History Main / MarriageBeforeRomance

* This is the entire premise for the popular {{manhwa}} ''Manhwa/{{Goong}}''.

* ''Film/{{Bizalom}}'': Kata and Janos have to pretend to be married, because it's 1944 Budapest and they are hiding from the Gestapo by using false ID papers that show them to be a married couple. They fall in love.

* In ''Film/SevenBridesForSevenBrothers'' a mountain man named Adam convinces a townswoman named Milly to marry him, promising an idyllic life in the woods. But when he gets her home she discovers that he failed to mention his six rowdy adult brothers who would also be living under the same roof. Despite her initial anger, she starts to fall in love with him, but their romance is derailed when he decides that since kidnapping one woman worked so well, they might as well head into town and grab themselves six more. Snowed in over winter, all of the girls warm to their captors and when spring arrives and their menfolk come to rescue them, they all manage to finagle shot-gun weddings instead.

** In ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy'' [[TheProtagonist Tristan and Cecile]] are married only because of a [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight prophecy]] and have no chance to get to know each other before the ceremony takes place. Still, they fall in love very quickly, probably helped by the fact that [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] wedding includes powerful magic to bind the newly-weds.

* A certain subset of evangelical Chrisian fiction relies on this trope, because it's written for a subculture where romantic relationships between unmarried people are strongly limited. In order to allow a typical romance arc to play out, these books frequently marry the characters off first so that any romantic affection between them will be acceptable to their reader base. For example, Janette Oke’s ''Love Comes Softly'', set circa 1850, involves a pregnant widow and a widower with a young child entering into a MarriageOfConvenience so that she can be provided for and he can have someone to take care of his daughter (this being an era when women were considered inherently better than men at caring for children), and only then beginning to develop an actual relationship. This allows the writer to write a typical romance novel without having to worry about issues of impropriety.

* In ''Series/GreysAnatomy'', Teddy marries a patient because he has a chronic illness and cannot afford surgery so that he will be covered under her insurance. She originally had no romantic interest in him, but they fall in love, though he unfortunately dies shortly after.

* The RealityTV series ''Series/MarriedAtFirstSight'' (2014-present) attempts to invoke this trope. Contestants on the show are subjected to a legally-binding [[FourthDateMarriage First-Date Marriage]]. They are paired by a team of psychologists, couples counselors, and clergy, resulting in CommonalityConnection; of course, the RuleOfDrama being what it is, they also naturally rub each other's {{Achilles Heel}}s (IE a spouse with trust issues vs. one who is comfortable lying). After a wedding and a honeymoon, the show follows the chosen couples for several weeks, after which they are given the option to separate. Of the 34 marriages started over the course of 10 seasons, 21 have continued past the SeasonFinale (though, as of mid-2020, only 9 of ''those'' remain married).

** In their happier days they're discussing arranging a marriage for their daughter. When she asks about love she is told "strange sort of marriage when you loved each other first."

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'': A City Elf PlayerCharacter who expresses a desire to MarryForLove is seen as an oddball by the rest of the community and is assured that this will happen by your father, who himself [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage experienced this with your mother]]. If you're not outright rude to your betrothed when you meet, s/he will also express confidence that this is how your relationship will play out. Your cousin, Soris, also says that "the humans choose, and [[AwfulWeddedLife their marriages don't seem any happier.]]"

** [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor King George V]] of the United Kingdom - grandfather to UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen - married his brother Albert's fiancée Mary of Teck when Albert died of pneumonia. This marriage of convenience became a love match. Both parties were emotionally inarticulate and almost pathologically shy but communicated their mutual feelings in passionate letters and 'understood each other perfectly' as George wrote in one of them. They spawned one of England's most universally beloved monarchies - just about the only monarch seriously complained about from this dynasty is the rather selfish Edward VIII.[[note]]There's something of an expectation that should present heir Charles take the throne there will be some moaning, but unlike Edward, nobody accuses Charles of being a selfish ass--despite his having had an affair, it is, if anything, Charles' sanctimoniousness about being an essentially NiceGuy that annoys people, and to the extent people are bothered by it it's more of a national joke than a serious embarrassment or scandal. Particularly with the hindsight that while Charles' affair was with one woman, whom he later married and who is by all accounts (including his own!) [[OneTrueLove the love of his life]], his then-wife Diana retaliated by cheating on him with [[UpToEleven "half the Army list and the England rugby captain"]].[[/note]]

* UsefulNotes/PompeyTheGreat of ancient Rome had a habit of marrying for purely political reasons and then falling head-over-heels in love with his wife. Some guys are just [[StealthPun romantics]]. He and his fourth wife, Julia (daughter of UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar) were especially devoted to each other, though [[MayDecemberRomance he was over twenty years older than her]]. Her untimely death broke the last bond tying Pompey and Caesar together in alliance, opening the gates for the ruinous civil war the two men would wage several years later.

** UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria was George III's granddaughter and successor to the throne. She married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in a political marriage in 1840. They were by all accounts very happy and had nine children. When Prince Albert died in 1861, Victoria was grief-stricken and went into mourning which lasted until her death in 1901. An entry in her diary for her wedding day gives an idea of her emotions:

* UsefulNotes/PompeyTheGreat of ancient Rome had a habit of marrying for purely political reasons and then falling head-over-heels in love with his wife. Some guys are just [[StealthPun romantics]]. He and his fourth wife, Julia (daughter of UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar) were especially devoted to each other, though [[MayDecemberRomance he was over twenty years older than her.]]

* A variation takes place in ''Manga/AnatoliaStory''. Near the start of the series, Kail saves Yuri from being made into a HumanSacrifice by pretending he slept with her and thus making her unusable. From there, the two have to pretend she's his concubine (which pretty much means being his wife all but on paper) so he can protect her from his WickedStepmother's murder attempts. The two play the part at first, but remain distant as they anticipate sending Yuri home soon... but they do fall in love for real. [[spoiler:After Yuri chooses to stay with Kail, the rest of the manga is about them trying to overcome obstacles so they can be married legally ''and'' she can challenge the WickedStepmother and become the proper Queen.]]

* Crystal and Ronan the Accuser during ''Comicbook/WarOfKings''. Crystal starts off hating Ronan and eventually begins to admire him and understand that he's in basically the same situation that she is. When Black Bolt eventually breaks up the marriage, [[http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_marpkkzNQk1reekd6o1_500.jpg neither of them takes it well]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', Mitsuru says in her Social Link that her parents were wed as a result of an ArrangedMarriage, but gradually came to love each other. Mitsuru, however, knows that she will never love her fiancé, and ends up telling him off in a spectacular manner toward the end of her Social Link.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* A certain subset of evangelical Chrisian fiction relies on this trope, because it's written for a subculture where romantic relationships between unmarried people are strongly limited. In order to allow a typical romance arc to play out, these books frequently marry the characters off first so that any romantic affection between them will be acceptable to their reader base. For example, Janette Oke’s ''Love Comes Softly'', set circa 1850, involves a pregnant widow and a widower with a young child entering into a MarriageOfConvenience so that she can be provided for and he can have someone to take care of his daughter (this being an era when women were considered inherently better than men at caring for children). This allows the writer to write a typical romance novel without having to worry about issues of impropriety.

* A certain subset of evangelical Chrisian fiction relies on this trope, because it's written for a subculture where romantic relationships between unmarried people are strongly limited. In order to allow a typical romance story to play out, these books frequently marry the characters off first so that any romantic affection between them will be acceptable. For example, Janette Oke’s ''Love Comes Softly'', set circa 1850, involves a pregnant widow and a widower with a young child entering into a MarriageOfConvenience so that she can be provided for and he can have someone to take care of his daughter (this being an era when women were considered inherently better than men at caring for children). This allows the romance to develop freely, without the author having to worry about crossing lines that might upset the readers.

* In Film/TheDarkKnight fanfic ''Question of Honor'', Bruce and Grace have to get married to help her escape her war-torn homeland. They plan on staying together for a few years and then getting a divorce to ensure that Grace can stay in the states. Things take a different turn, however...

* ''Bollywood/JodhaaAkbar'' centers around sixteenth-century Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Rajput wife, Jodhaa. The two are forced into marriage because Akbar wanted the Rajputs' allegiance. Akbar is Muslim and Jodhaa is Hindu, but despite their differences they slowly (and charmingly) fall in love.

* A certain subset of evangelical Chrisian fiction relies on this trope, because it's written for a subculture where romantic relationships between unmarried people are strongly limited. In order to allow a typical romance story to play out, these books frequently marry the characters off first so that any romantic affection between them will be acceptable. For example, Janette Oke’s ''Love Comes Softly'', set circa 1850, involves a pregnant widow and a widower with a young child entering into a MarriageOfConvenience so that she can be provided for and he can have someone to take care of his daughter (this being an era when women were considered inherently better than men at caring for children). This allows the romance to develop freely, without the author having to worry about upsetting readers' moral strictures.

* A certain subset of evangelical Chrisian fiction relies on this trope, because it's written for a subculture where romantic relationships between unmarried people are strongly limited. In order to allow a typical romance story to play out, these books frequently marry the characters off first so that any romantic affection between them will be acceptable. For example, Janette Oke’s ''Love Comes Softly'', set circa 1850, involves a pregnant widow and a widower with a young child entering into a MarriageOfConvenience so that she can be provided for and he can have someone to take care of his daughter (this being an era when women were considered inherently better than men at caring for children).

* ''Manga/SteppingOnRoses'' has Sumi Kitamura and Soichirou Ashida marrying ''only'' [[OnlyinitForTheMoney out of convenience]]: Soichirou needed to get married so he could properly inherit his fortune, Sumi needed money to save her family from destitution. One of the core ideas of the story is seeing whether they'll swear or not by this trope, nevermind their massive cultural and personality clashes and all the cap the plot throws at poor Sumi. [[spoiler:They do.]]

** [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor King George V]] of the United Kingdom - grandfather to UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen - married his brother Albert's fiancée Mary of Teck when Albert died of pneumonia. This marriage of convenience became a love match. Both parties were emotionally inarticulate and almost pathologically shy but communicated their mutual feelings in passionate letters and 'understood each other perfectly' as George wrote in one of them. They spawned one of England's most universally beloved monarchies - just about the only monarch seriously complained about from this dynasty is the rather selfish Edward VIII.[[note]]There's something of an expectation that should present heir Charles take the throne there will be some moaning, but unlike Edward, nobody accuses Charles of being a selfish ass--despite his having had an affair, it is, if anything, Charles' sanctimoniousness about being an essentially NiceGuy that annoys people, and to the extent people are bothered by it it's more of a national joke than a serious embarrassment or scandal. Particularly with the hindsight that while Charles' affair was with one woman, whom he later married and who is by all accounts (including his own!) [[OneTrueLove the love of his life]], his then-wife Diana retaliated by cheating on him with [[UpToEleven "half the army list and the English rugby captain"]].[[/note]]

* Sun and Nagasumi's marriage in ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid''. After Sun (a mermaid) saves Nagasumi from drowning, mermaid law forces him to either marry into her family or be killed. Naturally, he chooses the former option, and a recurring theme in the series is how despite being initially forced together by circumstance they grow into people who truly care about each other. [[spoiler:On two occasions, one formally proposes to the other and each time it is accepted.]]
* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' the title character is [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise betrothed to Akane while they are both teenagers]], and although it's clear that there is a potential for romance between them, romantic progress is constantly derailed by NotWhatItLooksLike situations, other fiancees, a curse that [[GenderBender makes Ranma turn into a girl]] when splashed with cold water, other martial artists coming after Ranma and/or Akane and, most often, the two's own egos. Although the relationship never developed beyond AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther moments and a denied AnguishedDeclarationOfLove, the ending does imply that they will get married of their own will eventually.
* In ''Anime/PleaseTeacher'' high school student Kei Kusanagi marries the alien who is posing as his homeroom teacher in order to protect her {{secret identity}}. They move in together and quickly fall in love with each other.

* ''Manga/SteppingOnRoses'' has Sumi Kitamura and Soichirou Ashida marrying ''only'' [[OnlyinitForTheMoney out of convenience]]: Soichirou needed to get married so he could properly inherit his fortune, Sumi needed money to save her family from destitution. One of the core ideas of the story is seeing whether they'll swear or not by this trope, nevermind their massive cultural and personality clashes and all the cap the plot throws at poor Sumi. [[spoiler:They do.]]
* In ''Manga/HappyMarriage'' the main couple gets thrown into an ArrangedMarriage but end up falling in love with each other.

* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Irisviel and Kiritsugu are HappilyMarried, despite their union initially being part of the arrangement for Kiritsugu to work for the Einzbern family. Plus, they had a rather rocky start since Kiritsugu wasn't impressed with Iri at first, but once her father/creator cruelly rejected her, Kiritsugu [[RescueRomance rescued and nursed her back to health]], which is what made them grow closer and fall in love in the first place. Their relationship is even happier in the much more light-hearted ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya''.

* The premise of ''Manga/IMarriedMyBestFriendToShutMyParentsUp'' involves Machi pretending to marry her kohai and friend Hana (who'd previously confessed to her while they were in college and got rejected), in order to satisfy their needs. Machi wants to stop her parents from pressuring her to marry successful men, while Hana needs a place to stay while her apartment is being renovated. Eventually, Machi ends up falling in love with Hana.

* In ''Fanfic/TheIkaris'', Shinji and Asuka get accidentally married. Although they already knew and liked each other, several misunderstandings and a bunch of emotional troubles had prevented them from becoming a couple before their accidental wedding.
* In Film/TheDarkKnight fanfic ''Question of Honor'', Bruce and Grace have to get married to help her escape her war-torn homeland. They plan on staying together for a few years and then getting a divorce to ensure that Grace can stay in the states. Things take a different turn, however...

* Due to AccidentalProposal, ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12497150/1/Different-DxD Different DxD]]'' has a betrothal variant between Sona Sitri and Issei Hyoudou - but everyone around considers them married already. Both of them are quite bemused at the beginning, but slowly grow fond of each other over one year.
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11087601/chapters/24733785 Desire Written in Olive]]'', Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff marry as part of a plan to hide she's former HYDRA and was involved in Ultron's plot to destroy the world. It takes several months before they're no longer at each other's throats and a couple years before they actually fall in love.

* ''Film/RaiseTheRedLantern'' could be an example of how this sort of trope does not necessarily result in a happy ending. Songlian marries Chen as his fourth wife. Although she is initially indifferent to him, she soon becomes embroiled in the competition between the wives to seduce him and gain his undivided attention.
* In ''Film/SevenBridesForSevenBrothers'' a mountain man named Adam convinces a townswoman named Milly to marry him, promising an idyllic life in the woods. But when he gets her home she discovers that he failed to mention his six rowdy adult brothers who would also be living under the same roof. Despite her initial anger, she starts to fall in love with him, but their romance is derailed when he decides that since kidnapping one woman worked so well, they might as well head into town and grab themselves six more. Snowed in over winter, all of the girls warm to their captors and when spring arrives and their menfolk come to rescue them, they all manage to finagle shot-gun weddings instead.
* In ''Film/{{Shadowlands}}'', the BioPic about Creator/CSLewis, he marries Joy in a civil ceremony [[CitizenshipMarriage so that she can live and work in the UK]]. Then he falls in love with her, and [[spoiler:after she develops bone cancer,]] they get married for real. This was TruthInTelevision.

* ''Film/SeventhHeaven'' features a fake marriage before romance. Diane is a {{Streetwalker}} and TheWoobie, and she is about to get arrested, so Chico impulsively says she's his wife despite the fact that he just met her. When the cop says they'll be following up to make sure that's true, Chico panics until Diane says she can stay in his apartment and pretend to be his wife until the cops stop by. When the cops finally stop by, Chico and Diane have fallen in love.
* In ''Film/ApurSansar'', Apu is jittery at first after being coaxed into marrying a woman he literally just met, and the aristocratic Aparna for her part breaks down sobbing when she gets her first look at Apu's shabby little one-room apartment. But they wind up falling deeply in love.
* The movie ''Lady Jane'' depicts this between Lady Jane Grey and Guildford Dudley. Jane is not happy with the proposed marriage and must be forced into it through corporal punishment by her parents. At first, Jane and Guildford decide to treat their union purely as a MarriageOfConvenience, but then they fall deeply in love.
* ''Film/MonsoonWedding'' starts with the arranged couple feeling very awkward in each other's company, and there's some complications with her old flame, but by the end, the two of them are taking quite a liking to each other.
* ''Bollywood/JodhaaAkbar'' centers around sixteenth-century Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Rajput wife, Jodhaa. The two are forced into marriage because Akbar wanted the Rajputs' allegiance. Akbar is Muslim and Jodhaa is Hindu, but despite their differences they slowly (and charmingly) fall in love.
* ''Film/{{Bizalom}}'': Kata and Janos have to pretend to be married, because it's 1944 Budapest and they are hiding from the Gestapo by using false ID papers that show them to be a married couple. They fall in love.

* Played for tragedy in ''Film/{{Magnolia}}'', in which Linda married her much older husband Earl [[GoldDigger purely for money]], and only realises that she's genuinely fallen in love with him when he's in the final stages of cancer and too out of it for her to explain it to him. The combination of grief, and guilt over her earlier unfeeling treatment of him, [[DrivenToSuicide drives her to a suicide attempt]] which ultimately fails.

* A movie called ''Loco Love'' revolves around a renowned chef who loses his restaurant after his wife took it, the money, and most everything else in the divorce proceeding. Hearing of his plight, his gardener, who recently won the lottery, tells the chef he'll give him the capital to start a new restaurant on the condition he marries his sister [[CitizenshipMarriage so she can stay in the U.S.,]] and allows him and his family to move in with him. The marriage is rocky, to put it mildly, but after a while, they do start to love each other, and after the ex-wife tries to win him back, the chef smoothes things over with his second wife, and they do end up happily ever after.

* Zane and Danica in ''[[Literature/KieshaRa Hawksong]]'' by Creator/AmeliaAtwaterRhodes. It's a political match -- their peoples have been at war for generations, they're the royal heirs, and they decide that they can make peace via a marriage alliance. It works, and they fall in love later.
* In the short novel ''[[Literature/BelisariusSeries Islands]]'' by Creator/EricFlint, Calopidius leaves for war shortly after his ArrangedMarriage with Anna. She sets out to visit him to claim a divorce, but they end having a romance via telegraph as she travels.

* This is a common trope in pulp romance novels, like this one ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Married-Mistake-Harlequin-Super-Romance/dp/0373714149 Married By Mistake]]''.
* Creator/GeorgetteHeyer used this one several times, in ''Literature/FridaysChild'', ''Literature/TheConvenientMarriage'', and ''Literature/AprilLady''.

* Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt has Illiana and Markus in "Betvingade". Due to some unfortunate circumstances, they're forced to marry each other. But it turns out well enough, as they start falling in love with each other...
** And another Swedish writer, Elisabet Nemert, has a very similar plotline in her novel "Ödets hav". Aurora, the story's female protagonist, is forced to marry her uncle's friend's son. But she and Roland learn to love each other...
* Quite a few of Creator/CatherineAnderson's stories feature this, most notably ''Lucky Penny'', ''Blue Skies'', ''Baby Love'', ''Walking On Air'' and ''Perfect Timing''.
* King Endon and Queen Sharn in ''Literature/DeltoraQuest''. As per The Rule, they had never spoken before marrying.
* In ''Literature/SpocksWorld'', a Franchise/StarTrek novel by Creator/DianeDuane, one of the stories from Vulcan's history is of a girl who is able to kill with her mind when she is angry. She has killed two potential husbands this way. She is forced into a third marriage for political reasons and is sure he will end up as the other two. Then they meet and argue and [[SlapSlapKiss fall in love]]. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge What happens]] when her husband is killed is the main reason Vulcans have discouraged marrying for love.
* ArrangedMarriage is the rule for the Political and Officer classes in W.C. Dietz's ''Crisis of Empire'' trilogy. Usually friendly enough but neither party minds much when circumstances require a divorce so one or both can make a better match. This is ''not'' the case with Allison Spencer and Bethany Windsor. They are in love and blissfully happy - until [[TheEmpire Pact]] politics tear them apart giving Bethany to her Senator uncle's new military ally General Anson Merikur. At first, she hates him - though she knows it wasn't his doing. Then she finds herself drawn to him...
* In ''Literature/DragomirsDiary'', the titular character meets his wife ''after'' they've already been married, and one of the first things she does is threaten to beat on him for arriving a day late. Despite that, they eventually do fall in love - [[spoiler:enough so that Libby is willing to throw herself into a crumbling castle to save Dragomir, and has to be forcefully removed by a ''dragon''.]]
* More or less the case with Katniss and Peeta in ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. They had an arranged engagement but once they got married for real they did it because they loved each other.

* In ''Literature/DeadWest'', The Amber Duchess and the Porcelain Doctor; a beautiful, fragile-looking Scottish [[RebelliousPrincess duchess]] paired with a [[CombatMedic young]] [[BraveScot Scottish]] [[LongHairedPrettyBoy earl]]. This trope is played with; this started as an arranged engagement, with none of the parties having too much say in it, then the engagement had been broken up by Arabell's parents. Since she was dismayed with her new groom, who was old enough to be her father, quite rude and not too attractive, the duchess fled to her previous fiancée;, and they got married to lessen the scandal. Granted, it didn't start with mutual love, but they had a lot of respect towards each other, and after getting married, the doctor soon started to reciprocate the duchess' love. [[KnightTemplarBigBrother The Beast]] obviously spent a lot of time searching for the perfect lady for his little brother.
-->"I have to spend the rest of my life in her company after all."

* In ''The Chessmen of Mars'', Tara was presumed to be matched with the Jeddak, who appeared to be quite the useless dandy. However, when she got lost in a storm and met up with plain ol' '''Turan''', a ''panthan'' (common soldier) who proved to be almost as good a fighter as her worshipped father, she lost her heart to him. Good thing that ornaments and fancy clothing don't make the man...
* From Creator/DanielleLJensen:
** In ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy'' [[TheProtagonist Tristan and Cecile]] are married only because of a [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight prophecy]] and have no chance to get to know each other before the ceremony takes place. Still, they fall in love very quickly, probably helped by the fact that [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] wedding includes powerful magic to bind the newly-weds.
** In ''Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives'' Aren, king of Ithicana, and Lara, princess of Maridrina, get married as a part of the peace treaty between the two nations - which have been fighting for generations. Following initial distrust, they fall in love.
* ''Literature/IAmJ'': J's parents had a ShotgunWedding. His father loved his mother, but it was unrequited. Eventually, it became mutual.

* The ''Never Veil'' series is set in a cursed village where, upon puberty, every man is magically brainwashed into [[GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul "loving"]] a random woman. This explicitly has '''nothing''' to do with the feelings, compatibility, or consent of the people involved (the woman can technically refuse, but no other villager will ever be interested in her, and the rejected man will die of despair): it's more like a CosmicHorrorStory than any version of the [[OneTrueLove soulmate]] trope. In book 2 the curse is broken, and most couples eagerly [[note]]among the curse's downsides is that its victims ''cannot'' ever disobey their "goddess", even if she abuses them, or truly care about any other human being[[/note]] break up...but Elweard and Vena are still happy with each other (if in a different way than before), and get remarried within a day.

* In ''Series/TheOnedinLine'' James and Anne Onedin were their own matchmakers so to speak, having found it useful to marry each other to smooth out the legal details of a business alliance. As a bonus they happened [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther to fall in love with each other]]. [[SheIsNotMyGirlfriend But don't tell anyone else]].
%%* Simon and Katie in ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns'' - ZCE
%%* Tony and Shelly from ''Series/{{Blossom}}'' is an accidental marriage example. - ZCE

%%* Robert and Holly from ''Series/GeneralHospital'' have a marriage of convenience, while Scott and Dominique have an accidental one. - ZCE

* A common SoapOpera trope:
** Todd and Tea from ''Series/OneLifeToLive'' have a marriage of convenience.
*** Technically, him and Blair. Although they're already friends, they marry only because he thinks she's pregnant (she's pulling TheBabyTrap to get her hands on his money), eventually falling in love for real.
** ''Series/GuidingLight'''s Danny marries Michelle to protect her from his vengeful mob family.
** ''Series/AsTheWorldTurns'''s Simon and Katie entered a CitizenshipMarriage so that he could stay close to Lily --and eventually fell in love.

* ''Series/{{Taxi}}'': A season one episode has NiceGuy John Burns marry a girl he just met on their first date. The two consider divorce but realize they like each other and decide to try to make it work. While John [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome doesn't last much longer on the show]], they seem pretty happy together in each subsequent appearance.
* In ''Series/WhatILikeAboutYou'', Val spots a former employer in a bar and they wake up married to each other. She wants to annul the marriage as soon as possible, but he refuses since he wants to give it a chance. They eventually get married again.
* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Joy tricked Earl into marrying her in Las Vegas while drunk, in order to secure someone to provide for her baby. Although the marriage ended, and it was ''far'' from perfect, they both [[AmicableExes look back on the six years they spent together fondly]], and have several AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther moments. [[SerialSpouse Earl]] even mentions that Joy was his favorite wife.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}''. [[NouveauRiche Jocosta]] is gang-raped and her father's riches confiscated by the state -- as a result, she's not happy that the only candidate for marriage is recently freed slave Posca. But Posca turns out to be quite adept at making money via corrupt political deals and is tolerant of his wife's ditzy ways, so it turns out quite well.
** It's also implied that Vorenus and Niobe were an arranged match (not that ''that'' marriage turned out all too well).
** Octavian and Livia, for all their flaws, are rather happy together.
* ''Series/TheAmericans'':
** Philip and Elizabeth. It's mentioned at one point that when Philip was introduced to Elizabeth for the first time he was relieved by how pretty she was, but he could tell by her face that she was disappointed by him. It isn't until the third episode that Elizabeth admits that she's starting to feel love for Philip for the first time in their twenty-year marriage.
** Philip and Martha's fake relationship and fake marriage start to get more real by Season 4, like in season premiere "Glanders", when he's going to Martha for comfort and telling her things he doesn't tell his other wife.
* In the MiniSeries ''Queen'', the plantation owner's badgers his son about how it's time for him to find a wife. The son declares that he isn't certain if he loves the girl he's currently courting. The father finds the idea ludicrous, outright saying, "Love has nothing to do with it. It's about sons and land and honor.", then softens slightly, assuring him that he'll come to love the girl eventually, citing how he loves his wife dearly now even if he didn't when they first married.
* It takes a while, but in the BBC series "The Pallisers" (from the books ''{{Literature/Palliser}}''), Lady Glencora and Plantagenet eventually fall in love in a very gentle way.

* Averted in ''Theatre/AnneOfTheThousandDays''. The marriage of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon was thorny from the outset and deteriorated thereafter. One scene shows Henry VIII grousing about this: "I do not love that woman. That was a marriage of state: England married Spain."[[note]]This is emphatically ''not'' true to real-life history: Henry, then a headstrong new king of only seventeen, quite defiantly married Catherine -- his late brother Prince Arthur's widow -- ''because'' he was in love with her, despite a number of people telling him not to do it. It was only later on, after a series of disappointing miscarriages, that their marriage really began to fall apart.[[/note]]

* In ''VisualNovel/AnalogueAHateStory'', the Kim family try to tell the Pale Bride that this will happen.

* In ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings'' and its sequel, random events and certain decisions allow a married couple to become lovers. This has the benefits of turning it into a SeductionProofMarriage and also increases fertility of the couple, as well as [[ThePowerOfLove adding a rare event where your loving marriage cures the characters of depression or stress]].

* In the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie ''Loving Leah'', Jake Lever (Adam Kaufman) seems to be trying less and less hard to get out of his levirate marriage to his late brother Benjamin's wife Leah as the film progresses. The fact that [[HollywoodHomely she's played by]] [[HeroesWantRedheads Lauren Ambrose]] might have something to with it...

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736876/chapters/51854803 Mended Hearts]]'', Oliver and Laurel stage a "fake wedding" to draw out Cupid. Due to Cupid attacking later than they were planning, they are unable to stop the license from going through and wind up genuinely married by accident. While they already still loved each other, each thought the other had moved on. They then learn the other does still love them, and rekindle their romance. Leading to the unusual question

* In ''Film/FoolsRushIn'' the couple Isabel & Alex have a one night stand in Las Vegas which results in pregnancy. They decide to get married, move in together, and then actually get to know each other.

* The RealityTV series ''Series/MarriedAtFirstSight'' (2014-present) attempts to invoke this trope. Contestants on the show are subjected to a legally-binding [[FourthDateMarriage First-Date Marriage]]. They are paired by a team of psychologists, couples counselors and clergy, resulting in CommonalityConnection; of course, the RuleOfDrama being what it is, they also naturally rub each other's {{Achilles Heel}}s (IE a spouse with trust issues vs. one who is comfortable lying). After a wedding and a honeymoon, the show follows the chosen couples for several weeks, after which they are given the option to separate. Of the 34 marriages started over the course of 10 seasons, 21 have continued past the SeasonFinale (though, as of mid 2020, only 9 of ''those'' remain married).

* An {{Older Than Radio}} example has been left out - On {{Barsoom}} as is written in ''{{The Chessmen of Mars}}'', {{Tara of Helium}}, the {{Warlord of Mars}}'s daughter, was presumed to be matched with the Jeddak {{Gahan of Gathol}}, who appeared to her to be quite the useless dandy. However, when she got lost in a storm and met up with plain ol' '''Turan''', a ''panthan'' (common soldier) who proved to be almost as good a fighter as her worshipped father, she lost her heart to him. Good thing that ornaments and fancy clothing don't make the man...

* ''Series/DowntonAbbey'': Robert married the half-Jewish American "dollar princess" Cora Levinson [[NobilityMarriesMoney for her money]]. About a year after their wedding, they ended up falling in love. Years later, they are still very HappilyMarried. Robert explicitly tells Cora he's embarrassed about his reasons for marrying her while discussing why one of their daughter Lady Mary's prospects turned away.

* In ''Series/GreysAnatomy'', Teddy marries a patient because he has a chronic illness and cannot afford surgery so that he will be covered under her insurance. She originally has no romantic interest in him, but they fall in love, though he unfortunately dies shortly after.

* The RealityTV series ''Married At First Sight'' (2014-present) attempts to invoke this trope. Contestants on the show are subjected to a legally-binding [[FourthDateMarriage First-Date Marriage]]. They are paired by a team of psychologists, couples counselors and clergy, resulting in CommonalityConnection; of course, the RuleOfDrama being what it is, they also naturally rub each other's {{Achilles Heel}}s (IE a spouse with trust issues vs. one who is comfortable lying). After a wedding and a honeymoon, the show follows the chosen couples for several weeks, after which they are given the option to separate. Of the 34 marriages started over the course of 10 seasons, 21 have continued past the SeasonFinale (though, as of mid 2020, only 9 of ''those'' remain married).

* The RealityTV series ''Married At First Sight'' (2014-present) attempts to invoke this trope. Contestants on the show are subjected to a legally-binding [[FourthDateMarriage First-Date Marriage]]. They are paired by a team of psychologists, couples counselors and clergy, resulting in CommonalityConnection; of course, the RuleOfDrama being what it is, they also naturally rub each other's {{Achilles Heel}}s (IE a spouse with trust issues vs. one who is comfortable lying). After a WeddingDay and a honeymoon, the show follows the chosen couples for several weeks, after which they are given the option to separate. Of the 34 marriages started over the course of 10 seasons, 21 have continued past the SeasonFinale (though, as of mid 2020, only 9 of ''those'' remain married).

* In ''Manga/HappyMarriage'' the main couple gets thrown into an ArrangedMarriage, but end up falling in love with each other.

* In ''Film/FoolsRushIn'' the couple Isabel & Alex have a one night stand in Las Vegas which results in pregnancy. They decide to get married, move in together and then actually get to know each other.

* In ''Film/TheProposal'', Sandra Bullock's character makes her assistant marry her [[CitizenshipMarriage to avoid being deported to Canada.]] After pretending to friends, family and the INS, they're exposed...only to have him propose so that they can date.

* In ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' the marriage of Tevye and Golde was arranged and they have been together for years, having already raised several of their children to adulthood, but it isn't until one of their daughters wants to marry for love that they start thinking about romance with one another. Their {{duet| bonding}} "Do You Love Me?" [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]], [[DiscussedTrope describes]] and plays out the trope.

** Edward I of England married twice, both for strictly political reasons. Firstly at fifteen to the thirteen-year-old Eleanor of Castile. They proved a devoted couple with Eleanor following Edward on his military campaigns including a Crusade. When she died Edward was devastated and the famous Eleanor Crosses are a lasting monument to his grief. Nine years later Edward married again, Margaret of France. Despite an age difference of forty years, this marriage was just as happy as his first with Eleanor. When Edward died after six years of marriage Eleanor declared that 'All men' were dead to her.

* In ''Manga/HapiMari'' the main couple gets thrown into an ArrangedMarriage, but end up falling in love with each other.

* Averted in ''Theatre/AnneOfTheThousandDays''. The marriage of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragorn was thorny from the outset and deteriorated thereafter. One scene shows Henry VIII grousing about this: "I do not love that woman. That was a marriage of state: England married Spain."

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736876/chapters/51854803 Mended Hearts]]'', Oliver and Laurel stage a "fake wedding" to draw out Cupid. Due to Cupid attacking later than they were planning, they are unable to stop the license from going through and they wind up genuinely married by accident. While they already still loved each other, each thought the other had moved on. They then learn the other does still love them, and rekindle their romance.

** [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor King George V]] of the United Kingdom - grandfather to UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen - married his brother Albert's fiancée Mary of Teck when Albert died of pneumonia. This marriage of convenience became a love match. Both parties were emotionally inarticulate and almost pathologically shy but communicated their mutual feelings in passionate letters and 'understood each other perfectly' as George wrote in one of them. They spawned one of England's most universally beloved monarchies - just about the only monarch seriously complained about from this dynasty is the rather selfish Edward VIII.[[note]]There's something of an expectation that should present heir Charles take the throne there will be some moaning, but unlike Edward, nobody accuses Charles of being a selfish ass--despite his having had an affair, it is, if anything, Charles' sanctimoniousness about being an essentially NiceGuy that annoys people, and to the extent people are bothered by it it's more of a national joke than a serious embarrassment or scandal. Particularly with the hindsight that while Charles' affair was with one woman, whom he later married and who is by all accounts the love of his life, his then-wife Diana retaliated by cheating on him with [[UpToEleven "half the army list and the English rugby captain"]].[[/note]]