Mother of the Bride summary and ending explained

In Mother of the Bride, Lana discovers that her daughter is marrying her college ex-boyfriend’s son. The film is streaming on Netflix.

Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers

Plot summary:

Rj proposes to Emma and she says yes, but her immediate concern is how she is going to break the news to her mother.

Her mother is Lana Winslow, a world-renowned geneticist and general judgmental person who raised Emma by herself after Emma’s father died in a car accident when she was eight.

Emma builds up the courage to tell Lana the news and reveals that her wedding is taking place in Phuket, Thailand, and is completely sponsored.

She was working with a resort chain and they were impressed with the lifestyle content she promoted on her social media.

Lana travels to Phuket with her friend Janice and meets RJ for the first time. RJ introduces them to his uncle Scott and Scott’s partner Clay.

Scott and Clay already know Lana and Janice since they all studied at Stanford together. Then Lana realizes that RJ is Will Jackson’s son, Will being her ex-boyfriend back then.

She initially brushes it off but later admits to Emma that she was in love with him but he broke her heart. She didn’t even give him a chance to apologize which makes things more awkward.

She also warns Emma because RJ could very much be like his father and suddenly decide that being in a relationship is not for him.

Emma assures Lana that that won’t happen and asks her to be there and act normal till the wedding is over.

She agrees to do just that but Will doesn’t make it easy by being obnoxious and trying to one-up her at every turn.

Emma’s wedding planner, Camala has everything planned out which is a bit of a shock to Lana. She’s taken aback by how little control Emma has but she doesn’t press on it.

Lana, Janice, Scott, Clay, and Will spend their time together just like back in college, starting with a game of pickleball.

Lana ends up hurting Will, and a young doctor named Lucas shows up to help. He recognizes Lana’s name and asks her out for a drink which Janice accepts on her behalf.

Will tells Lucas that nothing is going on between him and Lana so he can go for it. Lana goes on her date but is too nervous to stay for long and excuses herself.

The next day, Camala shows Lana and Emma the bridesmaids’ dresses. Lana thinks it is terrible but doesn’t have any say in the matter.

Camala also provides a prepared speech that Lana was asked to give at the rehearsal dinner.

There is a dance rehearsal where Lana and Will show that they still have a small spark from before, but Will keeps getting phone calls that distract him from whatever is going on.

There is finally some time off and the old college buddies decide to go off to a secluded beach and relax for the evening.

The reminisce about the old days and then Will suggests doing something exciting. They all strip down and have fun in the water even though the resort has a no-nudity policy.

The next day, Lana and Will are pulled up for the incident and informed that there were security cameras that caught them.

They promise not to do it again but Emma is angry with her mother for jeopardizing the wedding by disrespecting the resort.

Lana tries to make Emma realizes that the wedding is supposed to be about what she wants, not what her sponsors want.

Emma is too angry to listen and storms off. Lana had earlier agreed to go to dinner with Lucas, but Will takes her on a drive to calm her mind.

They get stranded out in the middle of nowhere and it gives them a chance to talk things out.

Ending explained:

Gaining some clarity

Lana heads out to the beach so that they can make a signal fire and attract the attention of any boats passing by.

While they are waiting, Will brings up the past even though Lana is not ready to talk about it.

Will says that he wanted to reach out to her but she changed her number and moved without telling him.

When he finally tracked her down, she had already gotten married and was off on her honeymoon with Emma’s father.

He asks her to give him one more chance and she is open to the idea. Emma is back at the resort thinking about what her mother said and how she might be right.

RJ tells her that she needs to have an honest conversation with her mother.

People don’t change

Someone finally shows up to get Lana and Will back to the resort and Emma and RJ are so happy to see them.

Lucas was waiting for his date and he respectfully ends things with Lana and says that if things don’t work out with Will, then she can reach out to him.

Camala starts rushing them about everything Lana missed but Emma puts her foot down and insists that they listen to her for once.

The rehearsal dinner rolls up and everyone has a great time but Will gets another call and this time Lana overhears him.

He is talking to someone named Katrina and he tells her that he cannot live his life without her.

Fixing a decades-old mistake

Lana goes back to bed early and Emma notices that something is bothering her.

She goes to her mother’s room late at night and tells her that Lana should start thinking about herself instead of worrying about everyone else.

On the day of the wedding, Lana ignores Will throughout the entire ceremony which goes on without a hitch.

Just as Emma and RJ are getting ready to leave, Emma throws the bouquet which Lana dodges.

Will grabs it and asks her in front of everyone why she is ignoring him. She asks him who Katrina is and a grumpy-looking woman walks in saying that she is Katrina.

She is Will’s personal assistant and she was asked to fly out there on short notice because Will wanted to get a ring to proposes to Lana.

She initially says no because she feels she doesn’t deserve him but he convinces her otherwise.

As one wedding ends, the beginnings of another are established as everyone continues to enjoy the festivities.


Also Read: Prom Dates summary and ending explained

Nadeem Abdul
Nadeem Abdul
Nadeem is an editor for The Envoy Web and an avid fan of films and shows. He has spent a significant amount of time taking in all kinds of genres and has a particular interest in the sci-fi and fantasy realms including series like Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Young Justice among others.

More from The Envoy Web