History TearJerker / CorpseBride

* Emily's backstory. A young woman promises to run away with the man she's in love with, only to be killed by him - and worse yet, it's probable that her family and friends in the living world never knew what happened to her, since he "told not a soul" about it. She regrets it so much that she decides to wait until someone new proposes to her.

-->'''Elder Gutknecht:''' [clears throat] She's got a point.

* Victoria's arranged marriage to Barkis instead of Victor. Happiness was ''that'' close, and now...
* Victor is so distraught at Victoria being married to Barkis that he decides to marry Emily anyway.
* Emily's backstory. A young woman promises to run away with the man she's in love with, only to be killed by him - and worse yet, it's probable that her family and friends in the living world never knew what happened to her, since he "told not a soul" about it. She regrets it so much that she decides to wait until someone new proposes to her.
* '''Victoria'''. It's implied that her parents don't see her as anything but a tool to regain their wealth and notoriety, and she was made to give up dreams in order to be a perfect young lady (implied with the piano. "Music is too passionate"). She is happy with the arrangement since her fiancè is a good guy [[BirdsofAFeather with similar interests]], only to learn said fiance has (supposedly) run off with a mystery woman. Then she learns Victor [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage does love her]] and was essentially kidnapped and is being imprisoned in the Land of the Dead. When she tries to tell of his fate she is (a bit understandably) decried as a madwoman and an embarrassment to her family. Despite this, she risks serious injury to climb out of her window and go to the pastor later that night to still help Victor. Instead of help, Pastor Galswells just brings her back thinking she's possessed or mad. AND THEN her parents use her (again!) in an arrangement to Barkis, Victoria agreeing to it only because it means her family will be on the streets otherwise. It's not wonder she just [[HeroicBSOD shuts down]] for her wedding. In only twenty four hours, she went from a prim and proper lady to a woman whose life has done a one-eighty and is barely able to pull on a mask for the public.
--> '''Victoria''': (voice cracking) Now I feel as if I've been caught in a tide and pulled out to sea.

* Mayhew's death. Getting the smoker's equivalent of a HollywoodHeartAttack while driving on a gloomy night, falling off his seat and getting run over by his own carriage... and [[BadBoss his passengers]] don't even notice him die. In a way, the fact that he is noticeably more relaxed and at ease in the underworld than while alive makes it even worse -- his life clearly wasn't a particularly happy one.

** When Emily sheds a tear at the end of the song, there's a shot of the Black Widow and the Maggot looking on, clearly heartbroken before the Maggot sighs and they decide to leave. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Really resonates with friends trying to cheer up a loved one, only to realize that nothing you say or do actually does make anything better.]]

** When Emily sings her final lines, there's a shot of the Black Widow and the Maggot looking on, clearly heartbroken. [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Really resonates with friends trying to cheer up a loved one, only to realize that nothing you say or do actually does make anything better.]]

-->'''Barkis:''' But first, a toast, to Emily! Always the bridesmaid, ''[[KickTheDog never]]'' the bride! Tell me my dear; [[ArmorPiercingQuestion can a heart still break once it's stopped beating?]]

[[quoteright:283:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/corpsebrideeye_3826.png]]
[[caption-width-right:283:"It's my eye, isn't it?"]]

* Mayhew's death. Getting the smoker's equivalent of a HollywoodHeartAttack while driving on a stormy night, falling off his seat and getting run over by his own carriage -- and [[BadBoss his passengers]] don't even notice him die. In a way, the fact that he is noticeably more relaxed and at ease in the underworld than while alive makes it even worse: his life clearly wasn't a particularly happy one.

* Victoria's arranged marriage to Barkis instead of Victor.