What the 'Love Actually' Wedding Dress Was Supposed to Look Like

Remember the wedding dress Juliet (Keira Knightley) wore in Love Actually? Of course you do. With its form-flattering silhouette, elegant train, feathery neckline and just-sheer-enough fabric to show off her two-piece reception outfit beneath, it's one of the romantic comedy's most noteworthy outfits. It's just so cool and different, which is no surprise, since Oscar-winning costume designer Joanna Johnston was the brains and artist behind the piece. (Johnston recently outfitted stars Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt in Allied.)

But as unique and fashion forward as Juliet's dress was, Johnston told Grazia in a recent interview that Love Actually director Richard Curtis originally intended it to be even more daring. "Richard Curtis wanted [Keira's] character to be kind of sexy, even as a bride. He wanted her to be dressed ready for the end of the scene where they're partying, so he had this idea of a crop top, with a bare tummy," Johnston reveals.

We get a glimpse of that crop top and long skirt, first underneath Juliet's long-sleeve overlay during the ceremony, and then in full when she and her new husband Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are dancing at the reception. Johnston thought the more conservative, though still boldly translucent, cover-up made more sense for a ceremony. She says, "I told Richard, 'You don't want a bare tummy going into church! So I went for a sheer, layered style instead with petal details underneath; gauzy and multi-layered.'"

The result? Two wedding outfits, each equally special and distinct—and now totally iconic. We'd recognize these wedding looks anywhere! And we're obviously still obsessed with her delicate, feathery fascinator that tied the whole look together.