“Downton Abbey”: A Look Back at the Show's Best Weddings

Though Anna and Bates are the first major “Downton” couple to tie the knot on screen, that definitely doesn’t mean their relationship is smooth sailing. Just getting to the altar is hard enough for the below-stairs star-crossed lovers: they first have to deal with Bates’s criminal past and vindictive, estranged wife. In fact, the main reason they even get married at the particular moment they do is so that Anna can have legal rights, as Bates’s ex has apparently set him up to take the fall for her death. Still, they manage to have a very sweet, simple ceremony just for the two of them – perfect for two low-key people – and conquer all the odds to get to their happy, loving family in the end.

The romance between Matthew and Mary is pretty much the anchor of the first few seasons of the show, which is why it’s so satisfying when they finally make it to the altar early in the third season. Getting there is a bumpy ride, including a previous failed proposal, Mary’s lingering guilt over the Kemal Pamuk secret, Matthew’s near-death experience in the war, and both Matthew and Mary getting into serious, near-marriage relationships with other people. Fortunately, they’re able to overcome it all in time for a romantic snowy proposal in a Christmas episode, followed by a wedding to start the third season. Despite this wonderfully romantic start, the couple only have a short time together before Matthew is killed in a car accident, just hours after Mary gives birth to their son, George.

Over the first couple seasons, the relationship between Sybil and Tom grows from a friendship rooted in common political interests to a forbidden romance. We don’t actually get to see their wedding on screen, only the drama leading up to their engagement and then more drama when they return to Downton as a married couple awaiting their first child. Unfortunately, their happiness is short-lived. Medical mistakes turn the birth of their daughter, Sybbie, into a tragedy, as Sybil dies shortly after giving birth, leaving Tom a young widower with a newborn daughter.

Both Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes make no bones about it: they’ve both given up on any idea of having a romantic partner or a family in order to advance in their careers. Reaching the top echelon of service is a proud accomplishment, but it also is very lonely, which is why they form a strong friendship. Over the years, it slowly evolves from a platonic bond to a romantic one, and they finally marry early in the final season.

In the years following Matthew’s death, Mary has several love interests vying for her attention. It’s the most unexpected candidate, though, who winds up being her real second love. She’s intrigued by Henry, a dashing race-car driver, but her trauma over Matthew’s death in a car accident stops the romance in its tracks. It takes a few serious heart-to-hearts with the people she trusts most, but eventually, Mary is able to open her heart again, and they marry in the penultimate episode of the series. Their marriage goes through some long-distance periods (thanks in large part to actor Matthew Goode’s scheduling conflicts), but they’re happily married with a daughter, Caroline.

Of all the Crawleys, Edith arguably goes through the most over the course of the series: being the overlooked, “plain” middle child; getting left at the altar; falling in love with a man she can’t be with; having their daughter out of wedlock and finding out he died. That’s why it’s so nice to see her fall for Bertie, a genuinely kind man who appreciates her ambition and independence. Their seemingly smooth road to marriage is thrown when Mary spitefully tells Bertie about Edith’s daughter before Edith herself has told him, leading to a broken engagement. It turns out that Bertie just needed some time to get used to the idea, though, because he apologises and reproposes, finally letting Edith be the happy bride she’s always wanted to be in the series finale. By the end of the first movie, they’re expecting their own first child – and, as a bonus, with Bertie’s unexpected inheritance, Edith actually outranks her entire family!

After years as a widower and single father, Tom finally finds love again in the first “Downton” movie when he meets Lucy, the secret daughter (and heiress) of a wealthy and titled cousin of the Crawleys. The pair bond over their unusual life experiences and “in-between” status, and by the end of the movie, they’re sharing a private dance on the terrace and a kiss. The second movie highlights their wedding in the movie’s trailer, confirming that Tom is finally getting his second chance at lasting love.