6 Best Elopement and Secret Wedding Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 23, 2026

A secret wedding or a marriage of convenience is a shortcut to comedy, because the couple always falls for each other eventually. Green Card pairs a Frenchman and an American woman for a green card and an apartment, Just Married wrecks a European honeymoon, and Leap Year sends a woman to Ireland to propose by an old tradition. It Happened One Night is the original runaway-romance template, with Monsoon Wedding and The Farmer Takes a Wife filling out the six.

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 95% Metacritic 77

A New Delhi family's arranged marriage preparations expose old secrets across the whole extended family.

Directed by Mira Nair · 1h 54m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award7 wins & 12 nominations

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Just Married (2003)

TMDB ★ 5.7

A newlywed couple's disastrous European honeymoon threatens their marriage before it even begins.

Directed by Shawn Levy · 1h 35m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Leap Year (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.2

A woman travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend using an old tradition, but nothing goes as planned.

Directed by Anand Tucker · 1h 40m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Green Card (1990)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A Frenchman and an American woman enter a marriage of convenience for a green card and an apartment.

Directed by Peter Weir · 1h 48m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)

TMDB ★ 6.2

A canal boat worker's plans to leave for farming are complicated by an unexpected romance.

Directed by Victor Fleming · 1h 31m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

It Happened One Night (1934)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 87

A runaway heiress and a fast-talking reporter share a bus ride that turns into a real romance.

Directed by Frank Capra · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Won 5 Oscars14 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Elopement and Secret Wedding Movies

Monsoon Wedding (2001)

Just Married (2003)

Leap Year (2010)

Green Card (1990)

The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)

It Happened One Night (1934)

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