During my past 23+ years of event planning, I have definitely seen my share of movies and television shows inspiring wedding trends. Remember the Great Gatsby and how much glitz and glamour appeared at parties and weddings once that movie was released? It's easy to see why couples today are inspired by the Netflix series Bridgerton and the romantic wedding that takes place between bride Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and groom Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). If you are thinking of returning to 19th-century England and incorporating trends from the various events shown in the Bridgerton series, I've listed some ways to achieve your goal.
FASHION
Women
Colorful puffed cap-sleeve empire waist dresses with A-line silhouettes made of beautiful fabrics.
Dresses for the younger debutantes were detailed with ruffles, silk sashes, and bows.
Elaborate dress details like jewels and crystals, embroidery, floral appliqué s
Sweetheart and Square necklines
Petticoats with high collars and corsets
Few dresses were worn off the shoulder but they did exist
Brocade fabrics and patterns
Fabrics like silk, taffeta, velvet, tulle, chiffon, lace, satin
Bridgerton women wore soft pastels and muted hues to signify their prominent status
Accessories like dinner gloves and shawls, and ornate statement neck pieces. Daphne typically wears understated necklaces like ribbon chokers and delicate crystals, but the other women wear very ornate statement pieces.
Luxurious and elaborate hair accessories including ornate bejeweled tiaras and crowns, hair accessories like silk flowers and large velvet bows, stately wigs from Paris worn incorrectly, netted fascinators, elaborate ribbon hair bands, fancy hair pins, and feather headpieces..
Lady Danbury sticks to bold jewel tones like reds and purples to symbolize her royal stature
Chinoiserie silk robe
Velvet hooded cape
Daphne wore over 100 dresses during filming. Her wedding dress was an Italian silk empire waist and cap sleeve silhouette with floral embroidery and a lace train.
Lace illusion sleeves
When it comes to jewelry, hair accessories and statement pieces, go big or go home!
Lots of bling at social gatherings and balls.
Bridgerton women mostly wore flat shoes
Men
Patterns like Paisley
Brocade fabrics and patterns
Vests
Silk bowties
INTIMATE GUEST SIZE
As we are still in a pandemic, it is easy to relate to the intimate guest size of Daphne and Simon's wedding. It's important to notice that the couple did not allow the intimate size of their wedding compromise their desired aesthetic of their wedding day. The details still mattered.
THE AESTHETIC
While Daphne and Simon's wedding style was not the typical opulent, elaborate, over the top aesthetic that one would ordinarily see at a Bridgerton wedding, there were still plenty of simply elegant details to impress their intimate guest list.. Daphne and Simon's wedding was still flower-filled, embellished with lighting elements, and impressive details from start to finish.
Considering details from the Bridgerton Series' social gatherings, the tone was always set at the venue entrance with gorgeous draping florals, like wisteria draping from the roof down the front of the home.. Monochromatic white florals with greenery adorned the aisle and altar from top to bottom at the wedding ceremony without distracting from the meaning of the ceremony or the church's historical features. The couple made sure every pew was decorated down the aisle, even though so few people actually attended the ceremony. Consumable focal points like champagne towers and ornate traditional wedding cakes decorated the ballroom. A flower shower or confetti entrance created a grand entrance for the couple. Market umbrellas and floral lined pathways decorated outdoor areas at the venue. Special ceiling installations like orchid stems hanging from the ceiling and crystal chandeliers created an elegant setting in a classy way without dominating the room. Candelabras and white florals with greenery adorned the staircase to add just enough detail without covering the existing ornate detail.
Everyone appreciates a good color theme, and it seems as though many events in the Bridgerton series offered some great monochromatic themes. There was the Green Ball, where the entire set was in shares of green. The wedding was basically white florals with greenery, perhaps symbolizing purity. Blue was the dominant color for the Duke and Duchess Ball, where even the dance floor was blue checkered flooring.
Lighting was definitely a design element for all of their gatherings. Whether it be crystal chandeliers, ornate candelabras, or an abundance of hanging lanterns. The vibe of the event is definitely set by the type of lighting you select. Crystal chandeliers creates a more formal setting, and the multiple hanging lanterns is more of an outdoor garden party feel. These choices are intentional.
INCLUSIVE GUEST EXPERIENCE
By asking guests to wear something blue to the Duke and Duchess's Ball, Daphne and Simon created an inclusive experience for their guests. In fact, they could feel connected to the event because blue was a color theme. Guests are also cared for in the way of plentiful hosted food and beverage. They are greeted and properly announced at the entrance. Guests are typically invited formally to each event.
TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS
Daphne and Simon opted for tradition including a multi-tier ornate wedding cake, champagne toast, and church ceremony.
ENTERTAINMENT
Whether it was the fire dancers or the fireworks, the live entertainment or musical choices., there is no doubt that entertainment was thoughtfully considered for each event. There was a lot of dancing at these parties, including choreographed dances. These made me think of line dances and flash mobs that we currently incorporate into the dance portion of parties and weddings.
Music was purposefully selected for the scenes and dances in the series. Surprisingly for a 19th century period show, many modern songs were selected. The songs represented the period in that they were played by a string quartet but the actual songs performed were modern from artists like Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes and Billie Eilish. During the Regency period you would typically hear waltzes and sonatas.