Her Bridal Night (also known as The Bride Is Much Too Beautiful, which is an accurate translation of the French title La mariée est trop belle) is a 1956 French romantic comedy film directed by Pierre Gaspard-Huit.
Catherine Ravaud (Brigitte Bardot) is scouted by magazine editor Judith Aurigault (Micheline Presle) and her co-worker and boyfriend Michel Bellanger (Louis Jourdan). Catherine is promoted under the stage name "Chouchou" and becomes a big asset to their magazine. Things become complicated when she and Michel start developing romantic feelings for each other, which are exacerbated when Judith gets the idea of doing a photo shoot with a wedding theme, wherein Catherine plays the part of the blushing bride and Michel finds himself in the role of the groom.
Tropes:
- Bridal Carry: Twice does Michel pick up Catherine and carry her; one time when she pretends to faint, and another near the end after they declare their feelings for each other. Appropriately, she is dressed like a bride on both occasions.
- Faint in Shock: Judith jubilantly declares that she and Michel can get married now that her husband has finally given her the divorce. As Catherine is in love with Michel, this makes her so upset that she faints.
- Fake Faint: Michel and Patrice are about to come to blows over Catherine, who pretends to faint to put a stop to it. It's also so she can get alone time with Michel, and Patrice is actually in on it.
- How We Got Here: The movie opens with Catherine and Michel leaving the church after seemingly getting married, only for Judith to rush in with news that her divorce has been finalized and she and Michel can be together, causing Catherine to faint in devastation. Then the movie switches to flashback mode, showing us how Catherine meets the two and becomes a model working for them; once the story catches up with the opening scene, it becomes clear that Catherine and Michel's wedding is not real and is actually a gimmick for a photo shoot.
- Love Triangle: Catherine falls in love with Michel, which becomes mutual despite his being engaged to Judith. Michel having to take Patrice's place in the photo shoot causes his feelings to deepen. It ends with him breaking off with Judith and getting together with Catherine.
- Periphery Demographic: In-Universe. Judith wants to appeal to the male readership by photographing Catherine in her underclothes. Michel objects, saying men don't buy the magazine. Judith offers the counterpoint that they read it "on the quiet".
- Shipping Bed Death: Discussed In-Universe when Michel criticizes Judith's idea of staging a marriage between Catherine and Patrice for a photo shoot. Michel says it would make the couple worthless in the eyes of the public.
