Having already left three grooms at the altar, Maggie Carpenter is branded "the runaway bride" by jaded New York journalist Ike Graham. But, after his facts are called into question, Ike races to Maggie's hometown to save his reputation and report on her upcoming fourth trip down the aisle – during which he's convinced she'll run again. Though he's there on a muckraking mission, Ike can't help but fall for this breathtaking heartbreaker.

In the panicky, uncertain hours before his wedding, a groom with prenuptial jitters and his two best friends reminisce about growing up together in the middle-class African-American neighborhood of Inglewood, California. Flashing back to the twenty-something trio's childhood exploits, the memories capture the mood and nostalgia of the '80s era.

When Shannon is dumped at the altar, her single mother, Marla, suggests they take the planned honeymoon to a remote island resort together. Marla, a publisher of a top magazine, tells Shannon that the trip to paradise will make their relationship stronger, but she has ulterior motives: she needs a big interview to help her magazine, and the resort owner is the perfect catch.