Exclusive: Netflix's 'Mother of the Bride' Cast Reveals Secrets From the Film Set

"When we weren't dancing, we were playing pickleball. And when we weren't playing pickleball, we were drinking tequila."

New mother of the bride movie with broke shields and miranda cosgrove

Photo: SASIDIS SASISAKULPORN/NETFLIX

Updated May 09, 2024

If you've ever wondered what it's like to star in a wedding film, we'll let you in on a (not-so-big) secret: it's just as fun as you'd imagine. Such was the case for the cast of Netflix's Mother of the Bride movie, starring Brooke Shields, Miranda Cosgrove, Benjamin Bratt, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, and many more.

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Directed by Mean Girls' Mark Waters, the heartfelt rom com centers on former college sweethearts Lana (Shields) and Will (Bratt), who unexpectedly reunite at the destination wedding of their children: Lana's daughter, Emma (Cosgrove), and Will's son, RJ (Teale). Although the exes haven't seen each other since their devastating breakup decades prior, nothing can go wrong when they're celebrating their children's love on the picturesque island of Phuket, Thailand…right?

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Ahead of the film's release on May 9, 2024, we caught up with the Mother of the Bride cast to chat about the making of the movie, including their favorite memories from the film set, and why this new flick just might earn a spot on your list of all-time favorite wedding movies.

In this article:

Secrets from the Mother of the Bride Movie Set
How to Watch Mother of the Bride on Netflix

Secrets from the Mother of the Bride Movie Set

From late-night dance parties to excursions at elephant sanctuaries, there was never a dull moment on the Mother of the Bride movie set. We spoke with Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove and Sean Teale to share their favorite memories from bringing this Netflix film to life—and their tales certainly don't disappoint.

Brooke Shields Acted as the Cast's "Cruise Director"

Not only did she star as the titular character in Mother of the Bride, Brooke Shields also stepped in as a producer—a responsibility she took quite seriously. "[In this role] you realize you're representing the team, and it's up to you to try and shepherd them into having a good experience," she tells The Knot. "We're making a rom-com, it should be happy and fun."

As such, the seasoned Hollywood starlet went out of her way to ensure everyone had fun from the beginning to the very end. "If this were a cruise, she would be the cruise director," Bratt laughs. "There were no days off for Brooke. We would finish wrapping late on a Friday night, and four hours later she's planning an excursion for us to go to an elephant sanctuary."

Miranda Cosgrove Stole Inspiration For Her Future Dream Wedding

Although she's not yet married IRL, Cosgrove did pull inspiration from the film's wedding for her future vow-swap. "I hadn't really thought that much about what my wedding would be like," the iCarly alum explains. "But now that I did the movie, I'd like to copy a lot of things from this wedding if I ever get married. I would want to get married on the beach, and I love that [my character] wore a dress that was simple, comfortable and pretty."

Teale shares a similar sentiment: "Weddings are ruined for me now," he says with a smile, "Because they're never going to be this one."

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The Cast Took Dance Lessons Seriously

Sean Teale and mirando Cosgrove mother of the bride film

With quite a few dance scenes written into the script, the cast of Mother of the Bride wasted no time fine-tuning their skills once they arrived on set in Thailand. "There were about four weeks of rigorous dance choreography rehearsal," Bratt recalls. "And because Brooke was so busy, she didn't show up until the fourth week—and within two days, she had mastered all four sections of the dance." (Shields, for her part, credits her time on Broadway with helping her learn choreo on the fly.)

In fact, the stars were so set on nailing their routines that they started rehearsing even on their off days. "[Sean and I] worked a lot on the dancing because I was really nervous about doing it," Cosgrove says. "We would meet up on the weekend to go over our steps. I felt like I was in Silver Linings Playbook."

Brooke and Miranda Shared a Real Mother-Daugther Bond

Brooke Shields and Miranda Cosgrove in mother of the bride movie 2024

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cosgrove says she felt an instant connection with her on-screen mom. "Everybody who meets Brooke feels like they've known her for a really long time," she reflects. "That made it easy."

For Shields, a personal connection to her co-star helped foster an authentic relationship off-screen. "We bonded instantly," she tells us, noting that Cosgrove's birthday is one day apart from one of her own daughter's (whom she shares with husband Chris Henchy.) "I had a maternal sense for this young woman who is clearly at the beginning of a part of her life, which I'm witnessing in real-time. Not only is Miranda talented, she's got that old-school work ethic. And she never messes up a line!"

The Set Felt Like One, Long Wedding Reception

There's so much more to Mother of the Bride than meets the eye. Not only does it shine a light on how mother-daughter dynamics evolve during the wedding planning process, it features two love stories: one of a young couple at the start of their lives, and another second-chance romance for two former flames as they reconnect later in life. (It also includes an often-shirtless Chad Michael Murray as a pickleball instructor, but that's beside the point.)

"This script is so refreshing," Shields muses. "To make a 58-year-old woman the love interest? That's a brave concept. It was the primary reason why I fought for this to be developed."

Heartfelt anecdotes aside, the cast agrees that the set was essentially an extended wedding weekend. "It felt quite celebratory the whole time," Teale reflects. "[Thailand] is so joyous as a place, and the people are beautiful. It really added to the energy."

Adds Shields: "It was fun—because when we weren't dancing, we were playing pickleball. And when we weren't playing pickleball, we were drinking tequila."