Hallmark Kevin McGarry in "The Wedding Veil Expectations"
The cast of Hallmark Channel‘s popular “Wedding Veil” movie trilogy, which originally aired in early 2022, reunite in a new trio of highly-anticipated movies beginning January 7, 2023. In the new movies, viewers get to peek inside the married lives of each couple who found wedded bliss in the original trilogy but are now juggling regular life stressors, from parenting to work pressures.
In the first of the new movies, called “The Wedding Veil Expectations,” Hallmark fan-favorite Kevin McGarry reprises his role as the husband of Lacey Chabert’s character. While promoting the premiere, he revealed it was a very different script than he’s used to and the “most intimate” Hallmark movie he’s ever made.
Kevin McGarry and Lacey Chabert Hope Viewers Relate to Their Characters’ Regular-Life Challenges
HallmarkKevin McGarry and Lacey Chabert star in “The Wedding Veil Expectations”
During a Facebook Live session with the “Wedding Veil” cast on January 6, which included Chabert, McGarry, Alison Sweeney and Autumn Reeser, the group shared that the three new films have a different story arc and rhythm than viewers are used to seeing in typical Hallmark love stories.
McGarry said, “Honestly…so many of these movies are two people meeting each other and, you know, are they or are they not gonna kiss each other, get together at the end, or whatever.”
“This, to me is kind of the most intimate Hallmark movie I’ve ever done,” he continued. “You’ve got two people figuring out life together, leaning on each other. Like, they’ve already fallen in love. They’ve already gotten married. And now this is, like, the stuff…they’re best friends in this one.”
“It was just such a departure from the traditional Hallmark movies that we’ve seen for so many years,” he said, adding that it was “really fun to explore and play with Lacey.”
Chabert agreed that the storytelling in the next “Wedding Veil” movies is more complex, including the development of her character Avery’s relationship with her husband, Peter, as they hope to start a family while running into one problem after another during their home renovations.
She said, “I think it was really well written because we see that they still make each other laugh so much and the little spark and magic that was there in the first movie is definitely there, just in a different way.”
Chabert, who’s an executive producer on the film, also noted it was interesting not to have some of the scenes that have become expected in Hallmark love stories — like a sweet scene in which two people meet, dubbed a “meet cute,” or the kiss viewers are waiting for at the end.
“You know, there’s no meet-cute,” she said. “The rhythm of the story is a bit different than a lot of the other movies that we do. But it’s different in a really fresh and new way, I think. So I hope the audience is excited to go on that part of the ride with us.”
Lacey Chabert Hopes There Are Opportunities to Keep Exploring the ‘Wedding Veil’ Characters’ Lives
HallmarkAlison Sweeney, Lacey Chabert and Autumn Reeser in “The Wedding Veil Expectations”
Even before the new “Wedding Veil” movies air, Chabert said she’s already thinking about future plotlines.
“These movies do raise a lot of questions that are very, very, very relatable,” she said during the Facebook Live chat, admitting that she already has ideas for where the characters could go next.
“I mean, marriage is beautiful and wonderful and magical, but it’s also challenging. And, you know, they do find themselves at a crossroads and need each other’s help and support. I think our writers did a beautiful job of bringing that to life.”
Chabert said she doesn’t know if Hallmark will “allow” them to make more “Wedding Veil” movies; it will partially depend on whether the ratings are as good as they were for the first trilogy.
“Thank you to our fans for showing up for us and tuning in,” she said. “Because you did, Hallmark was like ‘Okay, so let’s do it again.’ I remember I picked up the phone after the movies aired and I was like ‘Is there any world in which we can do this again? Because we have ideas!’ and here we are.”
“The Wedding Veil Expectations” airs January 7 at 8 pm Eastern. The second movie in the new trilogy, “The Wedding Veil Inspiration” airs the following Saturday, January 14 at the same time, centered around Reeser’s character, while the third and final of the movies will air on January 21 with the plot focused around Sweeney’s character.