Julia Stiles' surprising wedding dreams 

Julia Stiles' surprising wedding dreams: "I've gotten into this whole Cinderella fantasy," says Bride's Magazine's first-ever celebrity cover model.

The down-to-earth star reveals her future nuptial desires, ''I'd love a big wedding -- if someone else planned it!,'' and previews her Prince and me character's royal romance in Bride's biggest issue of 2004.

Julia Stiles fantasizes about her own (eventual) wedding in the March/April 2004 issue of Bride's, becoming the first established movie star to grace the cover of the world's #1 bridal magazine.

Throughout the magazine's 70 year history, Bride's has jump-started the early careers of renowned models and actresses like Liv Tyler, Heidi Klum, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. For 2004's largest issue, Editor in Chief Millie Martini Bratten selected the already recognizable Julia Stiles for the cover.

''Julia has a fresh face and an approachable image that our readers relate to,'' says Bratten. ''And while playing her latest role, she got completely swept up in an exciting whirlwind of wedding planning -- just like our readers experience in their own lives.''

The serious actress and Columbia University student was thrown for a loop by the fairy tale proposal her character in the upcoming film The Prince and Me receives from actor Luke Mably, playing the Prince of Denmark. ''When I first looked at the script, the proposal scene didn't jump out at me at all. But when we actually shot it, I couldn't control my breathing. He hands me this diamond ring that has three gigantic rocks on it. I was literally hyperventilating.''

Julia tells Bride's about her unexpected reaction to portraying a royal fiancee. ''I've always fancied myself as an independent woman, and thought more about my career than getting married. But all of a sudden I've gotten into this whole Cinderella fantasy. I had bodyguards for my diamonds!''

In real life, however, the 22-year-old Julia's own wedding isn't in the immediate future. ''The idea of getting married to the man I love and making a family is precious and wonderful and a beautiful thing to me,'' she says, ''but I'm so not into the idea of frivolously getting married that it will probably be awhile before I do that.'' She adds, ''I couldn't imagine marrying someone whose mother didn't think I was worthy of her son,'' an allusion to her on-screen mother-in-law, the Queen of Denmark, played by Miranda Richardson.

However, she does give Bride's a glimpse into her future self as bride-to-be. ''I'd love a big wedding -- if someone else planned it. If I could just say to someone, 'This is the dress I want to wear and this is where I want to have it and these are the people I want to invite, now you go take care of everything,' then I'd love to have a big wedding.''

Julia Stile's cover dress -- a $3,200 wedding gown from Ulla-Maija Couture, is one of the 2,500 prizes available for readers to win throughout the 840 page issue. The March/April 2004 issue of Bride's Magazine hits newsstands on January 20th. For more information, log on to www.brides.com.

Originally published at Bride's.com - Posted on January 16, 2004