The story is set in a cold, gloomy Victorian era town in England. A nervous young man by the name of Victor Van Dort, son of rich fishmongers Nell and William Van Dort, is due to be wed to beautiful young Victoria Everglot, daughter of bankrupt (as well as ugly and unpleasant) aristocrats Maudeline and Finis Everglot. Victor isn't too trilled by the idea of an arranged marriage until he meets the charming Victoria face-to-face. The two fall in love from the start despite their earlier misgivings. 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 to learn his wedding vows.

Victor wanders through the forest practicing 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, emerges from beneath the earth dressed in a moldy, flowing wedding dress and declares Victor her husband. Victor then blacks out.



Surprised, Victor awakes in a pub with the dead. At first, he is terrified when he is told the news of his unexpected marriage. He is told how the corpse bride was mysteriously killed 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 through 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 runs away to see Victoria, leaving Emily in the forest alone. They are about to kiss when a betrayed Emily discovers them and drags Victor back to the Land of the Dead while Victoria watches helplessly. After returnig to the Land of the Dead, Emily is in tears asking Victor why he would go see another woman. He tries to explain that she is infact the other woman, but she runs away from him. 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.

Emily tells the maggot and spider (who follow her around and act as her parents) why she thinks Victor probably does belong with Victoria 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 (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 too).



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 learns (to his horror) 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.


Corpses from the land of the dead visit the Everglots. 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 the dead cook. Barkis corners Victor and is just about to kill him, 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 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".



Emily explains to Victor and Victoria that they belong together. When Victor protests, saying that he "made [Emily] a promise," Emily 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 (though an old woman catches it first, Emily's maggot on her shoulder and to his delight), then continues to leave her true love behind and set herself truly free. As she reaches the threshold of the church, Emily's body transforms into hundreds of night butterflies, which soar towards the moon. Victor and Victoria look on together at the sight.