Rachel's Wedding Invite: Friends' Snub Explained

Rachel and Ross' wedding is a key plot point in the popular TV show Friends. The on-again-off-again couple drunkenly marry in Las Vegas in the season 5 finale, but neither can remember the event the next day. Ross, who does not want to be divorced for a third time, does not get an annulment, and the pair only realise they are still married when their friends remind them. Rachel is furious and wants to end the marriage, but the pair are forced to get a divorce when Rachel's false statements about Ross come to light.

Rachel and Ross' drunken Vegas wedding

In the Season 5 finale of Friends, titled "The One in Vegas", Rachel and Ross get drunk and marry each other in Las Vegas. The episode first aired on May 20, 1999.

The episode sees the gang travel from New York City to Las Vegas for various reasons. Joey is the first to go, planning to work at Caesars Palace as a costumed "atmosphere" character. Monica and Chandler, celebrating their anniversary, follow, with Phoebe joining them to make up for missing Ross's wedding in London. Ross and Rachel are the last to go, flying out a day later due to work commitments.

On the plane, Ross and Rachel attempt to embarrass each other, with Ross drawing a beard and moustache on Rachel's face while she sleeps. Once in Vegas, Rachel refuses to leave her hotel room, so Ross and Rachel get drunk in his room, playing blackjack. They eventually decide to hit the town together, with Rachel drawing cat whiskers on Ross's face.

Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler get into a fight over Monica's old flame, Richard, and decide to get married that very night. They arrive at a wedding chapel but have to wait as the chapel is in use. The occupants turn out to be Ross and Rachel, who drunkenly burst out, now legally married.

In the following episode, "The One After Vegas", Ross and Rachel wake up in bed together, hungover and unaware that they got married. They decide to get an annulment, but Ross is reluctant as he does not want three failed marriages. He tells Rachel that he has taken care of the annulment but later reveals that he lied. Eventually, they are forced to get a divorce.

Rachel and Barry's wedding

Rachel's relationship with Barry was a recurring theme in Friends, and it was a key part of the plotline between Rachel and Ross. Rachel's relationship with Barry helped to establish her character and her romantic interests throughout the show.

Rachel and Ross' second wedding

In the Season 5 finale, "The One in Vegas", Rachel and Ross get married in a drunken stupor. The wedding had no planning, no guests, and no vicar. The next morning, they have no recollection of what they had done until their friends remind them. Rachel wants to end the marriage, but Ross doesn't because he doesn't want to be divorced for a third time. He lies to Rachel about getting an annulment and stays secretly married to her.

In Season 6, Rachel finds out about Ross's deceit and is furious. They go to court to get an annulment but fail because Rachel filled in false information about Ross and because of their previous relationship. They are forced to get a divorce. However, before filling out the divorce papers, Rachel confesses that getting married in Vegas was her idea. They come to terms and Rachel forgives Ross.

There is no reliable reference about what happens after the series finale, "The Last One, Part 2". In the spin-off series "Joey", Joey says that he moved to LA because all his friends had children and got married. This is quite vague and may mean that Ross and Rachel got married, either to each other or to other people.

Some people, including actress Jennifer Aniston, choose to believe that Rachel and Ross got remarried and even had another child. Others, knowing the couple's history of lies, resentment, and toxic relationship, find a potential wedding illogical and highly unlikely.

Rachel and Ross' relationship

Rachel and Ross's relationship is a central plot point in Friends, with their on-again-off-again romance keeping fans hooked throughout the show's 10 seasons. The couple's iconic status is cemented by their many ups and downs, which begin in the pilot episode when Rachel, who has just run away from her wedding, moves in with Monica, Ross's sister. It is revealed in flashbacks that Ross has had a crush on Rachel since high school, though she only saw him as her friend's "geeky older brother".

In the first season, Ross spends most of his time pining after Rachel, who is busy starting her new life and getting over her fiancé, Barry. However, Rachel eventually reciprocates Ross's feelings and they begin dating in season 2. Their relationship is not without its challenges, and they break up multiple times throughout the series, often due to Ross's jealousy about Rachel's work and her relationships with male colleagues.

One of the most memorable moments in their relationship occurs when they decide to take a break from each other, during which Ross sleeps with another woman, causing Rachel to end things for good. However, the couple continues to have feelings for each other, and they drunkenly marry in Las Vegas during season 5. This marriage ends in divorce, as does Ross's second marriage to Emily, during which he says Rachel's name at the altar.

Despite their many breakups and Ross's three divorces, Rachel and Ross remain friends and co-parents to their daughter, Emma, who is born in season 8. In the final episode of Friends, Rachel decides to get off the plane to Paris, where she was headed for work, and chooses to be with Ross, ending the series with the couple finally together.

Rachel and Barry's engagement

Rachel had realised she didn't love Barry and was more attracted to a gravy boat than to him. When she left him at the altar, his parents spread a rumour that she had run away because she was insane and had syphilis. Despite this, Rachel agreed to be the maid of honour at Barry's next wedding to Mindy Hunter, where she inadvertently embarrassed the couple.

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