11 Best ‘Don’t Marry Him/Her’ Moments on TV, Ranked
There’s nothing juicier than a character begging their love interest not to marry somebody else. In most cases, said character has buried their feelings, thinking they can’t be with the object of their affection for some reason or another. But their loved one’s impending nuptials (or a situation heading in that direction) force all their emotions to the surface, and they can’t hold it in any longer: They just can’t let their love interest spend forever with anyone but them. (Is it a selfish act on the confessor’s part? Sometimes, but we’ll still eat it up.)
Some “don’t marry him/her” moments are big and dramatic, occurring on the actual day of the wedding. Maybe it even comes mid-ceremony. Who could forget one such moment in Grey’s Anatomy, when Jackson (Jesse Williams) stops April (Sarah Drew) with a love confession while she’s literally standing at the altar in Season 10? It instantly became one of the most iconic moments of the show.
On the other hand, a show can utilize the trope in a quieter way, though it’s no less intense. Though they’re only discussing a hypothetical wedding, Heated Rivalry‘s Shane (Hudson Williams) shuts down Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) suggestion that he marry his childhood best friend for citizenship. Shane and Ilya haven’t even told each other they love each other yet, but the way Shane delivers that “don’t marry Svetlana” line says it all.
But which TV couple did it best? Swooon has rounded up 11 examples of the trope and ranked them.
11. Peyton & Lucas, One Tree Hill
Peyton (Hilarie Burton) begged Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) not to marry Lindsey (Michaela McManus) if he was only doing so to hurt her, but ultimately, he went through with the wedding anyway. It was Lindsey who ran away from Lucas at the altar in the 100th episode of One Tree Hill, after she realized he still had feelings for his high school love. — Alyssa Norwin
10. Robin & Ted, How I Met Your Mother
If I could use one word to describe this “don’t get married” moment, it would be this: “Yikes.” Ahead of his wedding to Stella (Sarah Chalke), Robin (Cobie Smulders) tells Ted (Josh Radnor) not to get married because she’s always liked that he was there for her in case she ever wanted to get married. You know, like a safety school. While Ted tells Robin he’s ready to tie the knot, Stella gets her own “don’t marry him” moment off-screen with her ex-husband, Tony (Jason Jones), leading her to say “No-can-do’s-ville, baby doll,” to their whole wedding, and leaving Ted at the altar after all. — Rebecca Perlmutter
9. Ian & Mickey, Shameless
The penultimate episode of Shameless Season 3 is a tough one for Gallavich stans. When Mickey (Noel Fisher) is forced into an arranged marriage to Svetlana (Isidora Goreshter), Ian (Cameron Monaghan) shows up to try to stop him. The tension when Ian finds Mickey before the wedding is delicious. Mickey doesn’t think this will change much of anything with Ian, saying it’s just a piece of paper.” That’s when Ian breaks my heart with, “Not to me.” When Ian walks away, Mickey just can’t let him, and these two find themselves hooking up mere moments before Mickey’s supposed to say “I do.” Ian pleads with Mickey one last time to not marry Svetlana, but Mickey doesn’t think he really has a choice. It’s a painful moment for Gallavich, but it’s ultimately proof that their connection is unbreakable. — Avery Thompson
8. Shane & Ilya, Heated Rivalry
Maybe this one doesn’t totally count since Ilya isn’t actually engaged to Svetlana (Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova) when the topic comes up, but the exchange is simply too good not to include. When thinking of ways to be together long-term, the Russian hockey player randomly throws it out there he could marry Svetlana for American citizenship.
The intensity in Shane’s eyes reveals exactly what he thinks of that idea. Ilya reassures him quickly, though not without teasing him a little. He says he could be with any woman he wants, but he has a “problem.” He can’t stop thinking about a “slow f**king hockey player with beautiful freckles and a weak backhand.” It’s a problem that he never wants to go away. Swoon.
That uber-romantic speech is what gets Shane to ask Ilya not to marry Svetlana outright. Williams doesn’t make it sound super desperate, but the tears welling up in his eyes are. Ilya picks up on it — Shane’s plea tees up Ilya’s love confession later on. In that moment on the couch, he finally realizes just how deeply Shane feels for him. It’s one of the most emotional moments of the series overall. The most adorable, too. They’re holding toes the whole time! — Morgan Pryor
7. Chuck & Blair, Gossip Girl
Perhaps Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) should’ve listened when Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) told her not to marry Prince Louis (Hugo Becker).
The will she/won’t she moment was perfectly fitting for the 100th episode of Gossip Girl, but Chuck’s last-ditch romantic effort was too late. Blair went through with the wedding, only to later end her marriage to Louis and end up with Chuck. It just took a little longer to get there than he may have wanted! — Alyssa Norwin
6. Wrigley & Bree, Tell Me Lies
A 2026 entry! I totally manifested the Bree (Cat Missal) and Wrigley (Spencer House) romance in Tell Me Lies Season 3. The series finale gives us a key flashback at Bree and Evan’s engagement party. After Wrigley jokes (but not really) that he wants to “steal” Evan’s wife, Bree and Wrigley have a confrontation in his room. He immediately clocks that she’s not feeling 100 percent about this engagement. In his devil-may-care way, Wrigley says she could “piss everyone off, date me instead.”
This low-key, very Wrigley-like “don’t marry him” scene is all these two need to full dive back into their long-held feelings for each other. The way Spencer House says, “Why didn’t you give me a second chance? I deserved another chance,” never fails to make me swoon. He’s loved her for so long, and he refuses to let another moment pass him by without telling her. Brigley forever. — Avery Thompson
5. Lana & Clark, Smallville
Technically, this happens after Lana (Kristin Kreuk) and Lex’s (Michael Rosenbaum) wedding in Smallville Season 6, but it’s still a top-tier “don’t marry him” (or more like, “don’t stay married to him”) moment. Clark (Tom Welling) shows up to declare his love for Lana after she’s already married Lex. As Clark professes his feelings quite desperately, you can feel Lana’s grip on her strength slipping. She’s on the edge of breaking down in tears the entire time, but Lionel’s threat to kill Clark looms over her, and she sacrifices her happiness for the man she loves. — Avery Thompson
4. Theo & Lizzy, The Buccaneers
The Buccaneers‘ Theo (Guy Remmers) sprints across town on Lizzy’s (Aubri Ibrag) wedding day to confess his love just as she’s about to walk in the church. But what makes Theo’s speech so stellar is that he doesn’t say that Lizzy should leave her fiancé to be with him, unlike quite a few guys on our list. He says Lizzy should choose herself.
“Don’t get married unless you’re certain Hector [Jacob Ifan] gives you the kind of love you and I have,” he pleads. “You deserve your own love story. So don’t choose me. But also don’t just choose the first nice man who comes along and offers you half of [a whole love]. You should have it all. So choose you.”
What makes it even better is that Lizzy says nothing at all. She just walks away, and we don’t find out until the next episode that Lizzy did call off the wedding. The perfect amount of angst! — Morgan Pryor
3. Conrad & Belly, The Summer I Turned Pretty
Is there anything better than a love confession that also doubles as a “don’t marry him” moment? The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Conrad (Christopher Briney) breaks my heart when he tells Belly (Lola Tung), “Don’t be with him, don’t marry him. Be with me.” Factor in the nighttime beach setting, Conrad’s tears, Belly’s bachelorette party dress, this is a Hall of Fame “don’t marry him” scene. What really puts it over the top, though, is Briney’s delivery of how desperate Conrad is to let Belly know that he never stopped loving her, even when she was with his brother (Gavin Casalegno). I’ll only dock it a few points because of how angry Belly’s response makes me: “You will never be what Jere is to me.” Girl. Come on. He literally cheated on you! And Conrad just made the most romantic speech ever! At least she eventually comes to her senses. — Morgan Pryor
2. Dwayne & Whitley, A Different World
“Baby, please, please!” It’s iconic. In the two-part finale of A Different World, Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is set to marry Byron (Joe Morton). Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison), Whitley’s on-again, off-again love interest, crashes the wedding to declare his love. They immediately marry, right then and there. After seasons of teasing out their relationship, a broken engagement, cheating, and endless miscommunication, their dramatic declaration is incredibly satisfying. — Leah Williams
1. Jackson & April, Grey's Anatomy
For once, Jackson Avery did exactly what Grey’s Anatomy viewers wanted him to do by standing up at April and Matthew Taylor’s (Justin Bruening) wedding, telling April not to marry the paramedic in true Taylor Swift “Speak Now” fashion. Sure, Jackson and April weren’t the first couple to perfectly execute a “don’t marry him” runaway bride moment, but they’re always going to come to mind first when I think about the beloved trope. — Rebecca Perlmutter
