With all this talk of wedding themed movies, I realized that the only wedding themed movie I’ve reviewed so far is Wedding March 3: Here Comes the Bride. This gave me a good excuse to watch The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells and review it for my blog! The Perfect Bride was one of my favorite movies from Hallmark’s “June Weddings” line-up last year! So, when it was announced that Hallmark would be giving this movie a sequel, I couldn’t have been more excited. Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton have quickly become popular within the realm of Hallmark, especially after their characters, Rosemary and Lee, became an official couple on When Calls the Heart. With fantastic on-screen chemistry on one of Hallmark’s popular shows, it seemed like a good idea to cast both Kavan and Pascale as the lead protagonists in a Hallmark production. Though I can only speak for myself, I feel that having Kavan and Pascale lead a Hallmark movie together was one of the best decisions in Hallmark movie history! After reading all these great things about the first Perfect Bride movie, you’re probably wondering how I felt about the sequel. You’ll just have to keep reading my review of The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells in order to find out!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells had a good cast. I liked seeing the various character interactions, especially since the majority of the characters in this movie are from the first movie. Speaking of which, Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton’s performances were the highlight of this film, just like they were in the first movie! Both of their talents are so well-rounded and versatile, with each actor complimenting the other.

 

The on-screen chemistry: Last month, I said that Torrance Coombs and Fiona Gubelmann had the best on-screen chemistry in any Hallmark movie this year. However, Kavan and Pascale’s on-screen chemistry takes the number one spot for best on-screen chemistry among the Hallmark movies in 2018! Like in the first movie, Kavan and Pascale came across like they truly got along with each other. Their on-screen chemistry was believable and enjoyable to watch!

 

The humor: The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells had the right amount of humor. I felt like it really complimented the romantic elements the film had to offer. I also think that Kavan Smith had such great comedic timing!

What I didn’t like about the film:

A slower pace: The pace in The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells was slower than in the first movie. It picked up when Nick and Molly started planning their wedding, but only by a little bit.

 

Too many conflicts: There were three major conflicts in this movie: Nick and Molly preparing for their wedding, Molly having to work with her ex, and Nick organizing his first art show. It like these conflicts were competing between each other for the attention of the audience. Because of this, things that made the first movie so memorable, like the Bridal Boot Camp itself, ended up getting overshadowed.

 

The planning-a-wedding-in-an-unrealistic-time-period cliché: This movie, unfortunately, adopted one of my least favorite Hallmark movie clichés. What’s worse about this cliché in The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells is that almost all the supporting characters remind the protagonists that they don’t have to plan a wedding in an unrealistic time period. There are even times when the protagonists remind each other about this dilemma. At first, this was funny because I felt like these characters were representing my opinions as an audience member. As the movie goes on, this became annoying because anyone who has seen enough wedding themed Hallmark movies would know how this cliché plays out.

My overall impression:

The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells was a good movie, but not as good as the first one. It felt like a step backward, kind of reminding me of how I felt after watching All of My Heart: Inn Love. After watching the sequel, I ended up feeling more disappointed that I had hoped. Kavan and Pascale deserve to lead a really good to great Hallmark movie, especially because of how talented they are individually and as a pair. Both of them shine so bright in their own movies on Hallmark as well as on When Calls the Heart! Hopefully, Kavan and Pascale can continue to be cast together in more Hallmark productions as the years go on.

 

Overall score: 7.6 out of 10

 

Have you seen The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells? Do you want to see Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton star in more Hallmark movies? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen