Polish Wedding

by MovieMaker Staff | Published July 16, 2007

It was on this day in 1998 that Polish Wedding was released to U.S. audiences. The only movie by writer-director Theresa Connelly, Polish Wedding stars Claire Danes as Hala, a young woman dealing with her large Polish family and its small Detroit community. Things get complicated when Hala, slated to have her virginity honored at the church festival, becomes pregnant. The soon-to-be parents are forced to marry--the inevitable celebration referred to in the title. Also starring a high caliber supporting cast with Lena Olin and Gabriel Byrne as Hala’s complicated parents, Polish Wedding has its national and international festival premieres that same year at Sundance and Berlin, respectively.

Connections: This was the second time Polish Wedding co-stars Claire Danes and Gabriel Byrne appeared in the same film. Four years previous both had significant roles in Gillian Armstrong’s Little Women.

COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT

Comment by Hala Khanji on 8/14/08 at 12:27 am

I love this movie a lot and especially Hala cause my name is Hala ;)

Comment by Oferty on 10/14/08 at 9:08 am

I love this movie (met my fiance watching it).!!

Comment by Tuxedo on 6/10/09 at 1:50 pm

For all of you whom are so proud to be polish as i am...i love those polish weddings..and want my own some day soon.i appreciate all whom took time to respond to this..wishing you all a happy thanks giving.

Tuxedo

Comment by Wedding Gown on 6/17/09 at 11:30 am

yes i have! i’m polish and all my cousins have had polish weddings. they’re so much fun! we all dance the polka and eat pierogies and galubki’s, etc!for all of you whom are so proud to be polish as i am...i love those polish weddings..and want my own some day soon.i appreciate all whom took time to respond to this..wishing you all a happy thanks giving.

Wedding Gown

Comment by lista de boda on 7/15/09 at 12:39 pm

As long as you breathe there is hope. 46 is no longer old, so you have plenty of time. If it happens, great. If not, no problem. Just live and be happy when you can, laugh when the spirit hits you, cry if you must. Sometimes people are supposed to be single, contributions can be made in may ways not only in marriage and children.

Comment by Wedding Butterfly on 7/23/09 at 4:00 pm

This is really nice. Really nice. Thanks for sharing this!

Comment by Detroit LASIK Eye Surgery on 7/25/09 at 10:32 pm

Polish Wedding was an excellent movie. I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it (just add it to Netflix).

Comment by boda madrid on 7/29/09 at 1:43 pm

I’d keep it simple and go for a pearly color on your toes. Red polish with coppery shoes would look garish. The shoes are your pop of color, leave it at that.

Comment by boda madrid on 8/11/09 at 2:51 pm

The dance with the bride tradition i think is polish. Evey man pays $1 to the bride to dance with her. True polish pin the dollar on her veil but alot of brides don’t want that so they just collect it another way.

Comment by pearl earrings on 8/19/09 at 5:51 am

before the entire family gathering in a very official way, which resembled to some extent the wedding ceremony itself. In recent years, however, that official note has been largely abandoned and a ring is delivered when the future groom pops the question for the first time in a more private setting. The family gathering is just a nice way of informing the family members about the mutual decision once it has been made.pearl earrings

Comment by JohnG on 8/22/09 at 8:28 pm

I like Claire Danes, she’s cool peeps :) grand rapids lasik

Comment by Miami Wedding Band on 8/25/09 at 3:00 am

I have seen this movie and I was also amazed by it. Nice story. For anyone who is looking for wedding bands, visit us at Wedding Music in Miami for more details on how to make your special day more memorable.

Comment by stainless steel sinks on 9/09/09 at 7:25 am

# Music played in the film is of Balkan origin.
# A Procession of the Virgin and selection of an actual virgin to lead it does not happen

Comment by Jackie H on 9/14/09 at 6:00 pm

Claire Danes performs admirably in Polish Wedding, which is an excellent movie. Highly recommended! phone counseling therapy

Comment by Tower Defense Games on 9/25/09 at 1:27 pm

For us, it was a nice movie about relationships: between a mother and her family, between a father and daughter, between a sister and her little brother, between the women in an extended family

Comment by Favors for Weddings on 11/09/09 at 5:03 pm

I have not watched this movie yet, but will add it to the Netflix queue. Thanks!

Comment by groom speech on 11/10/09 at 2:42 am

Well, my family’s polish, so technically, yeah. The non Americanized polish wedding, no.Although, I’d really like to keep that part of tradition when I get married, but unfortunately my budget won’t really allow for that much time....

Comment by tuxedo on 11/26/09 at 7:35 am

i’m polish and all my cousins have had polish weddings. they’re so much fun! we all dance the polka and eat pierogies and galubki’s, etc!

Comment by carolinenash on 4/18/11 at 8:19 am

I always like to know some important things. So i adhere to this site for collecting some important and useful article for post and sharing with some of my friends. I like this article. its so nice.

Comment by Kelly on 5/23/11 at 12:18 pm

I haven’t seen the movie yet but I think it’s just the perfect timing to do that since I’ve just been proposed.  We’ve been looking the whole week for engagement rings, I got to chose my own, not very conventional I know but that’s how we agreed. We might learn something about conventional weddings in this movie.

Comment by Jim on 6/07/11 at 10:59 am

This movie is hilarious!  I remember the first time I saw it, I couldn’t stop laughing.  One of my friends is an Arizona wedding photographer and I’m sure she has stories similar to what goes on in the movie.

Comment by منتديات عرا قية on 6/22/11 at 3:52 pm

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Comment by DavieAlvin on 8/12/11 at 12:25 pm

Polish wedding is quite an entertaining movie. They have a lot of different wedding customs compared to US. Each one of the guests releases a sky lantern and the sky gets filled by their light. It creates an amazing image and a magical wedding.

Comment by real resume help on 10/27/11 at 3:09 am

Members of the Polish American community have pointed out that the movie presents correct aspects of Polish culture. Connelly has in the course of her life also used the name “Theresa Panek,” which more clearly indicates her Polish origins.

Comment by williid830 on 3/22/12 at 3:13 pm

Olin and Gabriel Byrne as Hala’s complicated parents, Polish Wedding has its national and international festival premieres that same year at Sundance and Berlin, Hämorrhoiden

Comment by Edelstahlrohre on 5/18/12 at 3:40 pm

This was the second time Polish Wedding co-stars Claire Danes and Gabriel Byrne appeared in the same film. Four years previous both had significant roles in Gillian Armstrong’s Little Women.

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