Mother of the Bride ending explained: Do Lana and Will end up together?

Netflix dropped a new romantic comedy film, Mother of the Bride, on May 9, 2024. Directed by Mark Waters, the film features Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, and more.

Brooke Shields stars as Lana, a woman who is surprised to learn that her daughter, Emma, is getting married out of the blue in Phuket, Thailand. Despite the surprise, she is supportive and jets out to the South Asian destination. However, when she reaches there, she is shocked to find out that the groom is the son of her college sweetheart, Will, who had left her brokenhearted in the past.

After reconnecting, Lana and Will finally end up together in the climax.

As per Netflix, the synopsis of the film reads:

"A doting mom jets off to a tropical island resort for her daughter's wedding — only to discover the groom's father is the ex she hasn't seen in decades."

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Netflix film, Mother of the Bride.

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Mother of the Bride ending: Does Lana accept Will's proposal?

Brooke Shields as Lana (Image via Netflix)

In the movie Mother of the Bride, Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) has a large following on social media which leads to her wedding garnering a lot of attention. As she attempts to juggle financial partners and sponsors, Lana (Brooke Shields) and Will (Benjamin Bratt) start getting close together after reuniting in Thailand.

Although Will shows that he has changed since his disappearance in college, Lana still harbors doubt regarding him. She had been jilted during their past relationship when Will left without an explanation, leaving her high and dry.

Soon, Lana's fears are realized when she overhears a conversation between Will and a woman named Katrina. She mistakenly believes the duo to be romantically involved. This misinterpretation leads Lana to give cold shoulder to Will. But as it turns out, Katrina was simply his personal assistant who was helping him get an engagement ring.

Ultimately, Will proposes to Lana and as the misunderstanding clears away, she accepts.

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Mother of the Bride ending: Why did Will leave Lana in college?

Benjamin Bratt as Will (Image via Netflix)

The beginning of Netflix's Mother of the Bride depicts Lana recounting how her lover in college left her without a word. The abrupt disappearance hurt her deeply as she was very much in love with him.

It is only years later when her daughter is getting married in Thailand that Lana finally gets an explanation. As Lana and Will reunite, old feelings start to resurface.

Will finally gets the chance to explain why he disappeared from her life all those years ago. He reveals that he was unsure about his future and did not know what he wanted. While Lana was confident and secure, he was confused and felt undeserving of her. This led him to leave the city so that he could discover himself and what he truly wanted out of life.

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Mother of the Bride ending: What happened to Lana's husband?

Miranda Cosgrove as Emma (Image via Netflix)

Will believed for a long time that Lana was happily married to her husband. He is mentioned several times throughout the movie when both Emma and Lana wish that he was there for the wedding. However, it turns out that Lana's husband died years ago when Emma was only eight years old.

Will learns that he died in a car accident, leaving Lana to raise their daughter all by herself. This news arrives too late for him as he had previously ceased contact with Lana out of respect for her marriage. He moved on and did not even try to get together with her.

After knowing the reality, Will finally pours out his feelings to Lana at the end of the movie.

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Mother of the Bride is currently available to stream on Netflix.