The Definitive Timeline: When Does Carrie Bradshaw Finally Marry Mr. Big? (And The Shocking Twist That Followed)

For fans who have followed Carrie Bradshaw's tumultuous, on-again, off-again romance with Mr. Big for decades, the question of when they finally said 'I do' remains one of pop culture's most iconic relationship milestones. As of the current date in late 2025, the definitive answer is not found in the original HBO series, but rather in the first feature film, where the couple attempts to marry twice, culminating in a small, intimate ceremony that was a stark contrast to the massive, ill-fated wedding that came before it. This complex journey, however, was only the beginning of their marital saga, which took a tragic and permanent turn in the sequel series, And Just Like That...

The relationship between the New York columnist and the elusive financier, whose full name is John James Preston, was the central pillar of the entire *Sex and the City* franchise. Their path to the altar was famously fraught with commitment issues, cross-country moves, and even other marriages, making their eventual union all the more significant—and their ultimate fate all the more devastating.

The Complete Relationship & Marriage Timeline of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big

To fully appreciate the significance of their wedding, one must understand the context of their long-running romance. Mr. Big was not just a boyfriend; he was the great love that Carrie could never shake, a relationship that spanned the entire six-season run of the original series (1998–2004) and beyond.

• The Enduring Legacy Of Haylor 5 Shocking Facts About Harry Styles And Taylor Swifts Relationship 10 Years Later Sf662

• 1998: The First Meeting. Carrie and Big meet in the pilot episode of *Sex and the City*. He is the "next Mr. Big," a successful, elusive man who becomes her primary love interest.
• The Original Series (1998–2004). Their relationship is defined by Big's fear of commitment. He marries Natasha Naginsky, divorces her, moves to Napa, and eventually returns, but their relationship never fully stabilizes until the series finale in Paris, where Big finally tells Carrie, "I'm the one."
• 2008: The First Movie (*Sex and the City*). The movie picks up four years after the series. Carrie and Big are living together. They decide to marry after a decade of on-and-off dating, but their plans quickly spiral out of control.
• The First Failed Wedding Attempt (The Library Disaster). Big gets cold feet just before the massive wedding ceremony at the New York Public Library. He turns his car around, leaving Carrie heartbroken and humiliated in her iconic Vivienne Westwood wedding dress.
• 2008: The Successful Courthouse Wedding. Months after the disastrous non-wedding, Carrie and Big reconcile. They decide to marry in a small, intimate ceremony at the courthouse. Carrie wears the simple, vintage, unbranded suit she originally bought for a simple civil ceremony, and Big gives her a black shoe as a "ring." This is the official date of their marriage.
• 2010: The Second Movie (*Sex and the City 2*). The film explores the challenges of their domestic life, including Big's desire to stay in and watch old movies, and Carrie's desire to go out, highlighting the reality of their marriage.
• 2021: *And Just Like That...* The sequel series confirms that Carrie and Big were happily married for over a decade. However, in a shocking twist in the very first episode, Big suffers a fatal heart attack after a Peloton workout, leaving Carrie a widow.

The Disastrous First Attempt: The New York Public Library Wedding

The most famous, and most dramatic, answer to "When does Carrie marry Big?" is, ironically, "She didn't—not then." The grand, over-the-top wedding planned for the first *Sex and the City* movie was a spectacular failure that became a defining moment for the franchise. The irony was that Carrie initially wanted a simple, small wedding, but the plans ballooned after a feature in *Vogue* magazine.

The event was planned as a massive affair, with Carrie in her now-famous Vivienne Westwood gown. However, the sheer spectacle and the public nature of the event—coupled with Big's own deep-seated fears of commitment—caused him to panic. His fear was compounded by a confrontation with Miranda Hobbes, who, still reeling from her own marital issues, unintentionally planted a seed of doubt by suggesting marriage was a mistake.

The image of Big driving away from the New York Public Library and Carrie beating him with her bouquet is one of the most memorable scenes in the entire *Sex and the City* canon. It was a painful, public breakdown of a wedding that had become less about their love and more about a societal expectation of a "big event."

• The Surprise Vegas Wedding And Shared Grief 5 Shocking Details Of John Schneider And Dee Dee Sorvinos Whirlwind Romance Ohirf

The Real Wedding: A Simple, Intimate Courthouse Ceremony

After the devastating breakup, Carrie and Big eventually found their way back to each other, realizing that their love was stronger than their fears and the pressure of a grand wedding. The successful wedding was a complete reversal of the first attempt, proving that their relationship was truly about them, not the spectacle.

The second wedding took place in a simple, intimate setting at the New York City courthouse. There were no hundreds of guests, no *Vogue* photographers, and no dramatic Vivienne Westwood gown. Instead, the guest list was limited to their closest friends: Charlotte York, Samantha Jones, and Miranda Hobbes.

Carrie wore the simple, cream-colored, vintage suit that she had originally purchased for a small, private civil ceremony before the plans had snowballed. This understated outfit, paired with a simple veil, symbolized the couple's return to what mattered: their commitment to each other. Big presented her with a black Manolo Blahnik heel instead of a traditional ring, a nod to their shared history and Carrie's obsession with shoes, a perfect, unique symbol of their unconventional love story. They finally tied the knot in 2008, cementing their decades-long journey.

• 7 Shocking Things Jessica Capshaw Revealed About Growing Up With Steven Spielberg As Her Stepfather 892ho

The Final Chapter: Marriage, Death, and The Legacy in And Just Like That...

The marriage of Carrie and Big was not the end of their story, but rather a new beginning that was explored in the sequel series, *And Just Like That...* (2021). The series opens with the couple in a comfortable, established marriage, living a life of luxury and domestic bliss in their New York apartment. Their relationship seemed to have finally found its equilibrium, moving past the drama of their younger years.

However, the series delivered a shocking and permanent conclusion to their love story. In the final moments of the first episode, Mr. Big collapses from a heart attack after a rigorous workout on his Peloton bike. Despite Carrie rushing to him, he dies in her arms. This unexpected twist redefined the entire franchise, shifting Carrie's narrative from a woman searching for love to a woman navigating widowhood in her 50s.

The death of John James Preston, Mr. Big, meant that their marriage, which had overcome so many obstacles—including two previous marriages for Big and countless breakups—was ultimately cut short by fate. Carrie's marriage to Big, while officially taking place in 2008, was a defining period of her life that ended tragically, leaving a lasting legacy on the character and the entire *Sex and the City* universe.

In conclusion, while the famous wedding that never happened occurred in the *Sex and the City* movie, the true, official marriage of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big took place in an intimate courthouse ceremony later in the same film. The marriage lasted over a decade, providing the happy ending that fans craved, only to be dramatically undone in the first episode of the reboot, making their love story one of the most complex and memorable in television history.