“Bridgerton” Season 2 featured a big, dramatic wedding scene that spanned an entire episode, but costume designer Sophie Canale and her team had to put those looks together – including a bride’s wedding dress, a maid of honor gown, and costumes for an entire church’s worth of attendees — in the same amount of time as every block of the show.
“Like any episode, we’re always looking forward,” Canale told TheWrap. “But it was an amazing opportunity to have a ‘Bridgerton’ wedding.”
The Season 2 wedding between Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran) didn’t actually end in marriage. But while the characters went through a tumultuous day and a broke engagement, the episode was a feast for the eyes — most especially for costume lovers.
“With the wedding, we had everyone in the same costumes. … So we really had to make those costumes quite poignant to be able to work for that whole episode against one another as well, and so distinctively in their world, but to work as a set piece in the church,” Canale said.
“Bridgerton” is known for its stunning costumes — in fact, last year the show was nominated for Outstanding Period Costumes at the Emmys — and the wedding scene featured some of its finest, including Edwina’s wedding dress.
“I created a design. I started with the fabric, which was a French lace, and then working with the cutter and being able to place some piece work along the fabric,” she said. “I really wanted it to have a long train and the width of the lace wasn’t as wide as I wanted it to be. So it was working with the amount of fabric that we had to be able to then extend [it]. So there’s piece work within the lace where they’ve added cutwork all the way to make the train longer. It’s incredible work.”
While the bride is always the focus of any wedding, the nervous groom, Anthony Bridgerton, had an elegant look, which was mirrored by his brothers – best man Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Colin (Luke Newton).
“I really wanted to choose a velvet that worked with the lights and everything, especially being in one episode, seeing him in so many different scenes in one costume,” Canale said, noting she chose a deeper piled velvet for the groom’s waistcoat
“I think with all the general waistcoat choices this season, fabric is what I love. And it’s getting that same tone as well — all the Bridgeton brothers, as kind of groomsmen, have the same tone in the cream of their waistcoats. Also, they all wear the same cravat. And the choice of silks for the cravats this season was very trial and error just so we could get the perfect, crips bow as well.”
With the maid of honor, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), a major figure in the wedding (and the woman Anthony ends up marrying at the end of the season), Canale opted for a mauve/lilac look.
“I was looking originally at jewel colors and having [her match] tonally with her mother as well. I really felt like their color palette worked together. And, as a bridesmaid I wanted to go for a really simple, clean look,” Canale said.
Attendees may have been invited to Anthony and Edwina’s wedding, there was one character in the room who thought the wedding was hers – Queen Charlotte. She had a prime spot, with her entourage, at the event of the season, so she had to stand out — but without upstaging the bride.
“Yeah, I think that’s why tonally, I went with a color that wasn’t so overpowering,” she said. “We often see Queen Charlotte in quite strong colors, but I kind of toned her down. We had the Featheringtons in those brighter tones, and then it could work as a set piece, and kind of pulling her back a little because we’ve got the decoration there.”
“With a scene that big and working with so many colors, you really have to think about what is going to work all together,” she added.
