Plot

The story is set in a cold, gloomy Victorian era town, a parody of aristocratic Europe. A nervous young man by the name of Victor Van Dort, son of nouveaux riches fishmongers Nell and William Van Dort, is due to be wed to beautiful young Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), daughter of bankrupted hereditary aristocrats Maudeline and Finis Everglot. Victor isn't too keen on the idea of an arranged marriage until he meets the charming Victoria face-to-face. The two hit it off from the start despite their earlier misgivings, falling in love with each other almost instantly. But after botching the wedding rehearsal (and accidentally setting Victoria's mother's skirt on fire in the process), Victor is banished by Pastor Galswells and forbidden to return until he can learn his wedding vows.

Victor wanders through the forest practising his vows, consistently blundering them. Finally he gains confidence and successfully recites them, and upon spying a tree root that resembles a human hand, places his bride's wedding ring on it. No sooner has he done so, the hand, for it really is a human hand, grabs him by the arm and Emily, the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter), emerges from beneath the frozen earth dressed in a moldy, flowing wedding dress and declares Victor her husband ("I do"). Victor attempts to escape, making it to the bridge, but finds the Corpse Bride already there, he then blacks out as she kisses him ("You may kiss the bride").
Surprised, Victor awakes in a pub with the dead. At first, he is terrified when he is told, through a jazz tune sung by a skeleton with one eye named Bonejangles and his group of other likewise musical bones, the news of his unexpected marriage. He is told how the Corpse Bride was mysteriously murdered on her wedding day and has been waiting for her groom to come and claim her ever since.

Soon, however, he shakes himself and runs into the streets. Emily finds Victor and gives him a wedding present of the live skeleton of his dead puppy, Scraps. He then convinces Emily and the elderly Elder Gutknecht to return them both temporarily to the Land of the Living via a Ukrainian Haunting Spell (the only way to return is if either says "hopscotch") under the pretense of introducing her to his parents.

Once back, however, Victor goes to see Victoria instead to confess his marriage to Emily, and they are about to kiss when Emily discovers them and spirits him away while Victoria watches helplessly. While Victoria tries unsuccessfully to convince the pastor and her parents that Victor needs help, Maudeline and Finis lock her in her room and plan to match up their daughter with the presumed rich drifter "Lord Barkis Bittern" instead. Unknown to the others, Barkis intends to kill Victoria and make off with her fortune, which he mistakenly believes is still viable.

Back in the Land of the Dead, Emily feels betrayed and heartbroken by Victor's deception, but reluctantly begins to think that maybe he and Victoria are meant for each other because they are both alive while Emily is not. Victor apologizes for lying to her and Emily's love for him is renewed as he starts falling in love with her as well.

Victor's coachman, Mayhew (newly-deceased), delivers the news of Victoria's engagement, leaving Victor distraught. Thinking that Victoria is marrying Barkis willingly, Victor decides to make the best of his situation below and agrees to drink poison as part of an above-ground ceremony that will make his marriage to Emily official. The reason being that since the marriage vows bind the couple until "death do them part" and Emily is already dead, the marriage won't exist until Victor is dead as well.

As Victoria and Barkis are married, the residents of the Land of the Dead busy themselves preparing for a wedding of their own, storming the town and marriage "celebration" on their way to the church. In the ensuing chaos, the newly-wed Lord Barkis finally realizes that Victoria is penniless.

Meanwhile, there is panic with the village at the invasion of the dead, until both sides suddenly recognize their loved ones and realize to their mutual joy the temporary reunion.

Victoria heads for the church as well, and discovers Victor in the midst of the ceremony that will kill him. Emily sees Victoria watching them but unable to bring herself to speak; realizing that she is cheating Victoria out of a happy life, stops Victor from drinking the poisoned wine. She gives Victor back to Victoria, saying that in her despair and sadness she was just about to commit a terrible mistake, but the reunion is interrupted by Lord Barkis, who reminds the crowd that Victoria is still his wife, and moves to kidnap her at sword point. Emily is shocked and horrified as she recognizes Barkis as the man who both jilted and murdered her long ago.

Victor tells Barkis to get his hands off his living former bride, and Barkis is about to kill him, but Scraps bites Barkis' leg. A sword fight ensues between the two men (with Victor wielding a dinner fork tossed to him by a dead cook). Barkis corners Victor and is just about to jam his sword into Victor's stomach, when Emily rushes between them and blocks the blow, saving Victor's life.

A seething Emily orders Barkis to leave, which he smugly agrees to. The rest of the dead, outraged at what he did to Emily, try to stop him, but they are unable to interfere, since he is of the living, and therefore not under their power. But before leaving, he proposes a mock-toast to Emily, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride". Barkis drinks the wine intended for Victor, not knowing its contents, which kills him shortly afterward.The dead then proceed to induct the "new arrival" and drag the dying Barkis through a side-door to presumably eviscerate his carcass.

Emily explains to Victor and Victoria that they belong together. When Victor protests, saying that he "made a promise to Emily", she explains that he had already kept it by setting her free, and that now she shall do the same for him. As she begins to leave the church she still feels pain, but stops to throw her bouquet to Victoria, then continues to leave her true love behind and set herself truly free. As she reaches the threshold of the church, Emily finds peace and moves on with herself and her body transforms into hundreds of night butterflies, which soar towards the moon. Victor and Victoria look on together at the sight free to be married and live happily ever after together.

(from Wikipedia)