The launch of Allure Bridals’ Bridgerton Wedding collection was emotional for two-time Emmy winner Lyn Paolo partly because her daughter is getting married in February.
The “Bridgerton” and “Queen Charlotte” costume designer watched the debut of 15 wedding dress designs she dreamed up in collaboration with Allure Bridals, Netflix and Shondaland Monday night at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in the Los Angeles hamlet of San Marino. “Bridgerton” television series creator Shonda Rhimes attended the fashion show in the Shakespeare Garden, where the gowns made their way into society one by one. Nikki Deeds, global brand director at Allure Bridals, welcomed the crowd and introduced Paolo who thanked her friend and Shondaland CEO, Shonda Rhimes, in an emotional speech before the 10 models hit the runway.
Paolo’s daughter had already selected her wedding dress, but she wanted another one following the runway session, which was set to some of the both “Queen Charlotte” and “Bridgerton” licensed string covers of “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes, “Halo” by Beyoncé, “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles and “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5. Before the official debutante-like event began, covers of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Rihanna’s “We Found Love” and “This Is What You Came For” set the mood for the guests in attendance lining the garden paths in anticipation.
“As the gowns were going past, she was like ‘Mom, what about that one? What about that one?’” Paolo told TheWrap in an interview after the fashion show.
“Bridgerton” and “Queen Charlotte” characters and a pivotal scene from the spin-off were put front of mind for the dress designs.
“The first gown that came out was certainly based on that early Daphne dress from Season 1. The last gown that comes out is based on young Charlotte when she walked down the aisle,” Paolo said. “We did think about adding the cape like she had, but we just thought that wouldn’t resonate with the modern bride as much. Maybe it might in another collection after this one, but those two were based on those two characters.”
Paolo described the style inspiration as “the aesthetic of the basic Regency bride and the Georgian bride” modified so that the “feeling of history” still “translates to the modern bride.” Lace, silk, taffeta and more materials made up the dresses, 17 of which were white. Over half of the gowns glittered, sparkled or glinted in some way. Some boasted bows on the back in the center of the dress.
“I don’t think people realize this, but we have so much sparkle on the show. We always underlay everything with some sparkle because when we do those dance sequences and the light hits them, there’s always a shimmer,” Paolo said. “I don’t know if you remember at the end of ‘Queen Charlotte,’ the Stars and Moon Ball, but every single gown, every man’s suit had a little sparkle to it. I think it’s part of the magic of ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Queen Charlotte,’ isn’t it? I just think that little bit of sparkle means it just elevates everything.”
There was a black option six dresses into the fashion show, a light mauve dress in the eighth slot and a white dress overlayed with multicolored flowers in the 10th, halfway through the runway lineup. Paolo pointed out ivory as well.
“We wanted to embrace those other colors out there because I think not every bride wants to wear white,” she said. “Sometimes white is quite difficult to wear. There’s a lot of ivory in there, and there’s also underlays that you can add. You can ask when you go to the store and have your gown made, you can do a little extra shimmer underneath. I think it’s important to always give those other options for young brides. Not everyone has to wear white.”
The gowns feel too modern to Paolo to appear within’ the Netflix series — which announced its Season 3 two-part premiere rollout in 2024 on Tuesday — but the silhouettes could make it somehow.
“I’m just really happy that it went down well, and that I do hope that the fans out there love the line,” Paolo said. “I really want all those young ladies out there in the world who want to dress one of our characters on the shows — I just think it’s so emotional for young ladies in that fitting room. It would be lovely and I really want them all to send me their pictures.”
The 2024 Bridgerton Wedding Collection is available now in bridal salons worldwide with prices ranging from $1,600 to $3,000. To view and shop the Bridgerverse-inspired bridal gown collection from Allure Bridal, click here.
View a sample of the collection from the runway event below (all photos by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Allure Bridals):
