Julia Louis-Dreyfus Says Princess Diana Inspired Her Wedding Dress Design

Before Julia Louis-Dreyfus said “I do” to Brad Hall in 1987, she turned to a very influential source to inspire her wedding dress design: The Veep star channeled her inner Princess Diana when she walked down the aisle to her husband nearly 36 years ago. During an appearance on Live With Kelly and Mark on May 22, 2023, the Seinfeld actress opened up about her long-term relationship and the gown she chose for her nuptials. “You and your husband have been married for 35 years,” host Kelly Ripa remarked on the episode. Ripa proceeded to show a photo from the actress and the Saturday Night Live alum’s big day. “Yes, look at that wedding dress,” Louis-Dreyfus laughed. “You’ll see I fashioned my dress after Princess Diana.” Ripa replied, “It’s a beautiful wedding photo.”

For her special day, the bride sported a voluminous ball gown featuring puff sleeves and ruffles along the neckline and on the cuffs of her sleeves. She also tied her hair back in a low chignon and completed her hairstyle with a flower crown and a cathedral-length veil. To pull her look together, the bride carried a bouquet of white flowers and greenery. According to Us Weekly, the groom dressed himself in an English morning suit with a broad cravat necktie for the occasion.

Over the years, Louis-Dreyfus has posted several throwback photos from her nuptials. Most recently, on June 25, 2022, the actress celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary by uploading a snap of the couple linking arms and smiling on their wedding day. “Even though we’re surrounded by a lot of bad news, I’m celebrating some good news today - Been tied to this superb guy for 35 years!” she said in her caption. “What in the living hell? How did that happen so quick?” She also marked her wedding anniversary on June 25, 2016, with a black-and-white portrait of the duo on the day they tied the knot. “29 years ago today,” she wrote. “A good choice. #remain.” The hashtag refers to the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union.

Louis-Dreyfus first met Hall while auditioning for his theater production in the early 1980s, according to HuffPost. “There were a couple of moments, some of which I will not share,” she said of meeting Hall. “But I would say that I knew almost immediately [he was the one]. It’s really the truth.” On June 25, 1987, the duo traded vows in a church in Santa Barbara, California, which is where Hall grew up. According to The New Yorker, the groom’s father was the minister. 

Since then, the duo has worked together on several projects, such as Saturday Night Live, Watching Ellie, and Picture Paris. “He always appreciates the hard work, but sometimes, he’ll say we are honest with one another, so that if he doesn’t think it quite works or something, he’ll tell me why,” Louis-Dreyfus explained on collaborating with one another. “And I’ll do the same with his work.” The couple has spent their marriage raising two children, Henry and Charlie, and supporting one another, especially when Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, People reports. “It was like [my family] had their hands underneath me holding me up,” she recalled. Going through that health care as a family increased their connection. “I think whenever a family goes through a crisis and comes out the other end, you're bound to have an intimacy that, perhaps, wasn't quite there like it was before,” she shared.