How to Host a “Bridgerton” Picnic: Part I
Dearest Gentle Reader,
It’s official - Season Four of Bridgerton has been confirmed! And no one could be more excited than yours truly!
The show is a particular guilty pleasure of mine, much as I love period pieces in general, and I am itching to see how the new storylines of the darling Bridgerton family and Lady Whistledown unfold.
As a picnic professional, my curiosity naturally lies in a much more aesthetic area. Since the announcement, I have found myself eagerly anticipating the novel ways in which the set designers will present the next chapter of this delicious bonbon of a show!
Now, with September marking the reopening of PASPALUM for the 2025/26 season, the timing could not be more ideal to revisit the Regency theme in my first blog post of ‘the season’. I am more excited than ever at the prospect of polishing my own interpretation, diving into the historical background, and examining Regency’s natural relationship to the picnic!
For the rest of this month, I’ll offer peeks at my own past Bridgerton-themed events, discuss ideas on how to expand on the design, and share a guide on hosting the perfect garden party, with links to my favorite decor details and our newly launched picnic package.
Some of you may briefly wonder, how does this feather-and-pastel-theme relate to the global aesthetic I have cultivated with PASPALUM these past six years?
My response is that, beyond offering a chance to celebrate the classic continental origins of the “piquenique” and all of its related motifs, Regency (and its French cousin) satisfies a special a kind of Wanderlust, a journey through history as well as geographical space, through fictional scenes of my most beloved novels as much as real bucolic landscapes like Sommerset or Devonshire. I feel sometimes that I have spent a good part of my life there, at a ball in Mayfair or inside the pump rooms of Bath, taking tea. I invite all lovers of this aesthetic to jump in with me, travel through time and space, and explore this theme together.
What else is there to say before I start besides, “dearest gentle reader, did you miss me?”
My dessert props, for when the macaron budget is not the size of Queen Charlotte’s. Photo credit: Carola Perla
Planning A Bridgerton Garden Party:
Composing The Look
In order to host a Bridgerton party of any kind, we must start by building the look.
Contrary to many modern party themes, Regency is not something contemporary we are used to seeing (unlike mirrored disco balls, mylar balloons, or taco bowls). We only encounter it in highly produced movies and prestige TV, making it a rather intimidating scene to set. That means that for this style, we must delve a little deeper, go to the heart of it and ask what REGENCY - the historical period captured in the books and on the show - actually is?
Leicester Square, image from JaneAustensLondon.com
REGENCY represents the early decades of the 19th Century in the United Kingdom (don’t let your history-buff of a friend start lecturing you on the exact start and end years, as no one really agrees).
It is named after Prince George IV, who was declared Prince Regent in 1811 on account of the declining mental health of his father. Prince George IV’s ascendancy coincided with a time of great cultural achievement, refinement, and beauty, as well as mass poverty and political turmoil across the country.
For some people, Regency evokes the former reality, a time of pastoral romance and manners, as reflected in Jane Austen or Lord Byron. The Bridgerton TV show leans heavily on this aesthetic with an exuberant take on empire-waisted dresses, elegant drawing rooms, and monogramed dance cards. We are made to understand the time’s cultural fecundity with the art exhibitions the protagonists attend, and the poetry readings held by candlelight. We are even shown engineering marvels like a hot-air dirigible, which almost knocks out the half the ‘ton’.
At the same time, Regency was a period of social upheaval. The never-ending series of Napoleonic Wars decimated a generation of young men. There was the instability of an ill king, the rise of city slums and unimaginable living conditions, the great debates on slavery in the colonies, and the industrial revolution threatening progress on the horizon.
Now, you may pause to argue here that there is no need to be this concerned with political history to plan a two-hour garden party. I say, it always helps to understand a theme fully, especially a historical one, if only to appreciate all of its layered symbology and filter out what does and doesn’t work for you.
Sense and Sensibility (1995) - one of my favorite films of all time.
Speaking of garden parties and picnics, outdoor entertaining is one area where the Regency era really shone for everyone! Regardless of whether you came from the lofty stratosphere of nobility or were a humble worker, being outdoors, celebrating milestones in green spaces, connecting with the natural world - all of these would have been a large part of your life.
If you were a lord, for example, you might spend your summers luxuriating on the manicured grounds of your estate, riding horses while your daughter practiced her watercolors in the garden folly.
Alternately, if you were a farmer or a tradesman, you might spend a Sunday fishing or lunching in the fields, in the last breath of a world unmarred by machines.
As this is a Bridgerton theme, it is obviously more the nobility’s experience that informs our event design.
What would those moments look like?
Can you picture our characters promenading through the newly debuted Regent’s Park or cheering on a rowing regatta? Finger sandwiches and lemonade probably would be mandatory offerings. You might hear a stringed quartet…
Or does your mind wander into the gardens of an evening soiree, glittering with champagne coupes and fireworks?
When I start to pull the motifs together that define a style for me, I always start with imagery like this, zeroing in on moments in a character’s life and the items associated with them.
Things like:
pastel brocades, like those of an afternoon dress or upholstered fainting sofa
the soft lace and chiffon layers of a petticoat
scalloped tea saucers with gilded estate crests
the gold candelabras and crystal chandelier beads of a ball room
sculpted topiaries marking a secret garden rendezvous
French macaron towers that gently echo the decadence of continental fashions
silk ribbons and ostrich feathers of a lady’s coiffed hair
cameos, masquerade masks, and black paper silhouettes that hint at a promised love
the striped cabanas and canvas campaign tents of a village fete
painted parasols and croquet games, telling the story of a life of leisure
and flowers, flowers, flowers…
With these images in mind, I pulled together the mood board below.
This collage is for inspiration only - no copyright infringement is intended. To claim photo rights, please contact us and we will be happy to add your name or replace your portion of the image.
TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT:
What images do you picture when you think of REGENCY?
Is your understanding of the style coquettish and playful, with lots of desserts, lawn games, and butterflies? Like the Bridgerton family competing at Pall Mall? Or is it grand like a ballroom filled with gold leaf, champagne towers, brocades, and marriage proposals? Or maybe it is none of those, but rather literary, intimate, and ladylike, with tea sets, lace fans, and society papers?
Regardless of which version you choose, I promise it really helps, before making any purchases, to decide what your idea of the REGENCY experience is. Remember that like much of the show, it needn’t be 100% historically accurate;)
It can be based on your favorite episode’s activities - balls, picnics, lawn games, afternoon teas, the list goes on…It can be based on a character - do you see yourself as a debutante Daphne or a bookish Eloise? A rakish Benedict or a flamboyant Featherington? You can draw on literary source material like Austen, Keats, or Dickens. Or a favorite landscape painting by Turner or Constable.
Lastly, think of why you are celebrating and where? A park picnic will feel differently to an indoor event, the look for a bachelorette might be frillier than say, Mother’s Day.
Jot these ideas down to bring into focus the Bridgerton experience you are looking for. Once you’ve settled on this, it will be so much easier to move on to PART II - Collecting the Elements!
NOTE:
You may notice a striking similarity here to the equally popular MARIE ANTOINETTE theme, so often used in bachelorette parties and bridal showers, and wonder how to keep from merging one into the other. Especially when some of the Bridgerton show’s stylistic choices look equally extravagant and confectionary. I offer some advice below - just remember that your event does not have to replicate a movie set or translate to film, it is a personal experience with family and friends.
My Advice:
Keep your color palette inspired by nature, as opposed to a purely pink and gold combo. Make sure to include a range of mint green, lavender, lemon yellow, peach, and periwinkle blue. These colors will ground the design in its British garden origin, instead of looking like Sofia Coppola’s version of 18th Century Versailles.
Skip the white wigs and keep the skirts long, if at all possible:) Contrary to French opulence (and certain Bridgerton scenes), the Regency era was known for modesty and restraint. Less boned corsets, more elbow-length gloves.
Include something handcrafted or handprinted. While the French valued erudition, flirtation, and philosophy, the English had a soft spot for any expression of a lady’s “accomplishments”. This could be a painted water jug or calligraphy place cards, needlepoint, printed menus, sheet music, a stack of leather books, or an art-filled group activity.
Lastly, if you feel comfortable to do so, you may decide to include Chinoiserie, tropical fruit, or other global decor. Much like tea itself, they are evidence of the international reach of the British Empire. While potentially problematic as seen through a historical lens, in the context of Bridgerton’s altered reality, these motifs can be inclusive celebrations of the world and its people.
