Plot: On New Years Eve, the one year anniversary of their meeting, San Francisco based Tom Solomon and Violet Barnes get engaged. Jewish-American Tom, currently a sous chef at a trendy restaurant, eventually wants to own his own restaurant. Christian-Brit Violet's immediate goal is to do post-doctorate academic work in psychology at UC-Berkeley. In addition to working toward their professional goals, they are planning their wedding for an undetermined date, the event which they envision to be perfect much like their marriage will be, to make up for the less than perfect proposal which did not quite come off according to Tom's plan. Trying to coordinate this perfection to occur all on the same date is challenging enough without the thoughts and goings-on of their friends and loved ones adding to the complications, including Tom's best man, Alex Eilhauer, his coworker with a frat boy mentality, and Violet's maid of honor, her constantly in tears sister Suzie Barnes. Their wedding plans take a major hit when Violet does not get the Berkeley job as she had hoped, but is offered a similar position in the Psychology Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Violet and Tom decide collectively that Violet should take the job, while Tom will move there to support her until her two year contract is over, when they can move back to San Francisco to resume planning for their perfect wedding. But they find that life in Michigan together is not perfection, which changes both their outlook on life and their view of what they have to do to maintain that harmonious relationship, which may threaten them making it to the altar in its entirety.
Alternative Plot: On their one-year anniversary, sous chef Tom Solomon (Jason Segel) plans to surprise his girlfriend, Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt), with an engagement ring. The lovers do end up engaged, but the fact that the proposal does not go exactly as planned proves to be a harbinger of things to come. Each time they try to set a date, various obstacles stand in their way. As more and more time passes, Tom and Violet begin to wonder if perhaps their marriage is not meant to be.
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