The story is set in a cold, gloomy Victorian era town, a parody of aristocratic England. A nervous young man by the name of Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), son of rich fishmongers Nell and William Van Dort (Tracey Ullman and Paul Whitehouse), is due to be wed to beautiful young Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), daughter of bankrupt (as well as unpleasant) aristocrats Maudeline and Finis Everglot (Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney). Victor is not too keen on the idea of an arranged marriage until he meets the charming Victoria face-to-face and they fall in love almost instantly. But after botching the wedding rehearsal, Victor is banished by Pastor Galswells (Christopher Lee) to learn his wedding vows.
Victor wanders through the forest practicing his vows, consistently blundering them. He feels that practicing is no use, and Victoria surely thought him a fool. However, he gains confidence at the thought of marrying Victoria and successfully recites them; upon spying a tree root that resembles a human hand he 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, (Helena Bonham Carter) emerges from beneath the earth dressed in a moldy, flowing wedding dress and declares Victor her husband. She was mysteriously killed on her wedding day and has been waiting for her groom to come and claim her ever since. Victor is terrified and runs through the woods and stops on the bridge to the town. He believes he has lost her but turns around to see her, just as she says, 'you may kiss the bride.' things when black for Victor.
After fainting, Victor awakes in a pub with the dead. At first, before he knew it he found himself married to a corpse bride. He is terrified when he is told such news of his unexpected marriage. He is told the story of the corpse bride who was killed by her fiance before they could marry because he only wanted her money. Since then she has been waiting for someone else to marry her until Victor came. Soon, however, he shakes himself and runs into the streets. Emily finds him and gives him a wedding present of the live skeleton of his dead dog, Scraps. He then convinces Emily and the elderly Elder Gutknecht (Michael Gough) to return them both temporarily to the Land of the Living via Ukrainian Haunting Spell (with the only way to return is if either says "hopscotch") under the pretense of introducing her to his parents. Once back, however, Victor goes to see Victoria instead to confess his love for her, and they are about to kiss when a betrayed Emily discovers them and spirits him away while Victoria watches helplessly. 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" (Richard E. Grant) 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 black widow spider 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 forgives him after a piano duet. 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 will not 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 at an undreamed of temporary reunion.
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 and, realizing that she is cheating Victoria out of a happy life, stops Victor from drinking the poisoned wine. She gives Victor back to Victoria, but the romantic reunion is interrupted by Lord Barkis, who reminds the crowd that she is still his wife, and moves to kidnap her at sword point. Emily recognizes Barkis as the man who both jilted and murdered her long ago. Victor tells Barkis to get his hands off his living bride-to-be. 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 jam his sword into Victor's heart, 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 mock-toast to Emily, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride." Barkis drinks the wine intended for Victor, not knowing its contents, which kills him. The dead then proceed to induct the "new arrival".
Emily watches Victor and Victoria hold each other lovingly as she begins to leave the church. Guilted, Victor stops Emily and wishes to help her, 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 placing Victoria's ring in his palm. As she makes her way out of the church, she stops to throw her bouquet to Victoria, then continues to leave the church. As she reaches the threshold of the church, Emily transforms into hundreds of butterflies, which soar towards the moon. Victor and Victoria look on together at the sight, as Victor looks down at his true love, and embraces her.
