Cosmopolitan [AU] (October 2002)

Gwen Stefani: Bride-To-Be

Yes, she’s getting married (to a fellow rockstar) and yes, she’s planning her wedding (actually two). Gwen gets excited and tells us how her plans are going

Gwen Stefani is just cool, isn't she? She's not a princess of pop - she's in a proper, bona fide rock band. She sings with boys and when she gets sweaty on stage, she doesn't care if her hair is messed up or her make up is smudged. She just powers on with the song. Is that why we love her? Well, that - and the fact that she manages to do it while still being a girl's girl. She couldn't wait to tell Cosmo about her upcoming wedding to Gavin Rossdale from UK band Bush.

Hey, Gwen, when was the last time you…

… drank too much?

About a week ago at my bachelorette party - I drank a lot more than I normally do! I don't usually drink because alcohol seems like poison to my body, but because it was one of those nights when you're supposed to, I relented. I had dinner with about 13 girlfriends, some who I've known for years, and we drank champagne and wine. I remember getting into the limo after dinner to go out dancing, and one of my girlfriends said, “Here’s your present.” It was some kind of almond tequila or something. We drank all these drinks and didn’t even know what they were called, and danced until 4am, which is something I never do. Well, I go out a lot, I just don’t go out drinking a lot. By the end of the night, we were all so drunk we
were crying! It was one of those very funny girls' nights out.

The next day was my wedding shower and my mum, sister-in-law, and 70 relatives were all gathered around and then the girls from my bachelorette party rolled in with their sunglasses on! It was like we’d gone from a wild night out straight into a little tea party.

… shouted your friends dinner?

Yesterday! It was about 3am, and it was a very early breakfast that I paid for. I'd just finished this radio show and was with my fiance, sister-in-law, brother and a really good girlfriend. We were driving home having fun, and as you do, decided to stop for one of those naughty roadside breakfasts. Our schedules are out of sync. It's 3pm in the afternoon right now [Gwen is in Germany] and I'm sleeping because I'm so jet lagged, and I was up at 5am on the bus going, "Oh my God, I can't sleep." We're always changing time zones. I was just in LA for two weeks, but before that I was in Europe, and now I'm back in Europe. My body can't adjust quickly enough!

… wore something embarrassing?

I have these girlfriends who do this cabaret-style show in LA called The Pussycat Dolls. They always have special guests - Christina Applegate and Carmen Electra have done it - and they asked me to do a show too.

It was a little embarrassing wearing the outfits. They were really, really, tiny. Really tiny. I wore a super-sexy short sailor skirt, a tiny bra, fishnet stockings and lace-up boots. There was definitely a lot more of my legs showing than usual. I don't really wear outfits like that - and certainly never in public. I was like, "Oh, I can't believe I'm wearing fishnets." On top of that, I had to learn the songs and dance routine the same day as the performance. It was a cram session, but I winged it, and it turned out to be really fun and an incredible show. But I'm not really good at dancing - choreography is not my thing. I just got through it really quick. Once you're on stage, you just go with it - and pretend you fit in!

… took a nice, long bath?

Oh, it's a sad story, but tor my wedding shower, my hairdresser gave my fiance and I this huge box of fresh rose petals to put in the bath. It was beautiful. But I had this crazy week, where every minute was accounted for, and we didn't have time to use it. Then, the night before I left to go on tour, I said to Gavin, "Oh my God, we should have that rose petal bath tonight." We opened the box and the rose petals had gone mouldy. It was a bit sad because I'd planned for it to be a romantic night.

… fully kicked back and relaxed?

These days it feels like I have to be touring to get rest! It's weird, but when you're touring, you get a schedule, so everything is organised, and you work to it. I just spent two weeks at home and we [No Doubt] filmed a video clip, and did at least a hundred other things, plus I had to organise all my wedding stuff.

… got really excited?

I’m very, very excited about our wedding, although it's really hard for Gavin and I to put it together while we're both touring. And we're having two weddings. The official wedding will be in London, where Gavin's family live. The second ceremony will be for my family and will be in LA - it'll be more like a blessing. We wanted both our families to come, but not everyone can afford to fly across the world, so we decided to go to them. We're organising the London ceremony ourselves, and still have heaps to do.

The head of my record label offered to give me the reception in LA as a gift, and a wedding planner organised it all for us. I feel really lucky to have someone do that for me.

… cried your eyes out?

I had to fake cry in the video clip we just shot [for No Doubt's new single Underneath it All from the Rock Steady CD], In one scene I was supposed to have tears coming from my eyes. I tried to work myself up, but had to use eye drops to help the tears out!

I cried for real at my wedding shower. My aunt gave me a present and said, 'This is from your great grandma." It was a card, and inside was this little embroidered pale blue handkerchief. My grandma's name was Gertrude, so her initial, G, was on it, and obviously I'm a G too. It was really special because you're supposed to carry the handkerchief with you at your wedding and have something blue. It really touched me.

… got into big trouble?

I'm a really good girl! I can't think of when I really got in trouble. There's no one to bust me - I'm a 32-year-old woman! Actually, last night I was in trouble as I promised myself I wouldn't eat chocolate and I did -1 had a little chocolate fiesta! You know when you tell yourself, "That's it. Tonight's the night I am going on a health kick", but don't? I've been going through my naughty phase - eating lots of chocolate and pizza and all those things love. I like healthy eating, but I like pizza as well.

… were utterly and blissfully happy?

I was blissfully happy last night onstage - we played in Berlin, Germany. It was the first show we’ve played in a month. It was just great. After a break, it really hits you just how lucky you are to be up there. Everybody was so into it. I remember thinking, “Wow, I’m in a whole other country, singing in English, which is not the fans’ main language, and they're singing all my songs!" I had lots of blissful moments last week too. I spent a couple of weeks at home and it was fun seeing everyone again, hadn't seen my family for three months, which is hard as I'm really close to them. That's the most difficult part of touring.

… kissed your fiancé?

Hmm, I kissed him the day I left to go on tour - two days ago. There was big kissing in the morning and a little kiss right before he left. I'm going to see him in LA, where he's recording a new song. A producer asked Gavin to sing a song for a movie soundtrack. Gavin's never done anything like this before, but he thought it would be fun.

… sang in the shower?

I practically live in hotel rooms and I don't really want to be singing in hotel showers. And spend a lot of time singing in my life so I don't really need to sing in the shower too.

… wore flat shoes?

This morning. We'd been driving all night and I woke up and walked from the tour bus to the hotel room. I alternate between heels and flat shoes. I'm not a tomboy or anything because I love make-up, but I've always worn Dr Martens [shoes] and sneakers. It's just recently I've felt womanly enough to wear high heels. For me, when you wear heels, it's a real sexy kind of thing, and I never really showed that side of myself until the last four or five years. I always felt silly in them, really, and saved them for special occasions. Now I wear them all the time. But when I’m on tour I live in tennis shoes. They’re cute and just slip on.

… threw a rock-star tantrum?

I don’t throw tantrums very often. I’m a pretty calm person, really. I just get frustrated with certain things, like when I have a billion things to do but no one tells me exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I was pretty grumpy yesterday, though, for absolutely no reason. I think that I was just jet lagged.

… styled your own hair?

I do my own hair for shows, but when I'm having a photo shoot done, I get my hairstylist in. When you bleach your hair as much as I do, it gets pretty messed up! So I have to bring in the big guns to help me out.

… applied your own make-up?

I do my own make-up for almost everything -1 really enjoy doing it. I used to be a make-up artist - I feel like I know my face, the shape and exactly how I like it done. If someone does do it for me for a concert or something, usually end up doing it again myself anyway.

… made your friends laugh?

This morning while eating breakfast with the band, we made each other laugh. We have things we do and say to each other that only we know about, which makes us laugh. When you're in the same band
for 15 years, there's not much that you have to do to make each other laugh! We're all still best friends. The year and a half we spent making Rocksteady, we had real chemistry. It was about friendship, hanging out and having a great time.

… stayed home on a Saturday night?

The weekends and weekdays are all the same for me. As I'm touring all the time, it's all just one long event. I go out every night when I'm on tour. But if was home with Gavin for a week and there was a night we could choose to go out or stay in. I'd stay in. If I'm kicking back at home, we just get a video, read the papers, or just lie in bed eating. It's nice to have time to do nothing, when we can just be a couple and make out and watch TV! That's pretty much my favourite thing to do, but I don't get to do it very often.

… someone was nasty to you?

It's not that people are nasty, it's more like they're rude. People come up to me while I'm eating a meal in a restaurant and say, "I know you don't like it when this happens while you're eating, but can I have my photo taken with you?" They know it bothers me, but think, "I'm going to do it anyway." Most of the time I'm all right about it, but if I really don't feel like having my picture taken, I won't - especially if it's past midnight and I've been working all day and night. You have to draw the line somewhere.