Ferguson revealed that the role was actually supposed to go to another 'Modern Family' star.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is sharing all the details about Sarah Hyland's wedding to Wells Adams. ET's Lauren Zima spoke to Ferguson at the premiere of his new film, Ivy + Bean, Monday night, about serving as the officiant at the intimate affair and the massive Modern Family reunion that followed.
While it was Ferguson's first time officiating a wedding, he wasn't actually pegged to perform the ceremony. Ty Burrell, Hyland's TV dad, was supposed to be the officiant, but due to a family emergency, he had to bow out, and Ferguson had to step in.
"I don't know if people know this, but Ty Burrell was meant to do it, and there was a family emergency," Ferguson explained. "So, I got a phone call 12 days before the wedding, and that's why Ty wasn't there, he had stuff going on."
While fans saw a handful of Modern Family stars in attendance at the couple's Santa Barbara nuptials -- including Sofia Vergara and Nolan Gould -- Ferguson noted that while the entire cast was invited, not everyone could make it.
"Everyone was invited and not everyone could make it, but I had 12 days, and I was like, 'Well, no pressure, this is my first time, and then it's going to be a wedding, and it's going to be in Vogue magazine, and there's also going to be paparazzi shots of me from a helicopter, officiating, no pressure,'" he said of the at-first frantic moment.
Ferguson did lean on Burrell, however, for some pointers for the couple's big day.
"But I did call Ty, 'Like what are some of your bullet points that you were going to talk about, because I need to fast track this,'" he shared.
"He hadn't written anything up, but he had some ideas, and I was like, 'Oh, this is all really good. This is a jumping-off place,'" the Take Me Out actor continued. "I was honored to do it. Very happy to understudy Ty Burrell."
As far as what he wanted to accomplish as the couple's officiant, Ferguson said he wanted to keep things light-hearted, while also acknowledging how big and how special of an occasion it was.
"I knew that Sarah and Wells wanted it to be a funny, lighthearted ceremony," he shared. "They're not serious people, but you also don't want to lean too heavily into the jokes because it's a big day."
"Justin -- my husband and I, had Tony Kushner officiate our wedding -- Pulitzer prize award-winning playwright, and he wrote this really lovely, beautiful ceremony for us, and it meant so much to me," Ferguson recounted. "I actually looked at that ceremony again before writing one for Sarah and Wells, so you know, heart is important."
While fans saw lots of behind the scenes moments from the big day, including plenty of pics of The Modern Family cast celebrating Hyland and enjoying a mini-reunion of their own, Ferguson said a lot of the best moments happened off camera.
"So many moments," Ferguson gushed when asked what wasn't on social media. "You didn't see us getting drunk out of our minds on social media...which is for the best."
"I mean, it was so good to see everyone," he added. "I've seen almost everyone individually, so to see everyone in a group, or at least a large group of us together -- we went right into it."
They had a few "crazy" moments too, which brought the group right back into their Modern Family roles.
"Julie Bowen was acting crazy," Ferguson revealed. "She was showing my son how he could eat off a plate like a dog without using his hands. Like, 'Stop it. stop it.' I was right back in brother-sister mode with her, like, 'Stop it. No.'"
The show's creator, Steve Levitan, was also in attendance, and while Ferguson said he doesn't know about the future of a Modern Family reboot, he did say that discussions about bringing the show back have been had -- although not at the wedding.
"There were discussions, and I don't know what happened," Ferguson admitted. "There is an idea out there, and maybe it'll come to life one day. I don't know."
For Ferguson's most recent role, he stars in the children's film, Ivy + Bean, which tells the story of two unlikely friends, who through adventure, discover that even seemingly different people can become the best of friends. The 46-year-old actor told ET that the film reminded of how "lucky" he is to have the job he has and do what he loves every day.
"This was my first job working after the pandemic," Ferguson revealed. "So, I hadn't been doing anything for like a year and a half, which is maybe why the performance is so big, 'cause I was just excited to act, and it was so much fun being with these kids who are so open and excited to be there."
"It really reminded me how lucky we are to be doing this, and just be playing every day. The kids are amazing in this film," he added.
Ivy + Bean hits Netflix September 2.
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