History Main / RunawayBride

* The FrankCapra classic 1934 ScrewballComedy ''ItHappenedOneNight'': Claudette Colbert runs away from her wedding to a rich playboy in favor of Creator/ClarkGable's smart-mouthed freelance journalist--with her father's subtle encouragement (he had the getaway car ready). The movie does note that the scene is extremely embarrassing to said playboy when this is foreshadowed earlier in the film, at least acknowledging the effect on the groom (though also implying he deserved it in the same scene).

* Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again Naturally," the first three verses of which are a prolonged moan about getting dumped at the altar.

* Played with when Chandler in ''{{Friends}}'' runs away on his wedding day, because of his commitment issues. He actually loves Monica but is terrified they'll end up like his parents who had a horrible marriage and he'll make Monica unhappy. His friends eventually persuade him to come back, before Monica notices his absence. He goes through with the wedding and their marriage is a very happy one.

* In ''ADifferentWorld'', Dwayne proposes to Whitley--as she's marrying another man. He's being dragged off by security guards, but still pleading with her to accept when she yells out "I DO!", then offers a lame apology to her groom before dashing down the aisle into Dwayne's arms.

* The protagonist of ''CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', already a RebelliousPrincess type, flees from her new marriage the day after. Of course, anyone who has seen this long cinematic piece probably forgot this [[BittersweetEnding by the end of the movie]]...

* In 1906, an hour after their wedding, William {{McKeekin}} told his bride he was going to get a carriage. That was the last anyone heard or saw of him, and after seventeen years of searching for him his widow sought an annulment.

* Leo becomes one involuntarily in the ''{{Charmed}}'' episode "Magic Hour" when he and Piper try to get married against the Elders' will. Just as the little ceremony is about to start, the Elders abduct him. They do get married later though with permission.

* Despite obviously still having feelings for Hank, as even [[RomanticFalseLead Bill's]] daughter [[SpeakNowOrForeverHoldYourPeace points out]], ''{{Californication}}'''s Karen goes through with the exchange of vows, only to run away with Hank at the after-wedding party.

* At the very beginning of the first episode of ''HappyEndings'', Alex ditches her long-time boyfriend Dave at the altar and briefly runs off with another guy before going on their honeymoon alone. Subsequent episodes have dealt with them coming to terms with being JustFriends after having been a couple for so long.

* Played with when Chandler in ''{{Friends}}'' runs away on his wedding day, because of his commitment issues. He actually loves Monica but is terrified they'll end up like his parents who had a horrible marriage and he'll make Monica unhappy. His friends eventually persuade him to come back, before Monica would notice his absence. He goes through with the wedding and their marriage is a very happy one.

* ''Film/{{Spider-Man|Trilogy}} 2'' plays it straight: Mary Jane abandons her groom (handsome, upstanding astronaut and all-around good guy John Jameson) at the altar for Peter. It comes across as particularly crass as she didn't even tell the groom in person but left a short note behind. [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality Of course, since she's leaving him for the title character we never see any negative repercussions of this selfish act]].

* There was a RealityShow, don't remember which, where two couples who met over the course of the show were to be married, and both ended like this. In one couple, it was the bride who backed out; in the other, the groom. It was pretty much the death-knell for wedding-themed reality shows (as opposed to just dating), since they've never ended well. Who would have thought marrying someone you've only known for three months was actually [[CaptainObvious a bad idea?]]

* In 1906, an hour after their wedding, William McKeekin told his bride he was going to get a carriage. That was the last anyone heard or saw of him, and after seventeen years of searching for him his widow sought an annulment.

* In 1906, an hour after their wedding, {{William McKeekin}} told his bride he was going to get a carriage. That was the last anyone heard or saw of him, and after seventeen years of searching for him his widow sought an annulment.

'''Leyla:''' Why are you trying?\\

* Played with when Chandler in ''{{Friends}}'' runs away on his wedding day, because of his commitment issues. His friends eventually persuade him to come back, before Monica would notice his absence.

* The conclusion of the second ''PrincessDiaries'' film, where both halves are marrying out of duty (she for her country, he for his parents). Neatly combined with NoSparks. They remain very good friends and end up dating other people at the end. ''Also'' segues into WhyWasteAWedding, as Queen Clarisse and her Head of Security Joe get married instead after several decades of hiding their feelings.

* A Star Wars [[StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] novel has a minor plot in the form of a wanted runaway from Kuat. It turns out he was a Telbun [[labelnote:(*)]] Essentially a combination between a courtesan and a spouse who are graded based on genetics, intelligence, and physical health then purchased by the Kuati ruling class to ensure a strong genetic stock.[[/labelnote]] who hacked into the planets Telbun registry to modify his profile to be the perfect match for a particularly beautiful heiress. [[GoneHorriblyRight Unfortunately,]] this has led said heiress to become convinced that he is her soul mate and became so absurdly clingy he eventually fled.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has this if you stretch it: Katara's grandmother Kanna ran off before an ArrangedMarriage to a man she didn't love, moving to the Southern Tribe.
** Didn't love? She marries the guy after 60 years apart after marrying someone else and having a family. She ran away because even though she loved Pakku, she didn't want to be forced to marry him.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Amy Pond joins the Eleventh Doctor in the TARDIS the night before her wedding. At least in this case, she rationalizes that she can use the time machine to come back whenever she wants and not actually miss the date.

* Happens in the final episode of ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' when Sabrina dumps her sudden new love interest at the altar for her original love interest, Harvey.
** Not quite--she examines her and her fiancé's "Soulstones," which don't fit together, meaning they're not actually soul mates. She tells her would-be groom that she's unsure about the wedding and the two agree to call it off. Once outside the church, though, she happens to see Harvey...and it turns out ''their'' soulstones fit.

** Lorna, for all her violent, Magneto-helmet-over-her-wedding-dress psycho-bitchiness, did raise the very valid point that he could have called things off ''before'' the ceremony.