I'd say 1983. 1985 seems way too late and plus 1983 is 15 years before 1998 so it would make more sense.

I have not seen the movie, but the tagline for the film is "He's gonna party like it's 1985"

The beginning of the movie says it takes place in 1985.

However, if you listen to what people are saying...it could have been before that. 
For instance:

When Adam goes to babysit his sister's kids, his sister calls out to her husband because she's ready to leave.......her hubby scraems back at her......"wait a minute..I'm watching Dallas......JR's been shot...he's dead or something...."
Now it could have been a re-run.......but the likelihood of that in 1985 is not good.
The infamous "Who Shot JR?" episode took place in like 1982 or something like that.....

the movie was perfect where it was set at, 1985.

also,

1984 was the last year the original Van Halen was together..hence their last album title  "1984"
They got Sammy Hagar in 1985.

Sandler tells his ex-gf to take off his Van Halen t-shirt before she jinxs the band and they break-up........which in essence they already should have in 1985.

I never saw The Wedding Singer and don't really care about it. So I'll pass on voting. :-\\

I voted "1983."

I haven't watched it in its entirety for quite awhile, but I agree there's some good points made above. (I'm one of those people who nitpicks things, especially movies, so I feel right at home!) :D

Even when I first saw it, I thought the culture definitely seemed more 1983/84-ish than 1985. But then again, if the tagline was He's gonna party like it's 1985, maybe it took place in late '84 or early '85.

Plus, a good number of the songs in the soudtrack are from 1980-83, further enhancing the early 80's feel. In fact, the first song Robbie sings is "Love Stinks," from '80.

1984

^ Actually, maybe 1984 is a slightly more logical choice. I know "All Night Long" from Lionel Richie is playing in a scene, and that was from '84 I believe (also, I think it was the latest song on the movie - the earliest being "You Make My Dreams" from Hall & Oates, in 1979 or '80).

Although it would be interesting to see the slight cultural changes if it had been done in, say 1980 as opposed to '85. Besides, as has been pointed out, it was strange to have a "nostalgic" movie about a year only 13 years in the past (or, for that matter, it would make more sense for the movie to come out today, 19/20 years later, especially since the current indie rock, such as the Killers, sounds more 80's-like anyway).

That would be like a movie set in 1992 coming out now.

1998 was also a year another "1985" movie came out--There's Something About Mary. Okay, only the first 10-15 minutes, as Ted is recalling the past, are there, but still.

^ Actually, maybe 1984 is a slightly more logical choice. I know "All Night Long" from Lionel Richie is playing in a scene, and that was from '84 I believe (also, I think it was the latest song on the movie - the earliest being "You Make My Dreams" from Hall & Oates, in 1979 or '80).

Although it would be interesting to see the slight cultural changes if it had been done in, say 1980 as opposed to '85. Besides, as has been pointed out, it was strange to have a "nostalgic" movie about a year only 13 years in the past (or, for that matter, it would make more sense for the movie to come out today, 19/20 years later, especially since the current indie rock, such as the Killers, sounds more 80's-like anyway).

That would be like a movie set in 1992 coming out now.

1998 was also a year another "1985" movie came out--There's Something About Mary. Okay, only the first 10-15 minutes, as Ted is recalling the past, are there, but still.


Actually, didn't "Honey" take place in the early 90s?  And GTA: San Andreas is set in 1992, although it seems more like 1993 or even 1996 to me.  It's already happening with the early 90s  :o

But yeah, when Wedding Singer came out I thought it was a bit weird, in 1998 it was 60s this, 70s that, I was like wtf happened in 1985?

Umm... Mr. Rule, I noticed you made a boo boo in the title of this topic. It should be "When should the wedding singer HAVE taken place", not OF. "Of" and "Have" are two different words, with two very different meanings.

That movie did feel more like 1983 then the real 1985.  Basically they were trying to make it seem like everything was happening at the same time in the 80s.  Like every fad, fashion, song and movie from the entire decade was all happening in the same month or week.  They made it seem like every chick was a Madonna wannabe and every guy dressed like Don Johnson, and that everyone walked around using all the slang and lingo from the times.  That's not the reality for any decade.  No one was walking around saying, "these are the 80s!", anymore then anyone says, "hey check us out, these are the 00s!".

When the film came out in early 1998, meaning it was most likely thought up and filmed in 1997, I was like what the hell.....1985?  That was only 12-13 years ago and we are getting retro and nostalgic about that?  Today it would be OK, since it's 2005 and '85 was 20 years ago.  But in 1997 and 1998 it seemed really weird.  Is it time to get retro about 1992 and 1993?

The time you grew up in becomes retro before you know it, and way sooner then you expected it too.  I mean, before you are even 25 a lot of times, definately before you are even 30. 

1985 was good for the movie but i would have picked 1988 just because the 80's rellay kicked in then and it would nmake it 10 years 1988 1998

1985 was good for the movie but i would have picked 1988 just because the 80's rellay kicked in then and it would nmake it 10 years 1988 1998


While 1988 was very 80s the "real 80s" was more like 1982-1988, from what I'd head.  It was more like the last "substance" 80s year. 1989-1992 were sort off watered-off, holdover 80s the way 1997-2001 is holdover 90s.  But I wasn't around so I don't know for sure.  :)

The one thing that caught my attention was when Julia`s (Drew Barrymore) fiancee  bought her a cd player and they acted like it was a brand new thing that just came out on the market.But in reality it came out about 3 years earlier...

BUMP

Don't know why I thought of this now, but when you say "Party like it's ", does that mean it's in the year to follow, or the year you're already in?

In other words, I had this very debate at the beginning of 1999. I was 17 and thinking about the Prince song from my childhood - so amazed we'd all actually reached that futuristic year I'd heard about so long! ;) Anyway, some people argued that he was referring to the END of 1999, because of the line "2000, 0-0, party over, oops out of time," while others agreed with me that it could've meant early 1999.

(This has a point, I promise!)

So, with that in mind, if I were to be correct in my argument, Wedding Singer should have taken place in early 1985 (maybe even late 1984, if they were anticipating partying like it was '85!). If the "2000" Prince arguments were right, that would mean the movie was late 1985 almost '86 -- that just seems WAY too late, imo.