﻿Have you ever heard the expression "an ex is an ex for a reason"? The truth is,
many people don't believe in second chances and would never get back with an ex.
However, some couples out there have been able to make it work after breaking up for a while.
That's the case for actors Billie Lourd and Austin Rydell, who even had a fairytale
wedding after getting back together, where they paid tribute to Billie’s family.
After all, another saying states that: "second time's the charm!" Let's review this lovely
couple's history, and you can judge for yourself! Before even dating, Lourd and Rydell had been
friends for years, with Instagram posts of them together going as far back as 2013! They began
dating in 2016. However, the couple broke up soon after, and Billie started dating Taylor Lautner,
her co-star in the TV show Scream Queens. Lautner was a great support for the actress when,
in 2016, her mother and grandmother passed away only 24 hours apart.
Billie is the daughter of legendary Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, and her Grandmother Debbie
Reynolds is considered Hollywood royalty for her roles in films such as Singing in the Rain.
Lourd was understandably devastated after their passing, so Lautner stayed by her side,
even joining her in the hospital where her mother was treated during the last days of her life.
However, in 2017, People magazine confirmed that the two actors had split after 8 months
together. A source told the magazine, "They aren't together but they are still friendly.
She's really focused on her work right now." It's not clear when exactly Billie and Austin
reconnected, but they were spotted kissing in a hotel outside Palm Springs in October
of that same year. A few months later, on the anniversary of her mother's death,
Lourd went to see the Norwegian northern lights to pay tribute to Fisher. Rydell went along with her,
and the actress uploaded a picture of them together on Instagram with the caption: "We
journeyed to northern Norway to see if we might 'see the heavens lift up her dark skirts and
flash her dazzling privates across [our] unworthy irises.' And she did. I love you times infinity."
She also explained that her mother had an "otherworldly obsession" with the
northern lights, so it makes sense that she decided to pay tribute to her in this way.
Lourd spent Christmas in Norway with her dad, talent agent Bryan Lourd, his husband Bruce Bozzi,
and her step-sister. Bozzi even posted some pictures of the family where Rydell appeared,
so it seems like the actors' relationship was already getting very serious!
In April of the following year, Billie took Austin on a trip to Tokyo to celebrate his
26th birthday. She even shared some Instagram pictures of them together with an abbreviation
of "Happy birthday baby.” A few months later, it was Rydell's turn to surprise Lourd for her
birthday. And he sure did! The actress uploaded an Instagram story with him saying, "This king
just surprised me with a 24 hour trip to Vegas and it's safe to say I'm obsessed [with] him."
The actor and producer also shared a tribute to his girlfriend on social media, saying, "Happy
Birthday to the best partner and best friend I could ever imagine. I've had the best times of my
life with you and feel like we've just started.” This couple sure knows how to do sweet tributes!
Everything was going smoothly for the stars. So much that in 2020 the lovebirds announced
their engagement. Of course, they did so through an Instagram post! Rydell
uploaded a series of pictures with Lourd and revealed that his now fiancée had said yes!
Well, according to the actor, she actually said, "duhhhh". When it came to the ring, Austin decided
to pay tribute to Billie's mother. His ring incorporated a diamond that had originally
been in Carrie Fisher's own engagement ring. In the following months, the couple uploaded
a series of sweet Instagram posts together on occasions like Billie's birthday or Valentine's
day. However, the biggest surprise came when they welcomed their first child together only
a few months after getting engaged. The baby was a boy named Kingston Fisher Lourd Rydell.
The actress was so happy with her family life that she even paid tribute to her two
boys on Valentine's day 2021. She captioned a picture of her and her husband kissing Kingston,
saying, "Love is a boring word for how I feel about these two humans. I EVERYTHING
THEM TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE AND BACK." That same year, Lourd and Rydell went to
Disneyland with some friends. The Scream Queens stars decided to pay tribute to her mother on
the new Star Wars attraction, which she called "the best ride ever". The star even wore some
Princess Leia Mickey Mouse ears! She had previously uploaded a picture of her son
wearing a princess Leia beanie and watching some Star Wars scenes on a laptop, also as a homage.
Before getting married, the happy couple listed their home in Los Angeles. Lourd had also begun
renovating the two adjoining properties, which belonged to her mother and grandmother.
She wanted to create an 18 Million dollar estate to continue growing her family with the actor.
On September 22th 2021, the stars celebrated their son's first birthday, sharing some new family
photos. Lourd wished her husband a happy parental anniversary and added a hashtag where she said,
"petition to make parental anniversary a thing." She also uploaded a never-before-seen picture
of her in the hospital before giving birth. On the show Quarantined with Bruce, Lourd gave
a hilarious interview where she explained that her son was technically not a quarantine baby.
"Kingston was conceived before quarantine," she said. "He's technically just a Caribbean baby."
Almost two years after her engagement, the actress finally celebrated her bachelorette
party in February 2022. Lourd posted a series of pictures on social media, where she was
wearing funny accessories like heart-shaped sunglasses and Minnie Mouse bridal headwear.
One month after the party, the couple tied the knot in Cabo Saint Lucas, Mexico,
on March 12 2022. But the festivities actually started with a floral-themed rehearsal dinner.
In an interview with Vogue, the actress revealed how she almost had to manage without a dress.
"I am a little bit of a procrastinator, so I didn't start looking for my rehearsal-dinner
dress until late January," she admitted. The actress loves Oscar de la Renta’s floral designs,
so she went to the store to find a white floral gown. “They asked me when my wedding was, and I
confidently replied, 'March!'” Billie explained “They looked at me quizzically and said, '2023?' I
didn't realize people started planning for this whole wedding thing over a year in advance."
Luckily, they had a dress her size in stock, which she absolutely loved.
The actual ceremony was held on the beach at sunset. It was intimate, attended only by
family and close friends. Of course, some of them were celebrities, like Billie's American Horror
Story co-star Leslie Grossman. When describing the ceremony, the actress said, “We wrote our
own vows and sobbed the entire time. "Word to the wise — always wear waterproof everything!"
When the ceremony ended, the guests threw glitter to the sky in true Carrie Fisher fashion.
"It was magical," Lourd told Vogue. "I could not have dreamed up a more perfect wedding."
The glitter was not the only homage to Carrie. Billie's wedding gown was designed by Kate and
Laura Mulleavy, Rodarte's designers. They had interviewed Carrie Fisher in 2014.
"I felt a strong connection to them because of their connection to my mom," Billie explained. She
also wore her engagement ring, a blue fire opal ring which had been her mother's favorite, and a
ring Fisher had given to one of her best friends. Her wedding shoes were also inspired by heels the
Star Wars actress used to wear in the 90s. Later in the evening, the actress changed
into another custom Rodarte dress. This time, the style was influenced by Debbie Reynolds, Billie's
grandmother. "It was inspired by my glam-ma Debbie Reynolds's iconic dance outfits that she used to
wear in all of her shows and is probably the most fun party outfit of all time," Billie said.
In May 2022, Lourd revealed more details about the wedding to People Magazine. She explained that it
had been officiated by Fisher's two best friends. "It was the most genius officiating in the history
of officiating," the star said. "It was so funny and touching and we sobbed and we laughed,
and that was my favorite part of it." She then talked about the dance party, saying it was
extremely fun and lasted well into the night. Of course, after their wedding, the couple has
continued to post each other on Instagram. Lourd posted a picture of Rydell for his 30th birthday,
saying, "you make me the giddiest gal in the universe," amongst other sweet things. The pair
has also worn matching wedding bands to events such as the launch of a Louis Vuitton collection.
Ahh, aren't they adorable? Months later, Rydell also uploaded a
tribute to Lourd for her 30th birthday, where he joked, saying, "Good luck finding a life partner
like mine." He then added, "I love you forever." They truly know how to make each post touching.
So it's clear that getting back together was one of the best things to have happened to
both actors. They now have a beautiful family and marriage, which will hopefully continue to make
them so amazingly happy. Here at Rumour Juice, we send our best wishes to this hilarious couple!