Meet Heather Shaw -- Bride #2, Mary Jones

Many screenwriters imagine a specific actor when they're writing a part. Maybe they've pictured Robin Williams or Jim Carrey taking a wacky crack at their lines and adding some funny little gag... or perhaps they've pictured Bridget Fonda beating up the neighbors or Juliette Lewis on a rampage. But we never did. When we wrote this, we didn't explicitly focus on a look or a person. We worked on the back story and creating believable characters with a little history in their back pocket.

I personally liked the idea of having a young teen pregnant bride -- because they're all too common. And of course a good opportunity for comedy. There are two ways to go with something like this... she could either be a caretaker kind of gal (who would naturally take care of her father after her mother died), or she could be just a little pissed off, because, you know, her mom was dead and she was pregnant and it's messed up. So we went with that. But who do you picture playing a role like that? Not Reese Witherspoon or Rachel McAdams or Anne Hathaway. Maybe Lindsay Lohan, but that's it.

We called in three actors for the part of Mary Jones -- the goth, pregnant teen with a punk rock attitude. They all looked so pretty in their headshots, but I wanted to open the door a little to see what they could do. During her screen test, Heather turned into someone else when she read the part of Mary. That sweet girl that walked in the door went away and Mary Jones, the spitfire, came out. We looked at the tape a couple of times but there was no doubt. We liked her Mary, testy and all. Plus Heather didn't care if we wanted her hair dyed black. No hesitation, no problem. Go goth.

Heather will be a great addition to our cast, if only because she'll be the best sport and we can play tricks on her. Thank you to Heather!

Heather Dayah Shaw was raised in Santa Cruz County, CA and has been active in the performing arts for most of her life. Heather is trained in many styles of dance and has a passion for choreography. She has danced as a company member in both the Santa Cruz Ballet Theater and the Teen Dance Company of the Bay Area. Other performance highlights include singing at Carnegie Hall with the Cabrillo Chorus and appearing as a guest on the television show “Q&A.” Some of Heather's musical theater credits include The Music Man (Zaneeta), Oklahoma!, Bye Bye Birdie, and Camelot. Heather began college at 15 years old. Now 19, she is continuing her education at UC Berkeley as a Philosophy and Theater double major with a Dance minor.

Meet Holly Nugent -- Bride #1, Helen Everett

When the casting process began with Emmanuelle, Connie and Maria reviewing pictures and resumes, it was Emmanuelle who pegged our first key role -- she selected the actress to play the part of Helen Everett (aka Bride #1, better known as "The Future Bride" from the title). Helen is the catalyst in this film, and it is her visit to the bridal shop -- along with best friend Katie and mother Joan -- that the story revolves around.

We knew we needed someone who could play sweet, nervous, intimidated, and frustrated all while trying on couture gowns. She has to be able to play off of a kooky and cynical best friend as well as a demanding and opinionated mother. But she also has to be magnetic AND understated behind those two strong characters while not turning to mush in the background. Tough stuff.

When Holly Nugent walked into the room, we all collectively sighed, especially AD who wrote in his notes that she IS Helen. Holly was a breath of fresh air in her sunny yellow dress and positive personality. While we might have considered another "dark horse" actress with a strong visual presence, the more we looked at Holly's screen test, the more we were convinced she could pull it off. Yes, Emmanuelle had the eye on this one.

Holly Nugent was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory after attending PCPA's Two Year intensive Actor Training Program and ACT's Young Conservatory. After graduating from The Boston Conservatory, Holly continued training in improv and sketch comedy and began focusing on building a career in theatre and film in the San Francisco Bay Area. She currently serves on the ACT Alumni Board of Directors, and is a member of Ray of Light and The Royal Underground's Theatre Companies. Recent theatrical credits include Emma Carew in "Jekyll and Hyde", Woman 1 in "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," and DeeDee Dulce (the wedding singer) in "Tony and Tina's Wedding." She also recently won the award for Best Actor of the San Francisco Seven Day Film Festival for her work in the film "Look Both Ways". Holly currently resides in San Francisco with her loving husband, Arik, and the other joy of her life, her dog Annabelle!

Find out more about Holly at www.HollyNugent.com.