History Main / LastWishMarriage

Marriage is a big decision, and one that normally shouldn't be entered into lightly, because it will affect you for the rest of your life. However, long term planning goes out the window when YourDaysAreNumbered. Many people want to get married at some point [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou (or experience sex, and their morals demand marriage)]], and when you're terminally ill or [[WartimeWedding headed off into a battle]] where your odds of survival are slim, it's now or never. A result of this is that the people in question may have never even considered marrying each other under any other circumstances, but instead are just two terminally ill patients who don't want to die alone or an otherwise platonic friend volunteering to marry the patient because he/she is not long for this world. Alternatively, the two could have been/still are HighSchoolSweethearts. If it's done really cheesy, it will end with a LastKiss. See also TrueLoveIsAKink.

* In ''Anime/AngelBeats'', would Hinata proposing marriage to Yui in order to fulfill her final wish and allow her to move on from Purgatory count as an example of this trope?

* In V3 of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' comics Shadow Lass married Mon-El when he was dying (and he died an issue later). In this case Shadow Lass initiated the marriage. Whether this is still in continuity is uncertain.

* In ''[[Literature/TheWheelOfTime The Shadow Rising]]'', Perrin and Faile are married in Emond's Field as a demand from Faile to leave the village, which is due to be assaulted and overrun by Trollocs. She returns with TheCavalry, in the form of villagers from the neighbouring villages that she recruited.

* In ''Tomek wśród łowców głów'' (''Tom among the headhunters'') from Polish novel cycle by Alfred Szklarski, Tomek's love interest from Australia, Sally, marries him when she is seriously injured. [[spoiler:It was penultimate chapter ''Sally's last wish'' and she said that when he is hers, she can die, but nobody wanted do believe it and she really recovered soon.]]

* In ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}'', Cole and Phoebe got married in the face of their supernatural apocalypse, but after killing the BigBad he CameBackWrong and their relationship was doomed.

** In an earlier episode, "Walkabout", Guy of Gisborne repeatedly asks Marian to marry him so they can escape the forthcoming destruction of Nottingham (as a promise made to the Sheriff by Prince John that the entire city will be destroyed if the Sheriff should die an unnatural death has been triggered when the Sheriff goes missing, but Gisborne himself and his immediate family will be spared). Marian refuses on the grounds that she cannot abandon the people of Nottingham, and eventually Gisborne decides to stay and die by her side. As the guards close in, he implores her to marry him now, as there is still time to "steal that from them, at least", although he is interrupted by the return of the Sheriff.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldofGumballS1E5TheEnd The End]]", Gumball and Darwin [[MistakenForApocalypse believe the world is going to end in a day]], so Gumball tries to marry his crush, Penny, in the school hallway, apparently without even proposing first. [[RealityEnsues She responds by pointing out the problem with this and the fact they're just twelve]], but says she'd be open to him trying this again in like twenty years, which Gumball accepts... before he immediately proposes to the nearest other girl after Penny walks off.

* An inspiring Real Life example is the charity [[http://wishuponawedding.org/ Wish Upon A Wedding]]. It grants terminally ill people weddings and vow renewals.
* Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. Incredibly, in a Berlin that was 80% over-run by the Red Army, they still found a civil registrar from the Berlin local government (such as was left) who was brought to the Bunker to officiate and make it legal and write out a formal marriage certificate. Mr and Mrs Hitler both required death certificates the following day.
* The US Government takes this into consideration with survivor benefits. For the spouse to qualify for survivor benefits, the marriage must have lasted at least nine months or produced a child, unless the death was in the line of duty.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Deryni}} In the King's Service]]'', Lord Ahern de Corwyn is engaged to Zoe Morgan when he becomes ill from a ruptured bowel. The couple exchange wedding vows at Ahern's insistence (he refuses the Last Rites until this is done), and he dies a bout an hour later.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldofGumballS1E5TheEnd The End]]", Gumball and Darwin [[MistakenForApocalypse believe the world is going to end in a day]]. Gumball then asks Penny to marry him. After her rejection, he immediately proposes to the nearest girl.

-->-- '''Prince Hans''', ''Disney/{{Frozen}}''

* In ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', Hans claims that he married Anna as she lay on her deathbed, thus making him King of Arendelle. Yeah, this is why weddings require a witness.

* In ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'', [[spoiler:Hans of Westergard]] claims that he married Anna in accordance with her last wish, thus making him King of Arendelle. Yeah, this is why weddings require a witness.

* In ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', Cole and Phoebe got married in the face of their supernatural apocalypse, but after killing the BigBad he CameBackWrong and their relationship was doomed.

* William and Daisy are married in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' Series 2, with William on his death bed after his war wounds. It is PlayedForDrama since Daisy didn't love William, but she is pushed to the marriage by the rest of the staff.

* A possible variation in ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman''. Matthew and Ingrid, convinced the world is going to end, want to get married. They were already boyfriend and girlfriend, but they hadn't been planning to do it quite so soon. It doesn't happen because the preacher is too busy hearing last-minute confessions.

Marriage is a big decision, and one that normally shouldn't be entered into lightly, because it will affect you for the rest of your life. However, long term planning goes out the window when YourDaysAreNumbered. Many people want to get married at some point [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou (or experience sex, and their morals demand marriage)]], and when you're terminally ill or [[WartimeWedding headed off into a battle]] where your odds of survival are slim, it's now or never. A result of this is that the people in question may have never even considered marrying each other under any other circumstances, but instead are just two terminally ill patients who don't want to die alone or an otherwise platonic friend volunteering to marry the patient because he/she is not long for this world. Alternatively, the two could have been/still are HighSchoolSweethearts. If it's done really cheesy, it will end with a LastKiss.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldofGumballS1E5TheEnd The End]]", Gumball and Darwin believe the world is going end. Gumball then asks Penny to marry him. After her rejection, he immediately proposes to the nearest girl.

* Played with in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. In case 2, Alita Tiala wants to marry Wocky Kitaki because she knew that his heart could stop at any time, and when that happened, Wocky's fortune would become hers.

* Eazy-E was very sick with AIDs, and died just two weeks after his wedding in 1995 to his longtime girlfriend Tomika Woods, at the age of 30.

* Played with in ''VideoGame/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. In case 2, Alita Tiala wants to marry Wocky Kitaki because she knew that his heart could stop at any time, and when that happened, Wocky's fortune would become hers.

* William and Daisy are married in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' Series 2, with William on his death bed after his war wounds. It is PlayedForDrama since Daisy didn't move William, but she is pushed to the marriage by the rest of the staff.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In V3 of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' comics Shadow Lass married Mon-El when he was dying (and he died an issue later). In this case Shadow Lass initiated the marriage. Whether this is still in continuity is uncertain.
[[/folder]]

* Happens to the main character and his girlfiend in ''Film/DeepImpact''. Despite being very young teenagers, they want to (and are allowed to) get married due to the possibility that they might die soon anyway because of the meteor.

* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd'', during the final battle, [[spoiler:Will proposes to Elizabeth. Knowing that there's a good chance they could die, Elizabeth]] asks Barbossa to perform the marriage ceremony right then and there (as he's a ship's captain and is legally able to), which he does - while sword-fighting with Davy Jones' minions the whole time.

* Cameron on ''Series/{{House}}'' once married a man that had been diagnosed terminally ill with thyroid cancer. He made it six more months after their wedding before he died.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' Brian falls in love with an old woman. As she is in the hospital dying he brings a virtual reality helmet for her to wear so she can see a long life married to him before she dies.

* ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'': A variation where the wedding is wished for another person. As the Count writes his will on the eve of a duel he has agreed to lose, he asks that Morrel marry his slave/adoptive daughter Haydee so she'll have someone left to help her in life. In the morning, he asks Morrel if he has a fiancee, when he learns this is the case he just sighs and puts it down to fate. [[spoiler:And in the end the duel was cancelled.]]

* ''[[{{Series/Buffythevampireslayer}} Buffy]]'' and ''[[{{Series/CHARMED}} Charmed]]'' both pulled this in the face of their respective supernatural apocalypses. With Charmed it was Cole and Phoebe but after killing the BigBad he CameBackWrong and their relationship was doomed. On Buffy Xander proposed to Anya who was hurt because she thought he was only proposing for this reason, and he'd never have to go through with it.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'', Gumball and Darwin believe the world is going end. Gumball then asks Penny to marry him. After her rejection he immediately proposes to the nearest girl.

* In ''Tomek wśród łowców głów'' (''Tom among the headhunters'') from Polish novel cycle by Alfred Szklarski, Tomek's love interest from Australia, Sally, marries him when she is seriously injured. [[spoiler:It was penultimate chapter ''Sally's last wish'' and she said that when he is hers, she can die, but nobody wanted do believe it and she really recovered soon.]]

Marriage is a big decision, and one that normally shouldn't be entered into lightly, because it will affect you for the rest of your life. However, long term planning goes out the window when YourDaysAreNumbered. Many people want to get married at some point [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou (or experience sex, and their morals demand marriage)]], and when you're terminally ill or [[WartimeWedding headed off into a battle]] where your odds of survival are slim, it's now or never. A result of this is that the people in question may have never even considered marrying each other under any other circumstances, but instead are just two terminally ill patients who don't want to die alone or an otherwise platonic friend volunteering to marry the patient because he/she is not long for this world. Alternatively, the two could have been/still are HighSchoolSweethearts. Very much TruthInTelevision.

* Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. Incredibly, in a Berlin that was 80% over-run by the Red Army, they still found a civil registrar from the Berlin local government (such as was left)who was brought to the Bunker to officiate and make it legal and write out a formal marriage certificate. Mr and Mrs Hitler both required death certificates the following day.
* The US Government takes this trope into consideration with survivor benefits. For the spouse to qualify for survivor benefits, the marriage must have lasted at least nine months or produced a child, unless the death was in the line of duty.
* In 2013 a lesbian couple was allowed to get married before the date that gay marriages were to be officially allowed in their state because one of the two had breast cancer and would be dead before the new law would go into effect. [[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/11/28/Lesbian-couple-has-first-legal-same-sex-marriage-in-Illinois/UPI-65551385653496/]]

Marriage is a big decision, and one that normally shouldn't be entered into lightly, because it will affect you for the rest of your life. However, long term planning goes out the window when YourDaysAreNumbered. Many people want to get married at some point [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou (or experience sex, and their morals demand marriage)]], and when you're terminally ill or headed off into a battle where your odds of survival are slim, it's now or never. A result of this is that the people in question may have never even considered marrying each other under any other circumstances, but instead are just two terminally ill patients who don't want to die alone or an otherwise platonic friend volunteering to marry the patient because he/she is not long for this world. Alternatively, the two could have been/still are HighSchoolSweethearts. Very much TruthInTelevision.

YKTTW now sponsored by Morgenthaler per Administrivia/UpForGrabs rules.

Marriage is a big decision, and one that normally shouldn't be entered into lightly, because it will affect you for the rest of your life. However, long term planning goes out the window when YourDaysAreNumbered. Many people want to get married at some point [[YouDontWantToDieAVirginDoYou (or experience sex, and their morals demand marriage)]], and when you're terminally ill or headed off into a battle where your odds of survival are slim, it's now or never. A result of this is that the people in question may have never even considered marrying each other under any other circumstances, but instead are just two terminally ill patients who don't want to die alone or an otherwise platonic friend volunteering to marry the patient because he/she is not long for this world. Alternatively, the two could be HighSchoolSweethearts who are still in high school. Very much TruthInTelevision.

Subtrope of AltarTheSpeed.

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