Selena Gomez and Sex and the City might not be the first things you’d link to a Genoa City wedding, but for The Young and the Restless star Lauralee Bell, they ended up inspiring one of the show’s most nostalgic moments in years.
As fans gear up for Cricket and Danny’s big reunion and long-overdue “I do,” nearly 30 years after their original wedding, the hunt for the perfect dress turned into its own little adventure.
Lauralee Bell on the inspiration behind Cricket’s wedding gown on The Young and the Restless
Bell, who’s been playing Christine “Cricket” Blair to life since 1983, said in an interview with Variety that the original wedding dress was actually picked by the fans themselves. Viewers voted on several options, and the winning gown became the one she wore for the ceremony.
But once filming kicked off, the dress quickly proved tough to handle owing to long hours on set, constant standing, and endless retakes. Luckily, Costume designer Mandi Line suggested a second look for the reception.
As they tossed around ideas, Bell and Line agreed on Selena Gomez’s wedding, where she wore not one, not two, but three custom Ralph Lauren gowns.
That set off a “lightbulb moment,” Bell said. Line remembered that a fourth dress they had looked at earlier was too laid-back and casual for the ceremony, but flawless for a reception.
“Go to bed and think about it,” Line told her, and by the next morning, Bell knew what she wanted. Line also asked Bell if they could channel a “Carrie Bradshaw moment.”
So the two drove downtown LA, exploring bridal boutiques and working with designers at Q Bridal. The latter agreed to help happily because they’re longtime fans of the show.
“As a woman who’s never gotten married, I needed a Carrie Bradshaw moment. She’s like, ‘Girl, do your thing.’ So Lauralee and I went to downtown L.A., and we spent a day down there, and this is on top of me already spending time online,” Line shared.
She continued, “We spoke to the dress designer at Q Bridal. They said because they watch the show, ‘Take what you want.’”
Danny’s wedding-day style was way easier to figure out. Michael Damian picked a Tom Ford tux the second he saw it and even joked that he had “six layers of Spanx” on underneath.
