Year: 2017
Runtime: 86 mins
Language: English
Director: Justin G. Dyck
Wedding planner Kelsey Wilson anticipates a career highlight when she’s asked to organize her cousin’s luxurious wedding. However, her meticulously crafted plans are complicated by the arrival of Connor McClane, a charming private investigator. Connor, hired by an anonymous client, begins to interfere with the wedding preparations, creating unexpected challenges for Kelsey. As they work together, a surprising connection develops between them, leading to a romantic entanglement amidst the wedding chaos.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen Christmas Wedding Planner yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Read the complete plot breakdown of Christmas Wedding Planner (2017), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Kelsey [Jocelyn Hudon] is stepping into the world of wedding planning, taking the lead on the Christmas Eve wedding that will unite her cousin Emily [Rebecca Dalton] and her fiancé in everyone’s eyes. The film follows the tiny, twisty threads that tie together a family’s holiday chaos, a budding romance, and a few carefully guarded secrets that could topple the celebration. From the outset, Kelsey’s schedule is a tidal wave of fittings, deadlines, and the pressure to pull off the perfect image for Emily’s big day.
As the day to the event unfolds, Kelsey runs late to an important pre-wedding engagement, which only earns a grunt from Aunt Olivia [Kelly Rutherford], a mentor figure who wants perfection and punctuality on every front. A stop at a coffee shop becomes the first spark of trouble and the first hint of the entangled loyalties to come. There she encounters Emily’s ex-boyfriend Connor [Stephen Huszar], who has his own agenda and a stubborn refusal for a last blueberry scone that seems almost symbolic of the stubborn obstacles in Kelsey’s path. This initial encounter sets off a chain of decisions that push Kelsey toward an uneasy partnership with Connor, even as she tries to remain loyal to Emily and to the wedding plan she’s just starting to shape.
At a dress fitting, Kelsey learns that Emily and Connor were growing closer before he left abruptly, a detail that deepens the trust questions surrounding Emily’s fiancé Todd [Eric Hicks]. Todd’s demeanor during a visit to the shop also raises eyebrows—what looks like flirtation at first glance starts to feel like something more complicated. Sensing a chance to uncover the truth, Kelsey digs deeper, and a reluctant alliance forms when Connor reveals his interest in getting the real story behind Emily’s relationship and Todd’s intentions. What begins as a cautious collaboration soon blossoms into a shared sense of mischief and genuine affection for each other as they pretend to be a couple for the sake of the investigation.
The pair decide to meet for a night of surveillance, and as they tail Todd and the store owner, their chemistry becomes undeniable on screen as well as on the page. The dinner at Turbo’s brings a new twist: Todd and the store owner are not enemies but friends, and the meal reveals a previous, more complicated dynamic tied to a good deal on Emily’s dress. The surface secrets begin to unravel, but it isn’t until Aunt Olivia’s late-breaking revelation lands that Kelsey realizes the full scope of the family’s tangled past. Olivia discloses that her own uncle paid off Connor years earlier to leave Emily, and that a more recent payment has also passed through Connor’s hands in a way Kelsey hadn’t anticipated. The confession forces Kelsey to confront what she wants and who she can trust, and she confronts Connor with a mix of anger and heartbreak.
Before the wedding, Connor tries to explain the money as a misinterpreted loan intended to help a friend, George [Joey Fatone], keep his family restaurant afloat. The explanation is muddled by the debt’s timing and the emotional weight behind it, and Kelsey leaves in doubt, her resolve tested by the possibility that the people she’s trying to protect may not be what they seem. The tension between loyalty and truth drives the plot toward its most dramatic moment: the wedding itself, where Connor arrives with a cache of information that could topple Todd’s image and potentially alter the entire ceremony.
The climax unspools with a mix of revelation and sport, as Connor delivers the dirt on Todd: a servant’s pregnancy in a recent past becomes the leverage that could upend the groom’s image and shake the wedding to its core. The truth comes with a heavy emotional toll, yet it also clears the air in a strange moment of candor. In a final twist, Connor makes a bold move that redefines the future for both of them. He proposes to Kelsey as the wedding mood shifts from suspense to celebration, and she accepts, sealing a vow that promises a new chapter beyond the holiday chaos. The ceremony closes on a note of reconciliation and risk, a testament to how truth, trust, and a dash of holiday magic can redefine what a wedding day means.
In the end, the film pairs light, witty banter with serious emotional stakes, painting a portrait of love found in the most unexpected places. The relationships, the secrets, and the holiday backdrop all blend to create a story that feels both familiar and fresh, with a hopeful, resonant finish that leaves the characters poised for a future shaped by honesty and renewed trust. As the snow falls and cars drift away from the venue, the characters step forward into a new chapter, where mistakes are acknowledged, forgiveness is offered, and a heartfelt partnership has the chance to flourish beyond the wedding lights.
Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:07
Don't stop at just watching — explore Christmas Wedding Planner in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Christmas Wedding Planner is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of Christmas Wedding Planner with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Christmas Wedding Planner. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.