‘The Arrangement’ Finale: What Exactly Happens Within an IHM Wedding?
It’s complicated. While the vast majority of wedding planning requires making your own personal decisions, Megan Morrison and Kyle West will have most of their nuptials dictated by members of the Institute For The Higher Mind, otherwise known as “IHM.” Ahead of the season two finale of The Arrangement, airing Sunday, May 13, The Knot got an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into the planning process of an IHM wedding directly from series creator Jonathan Abrahams and on-screen bride Christine Evangelista.
“It’s very compartmentalized,” says Evangelista, who plays Megan Morrison—the bride-to-be whose initial agreement with the world’s biggest movie star (Kyle West portrayed by Josh Henderson) turns out to be much more sinister than anticipated. “We have the color chart, the colors mean things, and there’s a specific person that sort of picks everything. It’s very structured while also being neat and organized which I appreciate because I’m not very organized.”
“It’s presented in a way that’s almost eerie,” says series creator Abrahams. “The wedding is going to be covered [in press] and it’s going to be exclusive in terms of coverage. Every piece of publicity about Meghan and Kyle affects IHM.”
A typical IHM wedding lacks the traditional wedding planner, in a sense, “but they have their own people, for sure,” Evangelista adds. “There’s one episode where Vanity Fair covers a fitting. So that is with the team from the magazine, but behind-the-scenes from the Institute is much colder.”
Abrahams adds, “There’s a whole narrative for the wedding planning going on for the public’s consumption which has little to do with the actual relationship.”
When attending an IHM wedding, attendees and witnesses must follow a stringent set of rules. “Guests need to understand what their role is… again, because it is a wedding for public consumption,” the showrunner adds. “There’s an image that they’re projecting to the world so each guest has to be part of the effort. But in real life, get up and dance and don’t make the bride and groom to feel like they’re all alone!”
That same approach applies to the dress code. “Can’t wear white. That’s rude,” jokes Evangelista. However, a preview image shared exclusively with The Knot shows the bride in a white gown. “None of this has to do with Megan, which is strange because to walk down the aisle in this magical moment that you’ve always dreamed about and having it be under literal terms and conditions… It is a fine line to walk. The dress will be very cool. It will not be of Megan’s vision, but it’s definitely going to be of someone’s vision.”
Previews and teasers show Morrison showing up to the wedding ceremony. “If I bail,” she muses in one scene, “the world explodes.” The question now remains: Will she follow through with the vows and commit to becoming Mrs. West?
Find out on the season finale of The Arrangement airing Sunday, May 13, at 9 p.m. ET on E!
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