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All My Children ’s Amanda and Jake are finally getting the dream wedding they, and their fans, have been waiting for and deserve. I recently spoke to Chrishell Stause, who plays Amanda Dillion, about what fans can expect from their second chance at pulling off the perfect wedding, whether any unexpected guests will ruin their special day, and even her own real-life experience as a wedding crasher.
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Bridal Guide: I’ve been hearing a lot about this proposal, which sounds really funny. Can you tell me about it?
Chrishell Stause: The proposal is really sweet. Amanda and Jake wanted to get married again even though they’ve been married a year, because the first time they got married everything went wrong. Jake gets it in his head that he’s going to surprise Amanda and propose to her again. Amanda has it in her head that she’s going to surprise Jake and give him a happily married night of bliss. So basically he has everyone in Pine Valley waiting to jump out and say, “Surprise!” as soon as he proposes. As they jump out she flashes him, so she kind of shows everyone in Pine Valley why Jake is married to her. It actually is really, really funny and it turns into a sweet scene. It’s one of those great scenes where you’ve got funny stuff going on, you’re crying and it’s heartfelt. It reminds you why soaps can be so good.
See more photos of the surprise proposal >>
BG: What did you think of the engagement ring?
CS: The ring is beautiful! I’ve actually been bugging the guy who plays Jake on the show—Ricky and I are really good friends—for so long because he’s a doctor and I haven’t had a diamond for a whole year now. They actually wrote it in that she finally gets her diamond ring. It’s a vintage setting and it’s really pretty. Our executive producer actually picked it out herself and I think she nailed it. This is exactly what Jake would give Amanda.
Looking for an engagement ring or wedding band? Check out our Jewelry Gallery >>
BG: How is this wedding going to be different from the first one?
CS: Well hopefully it will be different in every single way, because the first time Jake and Amanda got married they had David Hayward tied up in a chair, bound and gagged. There were a few sweet moments in there, but it was kind of thrown together in someone’s living room and our friend was ordained over the Internet. This time we’re going for the exact opposite.
BG: Do you think everything will go smoothly this time or do you foresee any problems?
CS: Well, I definitely don’t foresee problems like the last time. This time I do think the show is going for the romance factor. I’m sure there’s definitely going to be a hitch or two but nothing that’s going to ruin the fact that this is the payoff all the fans are waiting for. You’re going to get those moments that might give you a little lump in your throat but in a good way, because they’re really sweet, and of course, what’s a soap opera without any drama, but I definitely don’t see anything that would hold up the wedding.
BG: How do you think Amanda envisions her wedding?
CS: This is something she’s wanted ever since I brought this character to the canvas. I know it’s something she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl and I think that she never actually thought this could be her life—absolutely happy with her husband and son. I think before she was selling herself short and now she’s finally gotten the self-confidence and the self-esteem to realize that she deserves this kind of life. I think she’s going to make sure it’s perfect—the right dress, the right flowers, the whole nine yards.
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BG: Speaking of the dress, have you actually seen it yet?
CS: I have seen the dress! I did a whole wedding dress fitting. They had a bunch of dresses there and I only put on two because we actually ended up going with the first one, which was my first choice. We put it on and it was beautiful. He asked me to try on one more just to have another option so I put on another one, and everyone agreed the very first dress was the dress. It’s really beautiful. It’s romantic, backless, it comes up around the neck, and it’s got a very, very slight blush color at the bottom, not a really noticeable pink but just a hint of it. It’s really pretty.
Browse our Wedding Dress Gallery for the perfect gown >>
BG: What do you think Amanda is looking forward to most about this wedding?
CS: The one thing she keeps saying is her friends and family weren’t there. We had maybe three people there the first time. She really wants to be that bride who walks down the aisle with everyone there smiling back at her. I think that’s the one thing she really missed out on so I think she’s really excited about that.
BG: Would you say Amanda is a bridezilla or does she pretty much have it all together?
CS: You know what’s funny is that it would probably be more fun to play her if she were a bridezilla, because that would just be hilarious. Amanda is just in this happy, giddy place and it’s very sweet, so no, there is none of that for her.
BG: What do you think is one of the biggest challenges of planning this wedding for Amanda?
CS: At one moment she wants to go and talk to her mom at the hospital but she misses her by a day and she’s already been sent off, so I think that’s probably the biggest struggle she has. She feels that even after everything her mom’s done and put her through, at the end of the day she does wish that she could be normal and be there. It’s not until she has some really beautiful moments with Jake’s mom, Ruth, that she begins to feel like she has a family. She can’t be hung up on the fact that her mom is never going to be able to be happy for her and she’s never going to be that mom Amanda so desperately wishes she was. That’s probably been the hardest part for her—to accept that she’s not going to have her mom and dad at her wedding like she wishes she could.
BG: Do you like weddings? What’s your favorite part?
CS: I love weddings. I’ve actually crashed a wedding once. The girl who plays Randi on the show, Denise, and I were at a soap event at this beautiful location, I think it was in Jersey, and there was a wedding going on at the same time. Well our event ended and I heard my favorite song coming from inside that room and I was like, “Oh my gosh, they’re playing Mony Mony,” which I love. I was like, “Denise, come on, let’s go dance,” and she was like, “Chrishell, no, you’re crazy,” and I was like, “Oh come on, they’re not going to care if we just go dance to one song.”
So we go in there and start dancing, and all of a sudden the bride comes up to us and we’re like, “Oh no, we’re busted.” The bride darts over and goes, “Oh my god, Amanda and Randi at my wedding!” She was the hugest All My Children fan. Who knew? She had no idea we were across the way and we had no idea she was an AMC fan, so we lucked out. We ended up leading the conga line. They were the most beautiful couple. They sat us at their head table. It was the funniest, most bizarre thing. We took a million pictures and we had the best time ever.
I do love weddings. They’re so much fun. The reception is the most fun just because you get to dance to all those songs you don’t play every day, but once you hear them it’s like “Oh, I love this song!” I just love being silly and dancing around. Everyone puts whatever they’re dealing with aside and just has a great time. Of course the bouquet toss is always fun even though I don’t ever catch it. I don’t want to, but I’m just saying I’m a really bad catcher. I’ve seen some good brawls happen during the bouquet toss, which is always fun to watch.
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BG: What are your favorite songs to hear at a reception? What really gets you up and moving?
CS: There are crowd favorites like “Shout.” Everyone likes to jump up and down to that one. Then there are the silly ones, like “Macarena,” that you normally would hate if they came on the radio, but at a wedding, for some reason when it comes on you’re like “Oh, let’s do the Macarena!” Everyone’s gotta get up and you’ve gotta do it and you just have fun with it. I think things like that are very stereotypical, but that’s what makes them so fun. What’s a wedding without doing the chicken dance?
Putting together your wedding playlist? Take a look at our Top 90 Wedding Songs >>
BG: Do you think any of that is going to show up at Jake and Amanda’s wedding?
CS: We did a dance-a-thon once and we all did the chicken dance so I doubt they’ll do that again, but it was funny. I haven’t seen the reception scenes yet so I actually don’t know. I hope so.
BG: As you go through the motions of this wedding, do you find yourself taking mental notes of what you would want one day for your wedding?
CS: I haven’t shot those scenes yet so I’m anxious to see what they do choose for Amanda. Personally, I love simple things. I think it’s beautiful when a bride comes down the aisle and she’s got the most beautiful dress on and the bouquet is not overtaking the dress. Sometimes they’re so big you can hardly see the dress because it’s at her waist and it’s flowing all the way down. I feel like sometimes people get caught up with wanting everything to be the biggest and the best.
BG: Any final thoughts about Amanda and Jake’s wedding?
CS: I’m excited about the wedding. See, it goes to show you, people can be happily married on a soap. Who knows how long it will last, but so far it’s been a year and it’s been great. And I love, love, love working with Ricky Paull. He’s my best friend off camera so if ever that day does come when we’re not working together, we’re both going to be heartbroken.
You can learn more about Chrishell Stause and Amanda Dillion at SOAPnet.com .
