?” is a highlight — premiering just three months before gay marriage was formally legalized in the US.
Waverly and Nicole (Wynonna Earp)
Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught comprise one of Ao3’s top WLW ships, and so it felt fitting that Wynonna Earp went out in style with a WayHaught wedding — complete with a haunted wedding dress.
In the series finale, “Old Souls,” Nedley walks Nicole down the aisle, the vows are said, and the knot is finally tied over the happy couple’s hands. If you’re not bawling when Nicole says, “I promise to hold your hand when the firelight grows dim. And that my love never will,” then you might just be when the camera pans to show the empty chairs with names of those who can’t be present to celebrate the happy occasion.
Dominique Provost-Chalkley, who plays Waverly, has spoken about how her character’s journey of discovering her own sexuality has helped her do the same. In a panel presented by GLAAD, she shared, “It really enabled me to step into my truth and the shoes of the queer woman that I am, the queer human being I am, and really have the courage and the confidence to embody that.”
